What is Fish?

A fish is a weak poker player who loses consistently through poor strategy, emotional decisions or simple inexperience. For stronger players — the sharks — fish are the source of profit, which makes table selection as important as technical skill. The old line holds: if you cannot spot the fish at the table, it is probably you. Worked example: at a six-max cash table, a fish might voluntarily put money in the pot (VPIP) on 60% of hands, against a winning regular's 22%. Playing far too many holdings, calling down light and ignoring pot odds, the fish steadily pays off the value bets of disciplined opponents. Sitting with such a player on your left or, better, to your right is where most of the money is made. This matters because poker profit comes from opponents' mistakes, not from the cards alone. A skilful player in a game full of equally skilful regulars may barely beat the rake; the same player against a fish has a large edge. The common mistakes are choosing tough, fish-free tables out of pride, and tilting after a bad beat until you start playing like a fish yourself. Game selection and emotional control protect your edge. See also the Shark, table selection and Bankroll management.