Many people ask what the best, or most profitable style is. The answer is simple: Any style of play can win and no one style is clearly better than another. To be a long term winner though, you have to know how to play your chosen style correctly. Also, the style you have chosen may not be the right style for you. We've all admired the wild and exciting style of a Gus Hansen but it takes a very skilled player, such as Gus, to pull it off.

Very conservative players are known as 'tight' and wild, risky players are known as 'loose'. Some play a style somewhere in between while others mix their game known as 'changing gears'. To play a tight game effectively you must be prepared to use your table image to your advantage and steal some pots occasionally. Just sitting there, only playing rock solid hands will likely see your stack getting anted away. To play a loose game effectively you must be aware of who are the easiest to bully and have a good sense of when you are being trapped.

During tournament play, where the blinds escalate at set intervals, it is important to change gears as they go up. Stealing blinds is an essential part of survival. In the early stages, when the blinds are very small, then you can be a lot looser with your starting hands to hopefully catch a few lucky flops and get off to a good start.

Players who like to play aggressively generally are at their strongest during shorthanded play, especially among tight or inexperienced players. Aggressive play can also work well in ring games as long as you don't get too carried away pre-flop because of all the extra hands out there. If you want to study some masters of power poker then watch players like Gus Hansen, Dave 'Devilfish' Ulliott, Phil Laak and Antonio Esfandiari to name a few.