Passive Play
In poker will call a conservative player a passive player because they never take command of a pot unless they have the absolute nutz. They are easy to read and therefore easy to defeat.
A passive player usually bets the minimum and will fold if the cards are not in his or her favor. Conservative play is a way to minimize your losses but conversely it will also minimize your winnings. Any good player at the table will recognize the passive player, when the passive player bets more than the minimum, you fold because they have a monster. On the other side of the coin, the passive player can be pushed off or bluffed off any hand where they do not hold the guaranteed winner. Why? Because they are passive.
Passive players are predictable, they instill no fear in their opponents and just mathematically they will not be dealt enough premium hands to be a threat over an extended period of time, like an entire tournament. You certainly should be passive when the cards are not coming your way and the rest of your table is hyper-aggressive but cards or no cards, you can’t remain passive and be a winning poker player over the long term.
-this is Beginner’s Poker Blog Post #152
