[Wizard]

First the details. $20 buyin, 1500 chips, 8-10 people.

I play in a weekly game in which some of us have learned quite a bit and are now...almost average skill players. A couple of us are very aware of what the correct decisions "should" be and what the odds are. I feel fairly confident in my ability to put people on hands and determine where I'm at with what I'm holding.

The other half of the group chases. One person in particular will call almost any bet I make for nearly any amount. Another person will chase a straight or flush draw and hits it just often enough to consider it a smart play, for nearly any amount. One more guy, who comes about half the time, has nearly zero clue about the game and will play an ace like it was a straight flush. Calling stations that overvalue their hands. Sounds like a dream right? Sure, unless they school together or get on a burn. Regardless, these are almost always the first people out.

So anyways, I have been a very aggressive player during this time with great success, because I knew when I could force someone out of a hand. I played hard at the beginning until I riled the table up, then I would play very tight and then very aggressively when the table got short. I was able to scare the good players out and take the poor player's chips quite easily. The problem is, that I no longer get any respect on my raises. People call me down on nearly every raise to try to "make me honest." This makes my semi-bluffs, bluffs and other table-minimizing strategies pointless, as there will always be a caller(s), atleast early on.

The obvious answer to me is "Play tight." Reduce the number of starting hands i'll play and make them pay for calling...right? Are there any options if I wish to continue my aggressive play style knowing that I will most likely be called down? Or have I brought this all down upon myself? I played very tight in the last game and ended up going the night without winning a single hand, eventually going all-in with the short stack.

Thanks for your help in advance,

~Wiz

[dad604]

Mix it up. Play tight at the start. Then once they respect you again, play looser.

[Murf]

You're in third Doyle, try first.


Slow things down a little is the only thing I can think of. If you really can't make any bets without a caller, you either have to make bigger bets (which might not work in you situation, as you said you always have atleast one caller) or slow your play down, and only make those large bets with killer hands. If they call nearly any raise, you should be able to get all of your chips in with a monster then, right? Instead of looking to keep the same style of play, maybe look to use their loose calling to your own advantage. It might take a while to get a decent hand, but it will happen... and when it does, make sure their "keeping you honest" costs them. Not to mention, if you make these big bets with big hands, it should earn back their respect, allowing you to play aggressive again. Even if they fold to the bet, flip the hand, let them know you aren't raising them with nothing.


Hope that helps, I'm just glad I got to use that quote twice in one night.

[VARoadstter]

First of all, don't expect to win every session. Ain't gonna happen. You could be playing my toddler and infant child and they would take you out once in a while.

Second, if you are up against a bunch of calling stations, that's fine. Forget the bluffs but be willing to try to pick up legitimate hands and then smash em up. If they aren't going to raise into you then you're really not going to get hurt here.

Third, if you do have some LAG (maniacs) at the game, then you'll probably have to let them bust themselves out. Hopefully you'll be getting your fair share of the chips they leave behind in the process.

Fourth, get back to basics. Good starting hand requirements are a good thing in general but don't forget other important considerations like position, chip stack size, tells, etc. You can't always wait for the nuts to play a hand. There are plenty of situations where you will "know" you are best with nothing more than middle pair. This is what separates the really good from the "knows how to play" crowd.

Good luck. Oh, also, read HOH I and II.

[Q10 soooted]

Stay agressive, but make sure to look at when/why you are being aggressive and try to be more selective without making yourself feel that you're being too tight. I don't agree that you should tighten up and try to re-create a reputation of being tight - especially because it seems pretty clear that you don't want to play that style. It's hard to say exactly what hands/situations you should be less agressive at and which you should keep being agressive or be more aggressive. If you'd like to discuss further I'd be happy to.

So far I'm still all-out agressive. I haven't had a 'problem' of people calling me down yet, but I frequently make money on people calling me down because "he bluffs a lot".

[BPTDirector]

You can improve your reputation by showing strong hands even if you aren't called down. For instance, at the games I play in I was getting the same rep for "He bluffs alot". Which in my opinion I rarely do, but I do tend to play any hand agressively that I play. I play a wide variety of hands, suited connectors, an A that can be straighted, never bare though early in the game, etc . . . not always considered premium in all cases, but with position and chip stack size in mind, good hands to play some of the time.

So let's say I'm in a hand with another one of the better players, hit the flop, bet large(so the lesser guys will think I'm bluffing), and then the better player folds. I'll show the hand so the idiots get a real picture that I hold the nuts just as often, or more often, than not when I'm willing to take a chance.

It worked great for me, a couple of times staying on 45, 57, suited because I was a big stack in late position and got in for the price of the BB, bet big, got folded on, showed the nuts, tightened their play up quite a bit since they saw me turning over good hands.

And then to keep them off balance, show the bluff once in awhile.

Jim

[Q10 soooted]

I'd (almost) never show a made hand when uncalled. I think being known as 'the bluffer' is a huge asset for me. They can see my hand when the call me to showdown as I take & stack up their chips.