Using "Movie Archetypes" for faster player profiling/notes – Who are you at the table?

• The Terminator (The GTO Bot): You play a cold, balanced, and uncompromising range. You don't care about "feel," you just follow the math.
• The Mad Scientist (The Over-Aggressor): This is my current style. I’m constantly testing the table with 1.25x pot overbets and "insane" lines just to see who folds under pressure.
• The Invisible Man (The Nit): You play so tight and quiet that your 3-bets are terrifying. You rely on a "ghost" image to steal big pots when you finally show interest.
• The Action Hero (The LAG): You’re involved in every big pot, playing a wide, high-variance range and forcing everyone else to find a hero-call.
  

pirateglenn said:

Im not remotely bothered by other players perceptions - i change up according to many different factors and labelling a player type isnt a method i use. I get it works for some but its always easier to switch styles when you have the stack to do it, ive seen many players get cute and then have their pants pulled down.
Unknown players - i just make good notes, you may not encounter them again for a while - also being a "NIT" can have its uses 🤣

Click to expand...

kmiarka said:

That is a fair point, @pirateglenn

Stack depth definitely dictates the "costume" we can wear, and getting too cute without the chips to back it up is a quick way to the rail.

I use these archetypes mainly as a mental shorthand for the first 20 minutes when I have zero notes on a full table of unknowns. It helps me decide who I can probably overbet against right away and who I should avoid until I have better data.

Being a Nit definitely has its uses, especially if the table is full of Action Heroes who will pay off your big hands just because they’re bored!

When you are making those notes on unknowns, what’s the first specific physical or betting tell that makes you tag someone as a player to avoid?

Click to expand...

SPANKYSN said:

I have never taken notes on any opponents…it’s a combination of laziness, too slow typing which could lead to missing some important moves on the table, and knowing that I may not face this player for a year or two, and in that time, their game would surely have changed, probably for the better.
As far as my own style, I would say I’m the Invisible Man…I want to play for as long as I can, so I’m very tight at the start.

Click to expand...

renisundernet said:

The gto and lag combined is when I want to overturn the bad luck accumulated, so against a same type of opponent.

Click to expand...

pirateglenn said:

When you play regularly at CC in tourneys and league - you can build a profile pretty easily when you see enough of the same trends/patterns.
I have good notes on most players now and generally they are accurate 80-85% of the time. I wont divulge the methods i use but it is pretty obvious who does what and when now in certain positions, who is speculative, who chases boards and who bluffs.
At the end of the day if i have a hand and im reading well, im dancing but not always....😉

Click to expand...

kmiarka said:

@SPANKYSN , I completely understand the laziness factor! Taking notes can feel like a second job, especially if you're multi-tabling. I think that’s actually why I gravitated toward the "Archetypes" - it’s faster to just label someone an "Invisible Man" (like yourself) than to type out a full history. If I see you at my table and you haven't played a hand in three orbits, I already know your 3-bet range is going to be incredibly narrow.


@renisundernet , that transition from GTO to LAG when trying to "overturn bad luck" is a dangerous but relatable spot. It’s basically weaponising tilt into aggression! Do you find that you have a specific "threshold" where you decide to ditch the math and just start putting max pressure on people?


@pirateglenn , an 80-85% accuracy rate on player reads is huge. I respect the "trade secrets" for the league games, but I think that level of precision is exactly what separates the winners from the break-even players. It’s interesting that you focus on "positional trends" - it’s a reminder that even the best players have habits they aren't aware of.

Does anyone else find that certain archetypes are "contagious"?

Like, if you have two Mad Scientists at the table, does the rest of the table usually turn into Nits to wait them out, or does the whole game just devolve into an Action Hero movie?

Click to expand...

Emily Trott said:

I'm the "Wall Flower" - The girl with braces at the prom waiting for the cards to come and ask me to dance.

Click to expand...