4 Ways to Spots Regs at the Poker Table

To become long-term winning player takes skill, patience and game selection. The simplest way to ensure you’re maximising your win rate and beating the game is to sit with weaker opponents. That sounds straight forward but with sites offering games like snap and rush where you can’t table pick, it can be tricky. Furthermore, there is only so much information before you sit so it can take time to realise, you’re on a tough table.  In this article we’re going to share several ways you can spot the regs at your table quickly so you can make an informed decision whether it’s better to get up or alternatively, adapt your strategy now you know who they are.

Beginner Texas Hold’em Question

What is a “Reg” in Poker?

A reg is someone that plays regularly. It’s a shortened term but also implies the player is competent and likely a winner. Regs are not necessarily great players but they can play a TAG style that makes it hard to beat them for lots of money.

With the simple stuff out the way, let’s move on to the ways you can spot them at the table.

1] VIP Status

Many online poker sites show the VIP status of player. It’s a badge that reveals what level a player has achieved on that site. Not all sites show this but some do, like PokerStars. If a player is a bronze status, you can safely assume they don’t play much. Conversely, if they are Supernova, they play all the time and racking up some serious volume. A player’s status is a dead giveaway to the time they commit to poker and regs put in lots of time.

2] Number of Tables they Play

Another way to spot a reg is to see how many tables they are playing at one time. This feature is very easy on most sites. You can either right click and find them or search them from the lobby. Regs understand that multi-tabling is necessary to optimizing their ROI so all regulars play at least 4 tables usually. They don’t mind sacrificing some edge if it means they earn more per hour. A recreational player is more likely to play just two or even one table.

3] Pre-Flop Tendencies

The regs online are not pussyfooting around with weird limps, min raises or limp re-raise moves. These are reserved for novices who haven’t honed their strategy yet. If you see someone doing the aforementioned moves you can rule out them being a reg. They are almost always executing the same pre-flop bet size regardless of position or hand strength. They have the customised buttons that let them raise the size they like at a click. This is a fairly easy way to spot regs online.

4] HUD Poker Stats

The final and best way to spot regs is based on the stats revealed on the poker HUD. If their VPIP and PFR are close together and relatively low, you know they are a likely to be a reg. Players who are inexperienced or losing consistently will generally have wild poker stats that are easy to distinguish from better players. Regs are playing solid range of hands and raising when they play so you can expect them to have stats like 25/22 or 23/20 in 6 max games.

Conclusion

There you have it, four easy ways to spot regulars. It doesn’t take much resource to spot them, a couple of clicks and an observant eye is all you need. Just see their VIP status, the number of tables they’re currently playing, what their HUD stats are showing and how they are playing before the flop to tag them. Due to most sites having lots of regs it may be a case of ensuring you don’t have 3-4 on your table. Having one isn’t going to be reason enough to quit the game, particularly if there are several fishes on your table.

Image Source: Creative Commons photo by Lee Davy