Know Your Poker Opponents Using Phil Hellmuth’s Animal Style

March 12th, 2010  |  Published in Casino Tips

The most important aspect a poker player can know is the rules of the game. Without knowing the rules, you cannot play the game at all (or at least not play it well.) The second most important, and often overlooked, point a poker player can know is his opponents. Observing your opponents is critical to winning. However, it can be difficult to keep little mental notes about everyone at the table (especially if you are playing online.) This is why poker professional Phil Hellmuth developed his system of categorizing players by comparing them to animals. Phil Hellmuth has five types of animals he uses for the system.

Phil Hellmuth’s Animals

The Mouse

The mouse represents the ultimate conservative poker player. The mouse will play very few hands, raise even less, and never bluffs. A mouse is easy to spot because they rarely ever raise. This is their downside. When a mouse suddenly starts to raise at the poker table, most of the other player’s will know it is time to fold. The mouse will win, but the pot will be small.

The Jackal

The jackal represents theloose cannons at the poker table. The jackal will place loose and fast. They will play almost every single hand they are given, frequently raise and re-raise their bets, and bluff whenever they see fit. The jackal will rarely, if ever, come out ahead in a poker match

The Elephant

The elephant represents those poker players that never seem to give up. An elephant will play almost every single hand they are given and they will keep calling the hand all the way to the final showdown. The excessive calling is not a good strategy, and the only real way to win a hand is to out call every other player at the table.

The Lion

The lion is just shy of shy of the perfect poker player. They know when to fold and when to play. They hedge their bets in an aggressive manner without loosing sight of logic. The lion is the second toughest poker player to beat.

The Eagle

The eagle represents the perfect poker player. An eagle has years of professional poker experience. They know the rules of every poker game, and have their own strategies for each one. They are quick to adapt and near impossible to beat. The eagle is a rare poker player.

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