1. Beginner
Beginner player who hasn’t studied anything about poker yet will play almost always too loose. They seldom raise, and not at the right time, and the size of the raise isn’t optimal either. On the other hand they call too often. Following this style there is little chance for them of winning. Some of them start to study about the game and realize that there is more to the game than waiting for to get lucky. They start to understand it is easy to comprehend the rules; but playing well is much more difficult. They can see that playing tight at low stake tables can mean some winning regularly.
2. Tight
The following stage in the life of a poker player is tight stage. They play too tight, but enjoy the regular earnings. Their money is due to playing only good hands while their opponents make lots of mistakes. As times goes they get to know more about the game, and they realize good play can increase their earnings. They experiment with making some speculative raises and bluffs that keeps increasing their winnings
3. Advanced
Now the cat is out of the bag. They win more often and they do what they feel. They can play well with marginal hands as well; they make fantastic calls on the river through their ability to read hands. They enjoy the game a lot; they are getting more confident at the table. There is no longer ultra tight style, all hands start to look promising, with playing well there is a chance to win money. At his stage there is a big turning point, which can be dangerous. A new, creative style is born, the poker player becomes loose aggressive. If he gets too loose, he can lose all his bankroll and may never recover. Those who can avoid this they can progress forward the final stage.
4. Expert
Poker player chooses between tight or loose style adjusting to the game, he can modify this according to the opponent’s game. Creative poker doesn’t cause problems, they can win without best hand, and they can make the best of the situations that were played incorrectly before. The expert wins a lot of money, and gains a reputation of being a great player. Whether they can keep the money depends on his bankroll management an ability to find good games. If they don’t stop studying the new strategies and keep respect towards the game, then if they intent, they can make living from poker.
Don’t let the above paragraph fool you/mislead you. It takes much work to acquire the knowledge that an expert player should own. The majority of the players never reach this aim. Only small number of players possesses a natural ability to become a great player, but even they have to work hard on their games. On the other hand, no-one should be upset because you can still become very good and successful player through experience and a lot of hard work.
Based on Ray Zee:” The Different Stages in a Player’s Life"
