How Do You Identify the Fish at a Poker Table? šŸŸ

  • Thread starter Thread starter philipabb
  • Start date Start date
philipabb

philipabb

Enthusiast
Silver Level
Awards
1
Poker Chips
32
Casino Coins
0
Thereā€™s an old poker saying: ā€œIf you canā€™t identify the fish at the table, then you are the fish.ā€ šŸ˜‚

But seriously, how do you figure out who the fish is when you sit down at a cash game?

Do you usually spot them quickly, or does it take a while to figure out whoā€™s who?

And be honestā€¦ have you ever realized halfway through a session that you might be the fish? šŸ˜‚

Letā€™s hear your thoughts!
 
Reply
  • Like
Reactions: Nameless14
In my opinion, it takes time to recognize any style of play. This doesn't just apply to the "fish."
 
veszmo said:
In my opinion, it takes time to recognize any style of play. This doesn't just apply to the "fish."
Click to expand...
Absolutely. One hand can be misleading, and even after an hour, a player can still surprise you. The more you observe their decisions, the clearer their playing style becomes.
 
Reply
  • Like
Reactions: veszmo
Limping is usually a good tip and I start to observe the way limpers play.
 
Reply
  • Like
Reactions: fundiver199
tuitui said:
Limping is usually a good tip and I start to observe the way limpers play.
Click to expand...
Yeah, limping can tell you something, but it also depends on the player and the situation. Some players limp with almost anything, while others have a plan behind it.
 
philipabb said:
Yeah, limping can tell you something, but it also depends on the player and the situation. Some players limp with almost anything, while others have a plan behind it.
Click to expand...
But you hardly ever see a strong player open limp in a non-ante cash game. So this is in fact an instant and very reliable tell. Another one is posting instead of waiting for the blinds to come around, especially in a 6-max game. Yet another is buying for in a random amount. If someone buy in for 40BB, maybe they have a strategy behind that. But if someone buy in for with 76,4BB, then thats almost certainly the rest of the money in their poker account, and they are hoping to gamble it up, so they dont need to deposit again.
 
Reply
  • Like
Reactions: hardongear and eetenor
I look for players who limp too often, call big bets with weak hands, and chase every draw regardless of the pot odds. I also pay attention to their betting patterns and how often they fold. The key is to observe first and not underestimate anyone. Sometimes the biggest fish is the one who thinks heā€™s the shark! šŸŸšŸ¦ˆā™ ļø
 
Reply
  • Like
Reactions: philipabb
Limping,
Odd pre flop raise sizes including 3bets and 4bets,
Less than 100bb stack/no auto topup turned on,
Posting blinds out of turn,
Country of origin,
VPIP/PFR,
Flat calling pre flop (too much)/Flat calling hands that are 3bets.

You can tell all that within 1 orbit or less. The rest of the stuff is common sense such as whaling off stupid hands.

PS if you sit down at a table and wonder if you are the fish, there's a good chance that you are. A good winning reg at stakes they are comfortable with knows they are not the target.
 
Reply
  • Like
Reactions: philipabb
TheGenera1 said:
Limping,
Odd pre flop raise sizes including 3bets and 4bets,
Less than 100bb stack/no auto topup turned on,
Posting blinds out of turn,
Country of origin,
VPIP/PFR,
Flat calling pre flop (too much)/Flat calling hands that are 3bets.

You can tell all that within 1 orbit or less. The rest of the stuff is common sense such as whaling off stupid hands.

PS if you sit down at a table and wonder if you are the fish, there's a good chance that you are. A good winning reg at stakes they are comfortable with knows they are not the target.
Click to expand...
Good list. Iā€™d be careful with country of origin and stack size, though. Neither necessarily tells you much about a playerā€™s skill on its own. Limping, unusual sizing, and excessive preflop calling are more useful clues when you observe them repeatedly.
 
I look at the scales and fins šŸ˜†
1792511707019


(Over)simplifying I see fish as 3 types:
Nit Fish (ABC Tight), they play tight, aggressive but ABC and can overfold in spots to pressure.
ID with: Too tight pre (you never catch them with junk even in late position), fast plays "value".

Passive Fish, they see too many flops limping/calling, are too sticky post and rarely take the lead in a hand, just value the hell out of them, don't over bluff them and overfold to their aggression.
ID with: Limping pre, lots of calling post and never value betting "thin".

