11-17-04, LearnTexasHoldem:
Mechanical No Limit Player
I should note that in this example, the table was a 6 max $100NL table.
Last night, I sat down at a table where a player, I'll call him 'PlayerX', already had a stack of about $200, so he had already doubled up. What I will describe I'm seeing more and more of, especially at ring games online. Short of just leaving the table, I'm not sure how to play this kind of online player.
Top 3 Beginner Rooms
Here's what he did: He literally saw every flop, unless there was a pre-flop all-in call. If, in the course of the 3-4 hours I played this table, there were 300 hands dealt he probably looked at 290 of the flops. He would either call the big blind or call any pre-flop raise up to about $15, which is almost 8 times the big blind in these games.
After the flop, if everyone checked, he would always bet exactly $2. Every time. If someone raised before him, anywhere up to about $15, he would almost always call every time to see the turn. If the turn came and everyone checked again, he would bet his $2. At that point, he would obviously consider very large raises and re-raises and then sometimes fold. Most of the time however he would call all the way down, as if in a limit game. He was amazingly consistent and predictable.
He never chatted or responded to the large volume of chat that you can imagine went on about him. It was truly as if a bot was playing. The hands he would show down varied from literally nothing to 22, 55, obvious straight and flush draws. He would rarely hit them. He would hit just enough to stay level. But he would ultimately never call an all-in (until me of course).
Of meaningful note, perhaps, is that as a strategy, he never checked. He either bet $2 exactly or called $2 or more. He never once raised over the course of 3-4 hours.
After the first hour, his stack had dwindled back to about $100. I, of course, thought he would eventually bleed it to $0. Everyone at the table started getting befuddled, and it was obvious no one knew what to do. I wasn't sure myself.
What I did was to only play strong enough hands against him that I was comfortable with either the really big bet that I knew might knock him out, or that I would win if he calls it down.
I had built a stack of about $350 and was the chip leader. Of course, I hit a full house, but not the pure nut full house that could have been out there. I tried to bet it pre-flop ($20), but he called. I tried to bet it post-flop ($40), but he called. He had called such big bets in the past and showed nothing. I then raised it to put him effectively all-in, knowing that he would call. He did, and of course had the higher full house via the card reversals.
After that, he seemed to climb in chips as more and more players at the table would play him big. He hit some hands and was ultimately at $600. But same strategy. As he climbed, he actually called a few all-ins and won every one he called. He never put anyone all-in.
I've seen this exact same play by another guy, but he would always/always bet $8 pre-flop every hand, every round and look at every flop. If you wanted to play a hand at that table, you knew it was going to cost you at least $8 to look. If you bet, he would raise you, every time, no matter what he had. I saw him rebuy 3 times before actually building a chip stack to $1,000 at a $100 table.
How do you play against that? Is there actually some merit to it? Does it only work because of the online dynamics? Is there some lesson in there that could be useful?
Thanks much,
Chuck Allen
Answer: We consider a "maniac" someone who plays every hand and aggressively bets regardless of the hand's strength. This guy doesn't sound like he is playing very aggressively; it just sounds like he is a big time calling station. I think the fact that he had large stack that night is what is confusing. We would expect someone who played any two cards and called big raises to lose (and quickly). Surprisingly, seeing bad players go on rushes is common.
This is the frustrating but also great thing about most poker games: good players have a small edge over bad players. If you have a hand that is a 3:2 favorite over your opponent, you are feeling pretty good but notice how close the race is. The fact that the edge is small and that any two cards or style can pull a pot negatively reinforces these types of players and keeps them coming back for years. Nothing is better than letting that player have a big win.
I guarantee you that he won't forget it and he will base his perspective of how to beat poker and what kind of money he can make on that night. It is common for people to consider themselves unlucky when they lose and then playing well when they win. It is difficult to watch someone really terrible sit down and take five racks off the table but consider this, would you prefer a good player get the money?
Today I just got brutalized a few times by a really bad player getting incredibly lucky. Of course that bugs me and it is hard to cool down. What usually helps me compose myself again is to remember that I'm not here to beat one player (unless it is heads up game), I'm here to win overall. And if I am not going to win a pot, I am rooting for the worst player at the table to win.
I think the approach you need to take with this guy is that you don't see him as incredibly lucky, you see him as a mark. You mentioned that you were raising more because you knew he was capable of calling oversized bets; that's a good start, you want to make him pay dearly on the hands you win. Bad players do get as many good cards as you do though so also keep in mind that he will sometimes have something; most of the time that is the case that their crappy hands and good hands will win (ie. his 45 beats your AK and then the very next hand he beats you with AK).
Often times the reason the bad players have such huge stacks is because they have all the other players rattled and they are paying them off on hands they normally wouldn't have; thinking clearly will be a big help in avoid this. So there are two main points: First off, don't shy way from him because you see him getting lucky.
Be aggressive and make him pay but don't be stubborn if he gives you the signs he has you beat (you will get another chance and every dollar you lose is another dollar you have to get back before you have a "win").
Second point is basically don't be seduced by bad players getting lucky. Be confident in your strategy, that it will win in the long run.
Your rating:
Click on the clover of your choiceTop 5 Poker Rooms
| Colt Poker Free $10 | Read Review |
|---|---|
| Cake Poker Free $10 | Read Review |
| Minted Poker | Read Review |
| Poker Stars | Read Review |
| 888poker | Read Review |
