Evaluating how the other players are likely to bet is the most difficult part of Texas Hold Em poker. It is often said that the best poker players play the other players rather than the cards in their hands. It is certainly true that when playing skilful poker players the numbers on the cards become less relevant than the psychological battle between the opponents.

Working out how the other players are going to play in a hand is a tough art to learn. A good way to start is to watch how the players play each hand and build up a psychological profile of them. Keep an eye on every bet, even in hands that you have folded on.

Some poker players play loose. That is to say that they will bet on more hands than perhaps they ought to. These players will often bet on almost every hand they draw before the flop, even weak, low hands, in the hope theyll hit something on the flop. Loose players can be identified as the ones that take part in most hands but are rarely around for the showdown at the end of the hand. They often fold after the flop or the river.

Other Texas Hold Em players play tightly. A tight poker player will only bet when he has a really good hand. He or she might hardly ever play a hand, folding at the first call or raise. Theyll often throw in a hand that is a border line hand. They dont like taking chances and bet only when they are confident of winning.

Then there are they poker players that play aggressively. An aggressive Texas Holdem player will bet big amounts to try and scare the other players into folding early. Theyll try to steal the pot before going to a showdown at the end. When they bet you can count on them to increase the pot substantially.

The poker opposite of an aggressive player is the passive player. Hes the one who bets only small amounts and is often scared off a hand by a more aggressive player. He can be dangerous if hes got a good hand because others are more likely to call his small raises than they are to call an aggressive all-in.

Once you've got a handle on how the other players are playing poker, the trick is to adapt your play to capitalise on your opponent's weaknesses. Loose, aggressive players for example can be trapped into parting with a lot of their bankroll with one well timed raise.