An opponent who will raise with a wider range of hands makes it a bit more difficult to put them on a hand. This is primarily the reason you should look for situations that you can also raise some non-premium hands so that your open raising range isn’t too predictable to your opponents. There are typically three different types of NPRs, so let’s take a look them.
NPR (maniac) – This opponent will just raise any two cards from anywhere at any given time quite excessively. These opponents will have little rhyme or reason to what they’re doing, but they believe that this will benefit them when they do have a real hand and can get someone to “stand up” to them with a weaker hand. These opponents will be quite easy to spot and you need to make sure that whenever you have position and a decent hand against them that you are re- raising them. The thing an aggressive opponent hates most is someone who comes back over the top of them.
NPR (fish) – I say this opponent is a fish because they will raise a non-premium hand such as A8s, or K9s, A3o or a similar hand out of position because they just don’t understand hand values or that usually only a better hand will call them. They aren’t really playing to be overly aggressive and outplay opponents, they are just raising
because they believe this is the correct thing to do. Against these opponents you just want to make note what hand they raised, what position they were in, and how much the raise was for. In future hands, you’ll know that if you’re in a raised pot against these opponents, the flop texture is much wider for how hard it will hit them in general. So you’ll either have to be cautious OR make them pay for their weaker hands.
NPR (ISO) – These opponents will occasionally switch up their game and incorporate some non premium hands in profitable situations for them. For example they’ll raise a hand like Q9s with the button after a couple of limpers. They may also raise some connected cards in early position, or occasionally re-raise almost any hand from the blinds. They’ll also expand their squeezing range in profitable spots. Just make note and be aware that you have an opponent that’s capable of making such a play. Most of these opponents will be somewhat knowledgeable regulars in your games. If you spot them, then make sure to 3-bet when it’s obvious they are isolating light, or call their squeezes with a wider range when you have position. Basically they offer the opportunity to re-steal lighter if you’re paying attention.
With any kind of NPR, the first thing to do is just make a note that you saw them raise a non-premium hand. The second identification stage will be to see if they are smart (an ISO), not so smart (a fish), or just plain crazy (maniac). The maniac will be noticeable pretty quickly. The other two will be a bit more subtle, so you’ll really have to analyze the situation and decide if the raise made sense considering the circumstance.
