Passive Play in Poker

'Passive play' describes the style of player that tends not to raise or call many bets, instead waiting for very strong hands to play. This is the opposite style of play to that of an aggressive player who tend to get involved in a large number of pots. Against a passive player, an aggressive player will usually come out on top. There are a number of reasons for this.

Firstly, a passive player is is going to be folding way too many hands. Against an aggressive player this means relinquishing too many blinds on the cheap and not protecting missed flops. The aggressive player will be winning where they have the best hand and also in a lot of spots where they don't, just due to their aggression.

Passive = Predictable

If i were to play hide and seek seek with my 13 year old niece (ok - she's a little old for that now) and i always hid on the same few places - it's not going to take her very long to work out my game. Not much doubt as to who the winner would be. Poker is no different. If i knew a player had to hold a strong hand to defend a hand, that makes things far easier for me. Firstly, i know that most flops are missed so i'm going to get away with stealing way more than i should be. If you're not mixing it up, it won't take long for your opponents to work out your style, which will give them the knowledge on how to play against you to maximise their profit.

It is a good idea to change gears and whilst it is good to be passive a times, you need to mix it up so that you do not become predictable. The minute you're predictable - you've lost.