Poker Table Strategy Against Aggressive Players
It can be really frustrating to have an extremely aggressive player at your table who just won't seem to leave you alone. No matter what you do, the bully keeps coming after you, especially if you aren't getting any good cards of your own. Hopefully, after reading this column, you'll have all the tools you need to fight the good fight and start pounding back.
If you know anything about a bully, you know that if you stand up to him, he'll usually run away and hide. To accomplish that, the first thing you need to understand is the bully's biggest weakness. The most common weakness is that he likes to play lots of hands and play them aggressively.
Sooner or later, he'll cross the line between good, solid, aggressive play and become a maniac who bluffs too much and plays wildly. When you sense that a bully is crossing that line, take a deep breath and give him as much rope as he needs to hang himself.
By that I mean, trap him with your good hands and let him bluff off his money to you. There is actually a poker term for this maneuver: collecting bullets.
Collecting bullets is an excellent way to keep a tyrant off your back. Try slow playing to trap your opponent. This passive and clever tactic will win pots from the bully that had you otherwise bet, would likely have prompted him to fold his cards.
Remember, a bully looks to pounce on perceived weakness, just like one of those hooligans did in grade school. On the playground, you'd eventually need to stand up to the tormentor to get him off your back. In poker, though, you want to let him feel like he can run over you all day. Indeed, when you have a monster hand, your greatest desire is that he will pounce all over you. Let him do all the betting for you.
It's very important to recognize situations where slow play checking will win you more money than betting. The bully who bets when you check, but folds when you bet, is the perfect target for bullet collecting.
July 5, 2006
Posted By Larry Rutherford
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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