Volatile/Aggy Fish, again they see too many flops but often as preflop raiser and blast away with too many bluffs and hands that are in the middle that would be better as checks (a function of them having too wide ranges and a "must win every hand played" approach), call them down often, set some traps and don't try to get them to make big folds.
ID with: Too many opens, too much post flop aggression and their random spews getting caught at showdown.

IMHO you should try and classify players within a single hand - you can then refine as your see more hands with them.
 
Reply
  • Like
Reactions: hardongear and philipabb
philipabb said:
Thereā€™s an old poker saying: ā€œIf you canā€™t identify the fish at the table, then you are the fish.ā€ šŸ˜‚

But seriously, how do you figure out who the fish is when you sit down at a cash game?

Do you usually spot them quickly, or does it take a while to figure out whoā€™s who?

And be honestā€¦ have you ever realized halfway through a session that you might be the fish? šŸ˜‚

Letā€™s hear your thoughts!
Click to expand...
Sometimes I feel like I'm the fish at the table. It usually happens when the cards I'm dealt don't meet my criteria for entering a hand, so I stay out of the action, or when the flop goes totally against me.
 
Reply
  • Like
Reactions: philipabb
philipabb said:
Good list. Iā€™d be careful with country of origin and stack size, though. Neither necessarily tells you much about a playerā€™s skill on its own. Limping, unusual sizing, and excessive preflop calling are more useful clues when you observe them repeatedly.
Click to expand...
They are still indicators and you can combine indicators together. But let's be clear, someone's status as a "fish" does not change my style of play. For that I need to see WHAT kind of fish they are. What I am looking for, is how many fish a table or doesnt have. And thus, whether it is a table worth staying on or worth closing and finding another.
 
Good morning, everyone!
You can usually just look at each player's stats at the table. Weaker players tend to call a lot of hands and have a very high VPIP, meaning they want to see the flop all the time.
Against this type of player, you should play purely for value: only play hands that are strong enough to beat them. Don't try to bluff them, because most of the time they hit some small piece of the flop and won't fold. Sometimes you bluff and the guy calls even with a very weak pair.
 
thwenth1983 said:
Good morning, everyone!
You can usually just look at each player's stats at the table. Weaker players tend to call a lot of hands and have a very high VPIP, meaning they want to see the flop all the time.
Against this type of player, you should play purely for value: only play hands that are strong enough to beat them. Don't try to bluff them, because most of the time they hit some small piece of the flop and won't fold. Sometimes you bluff and the guy calls even with a very weak pair.
Click to expand...
A good indicator is the gap between VPIP and PFR. If a player has high VPIP but much lower PFR, it often means they're playing lots of hands but mostly calling rather than raising. The bigger the gap, the more likely they are a loose-passive player. Against these players, value betting is key because they tend to call too much. Just remember to check the sample size before drawing conclusions.
 
philipabb said:
A good indicator is the gap between VPIP and PFR. If a player has high VPIP but much lower PFR, it often means they're playing lots of hands but mostly calling rather than raising. The bigger the gap, the more likely they are a loose-passive player. Against these players, value betting is key because they tend to call too much. Just remember to check the sample size before drawing conclusions.
Click to expand...
A few days ago I won a tournament with a VPIP of 39 and a PFR of 9.
 
Even a fish can win a tournament, I've won a few games, so that proves it
 
Reply
  • Haha
Reactions: philipabb
philipabb said:
Thereā€™s an old poker saying: ā€œIf you canā€™t identify the fish at the table, then you are the fish.ā€ šŸ˜‚

But seriously, how do you figure out who the fish is when you sit down at a cash game?

Do you usually spot them quickly, or does it take a while to figure out whoā€™s who?

And be honestā€¦ have you ever realized halfway through a session that you might be the fish? šŸ˜‚

Letā€™s hear your thoughts!
Click to expand...
I like to look for patterns. Usually players who limp too much, call raises with any two cards, chase draws and call large river bets with weak pairs tend to show their hand fairly quickly. šŸ˜‚ However I have also learnt not to be too smug as it is possible to have an off day even as an experienced player. Occasionally I will make some questionable calls myself and wonder if I am the fish at the table! šŸ¤£ā™ ļø
 
Reply
  • Haha
Reactions: philipabb
You might notice recurring poor plays, but the only indisputable way to classify someone as a "fish" is by looking at their graph.
 
Back
Top