Phil's Animal Types

Taken from Play Poker like the Pros written by Nine time WSOP champion Phil Hellmuth

"There are five animal types: the mouse, lion, jackal, elephant and eagle. I have created these animals because they seem to be the most common types out there right now."

"The mouse is like your old aunt Edna, a conservative type who probably wouldn't even approve of your reading this book. The mouse - like you - plays only the top ten hands but hates to invest any money with a hand as weak as 7-7 or 8-8. The mouse hardly ever raises someone else's bet; but when he does raise, look out, because he has the goods!"

"The lion is a tough competitor who plays fairly tight poker but doesn't limit himself to the top ten hands. He bluffs with excellent timing and seems to know when the other players are trying to bluff him. Though he plays pretty tight, he's occasionally out on a limb with a bluff or a semibluff. You could do worse than play like the lion."

"The jackal is loose and wild, and some days it seems as though he's just giving his money away. Because he's involved in so many pots and raises so often, his play can take some pretty big swings. The jackal's logic seems at odds with the logic of all the other players. He just seems crazy! The jackal can hurt you and himself too with his crazy play, because he puts in so many bets."

"The elephant is fairly loose... He's what we refer to in poker as a "calling station": he never folds when he is supposed to fold, because he doesn't ever believe that you have the goods. Because he's impossible to bluff, no one with much experience ever tries to bluff him."

"Finally, we have the eagle. The eagle is a rare bird, and you might not ever play with him, because he's one of the top poker players in the world."