Texas Holdem new players
A large portion of the micro/low-stakes players can be considered new players. Especially in the micro games, they are the vast majority.
Everybody has been a new player. If you aren't a new player now, you were at one time. Yes, it was you making those stupid calls and hitting your 2 outter on the river that made your opponents head explode. We all started there. The problem is, it's hard to imagine we did such stupid things, and many players have forgotten what their mentality was back then.
As a new player you didn't know what you were doing! Don't worry, neither did anyone else at the beginning. New players are totally unpredictable, will make plays that make no sense to you, or anyone else for that matter. They will play loose/aggressive.
Note that new players are not exactly casual players. Both types of players are easy to beat, but casual players know the game, while new players are learning it.
They will raise because they think they hit their flush, when really it was only a 4 card flush. They don't know if a straight beats a flush, or if a full house is better than four of a kind. They're new.
How to spot new players
Well, as long as you aren't brand new to poker, they're the easiest to spot. In fact, you don't even need to look for new players. He's the guy you called a retard just a few minutes ago. He's the guy who thinks the only math that's needed in poker, is for counting his chips. He's the guy that called you down with pocket fours, just to hit his set on the river and bust your aces.
He's the guy calling way too much on a gut shot straight draw because he "had a feeling". You're familiar with him, absolutely. He can be a calling station, or just the opposite and betting at every turn thinking his 2nd pair is actually good. If you're so new to poker that you can't spot him yet, don't worry about him right now. Your focus should be on learning the basics of the game.
Think about making the best hand, and laying it down when you think you're beat. Soon, you'll spot that guy at every table and this article will make more sense to you.
New players weaknesses
They play too many hands. They call too much, too often. They don't understand position, how to play in or out of position, or what your position should mean to them. Position is not yet in their vocabulary. They rarely know when they're beat. They chase too much.
They overbet and lose too much on losing hands. They underbet, giving opponents pot odds to chase their draws. They think pocket aces or kings should win every time. They play weak hands out of position, and in raised pots. They basically do everything wrong.
New players strengths
They are unpredictable because nothing they do makes sense to experienced players.
Occasionally you will find a new player who understands just enough to become a neon sign. Once a new player starts to understand the game, they will often bet only when they have a hand, and check when they don't. You can read them as if their cards were in plain view. If they bet, fold a weak hand. If they check, bet at them.
Why are they playing? At this point, most of them are just playing because they want to learn the game. They've watched it on TV and think it looks fun. Most of them don't yet have thoughts of grandeur.
How to beat new players
The best way to beat these players is by looking at them completely differently than you would an experienced player at Texas Hold'em games.
The first thing you should be thinking when you spot them is that this player doesn't play well, and you shouldn't expect them to. You should be more willing to risk bigger pots with these players when you have a medium strength hand.
They will often call too much holding top pair, while you hold two pair or a set. You can also get them to put too much money into a pot when they are big dogs. You will take some bad beats against them, but over time the math will turn out in your favor and you will win more of these situations than you will lose, making a healthy profit.
This doesn't mean you should play 'weak' hands against them, but you should make them pay for their mistakes. Don't bluff them, they are the most unbluffable players you will ever get the good fortune of playing against. They will sometimes call with weak hands and give you a bad beat, but do not worry about it, in the long run this plays have negative expected value.
Save your bluffs for players who can lay down a weak hand. Don't overanalyze them, you may think yourself out of a great call or laydown. Don't slow play them, they like to take free cards when they're offered. Instead, bet at them with your strong hands, they will often pay you off.
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