easy way to tell if i got a solid cam or hydraulic?

ok, when i say gobs of play, i can lift the rocker off of the valve top more than a 1/8 inch. i would have to put all the feller guage sizes togher to get an accurate number.lmao

so, i figured if i have a solid cam or whatever, i could tighten them all to the 1/4 turn.

i did this and had what sounded like little compression.
so then i backed them all of to "0" lash, and fired up. no more ticking, and now runs perfectly smooth.

so what is the point of using the roller rockers with what i am almost sure is a hydraulic cam?