HOW TO BEAT WEAK PLAYERS!!

The popularity of online poker has exploded and brought a slew of new and weak players to the tables. We were all there at one time, but that doesn’t console us much when we are taking bad beat after bad beat. Unfortunately it has been almost impossible to build a bankroll playing low limit SnG’s and MTT’s because of the onslaught of donks…err…I mean weak players who start there.

I had 2 choices: Give up online poker or learn how to overcome this new phenomenon. So I have spent the better part of a month reading all I can about how to play against these weak players. It is getting better so I thought I would share what I have learned.

ADAPT – I find at the beginning of any tournament big or small you will find 2 types of players that you need to be careful of. The “maniac” that has watched the final table of the WSOP main event and feels they know all they need to know to take it down; aggressive raising, bluffing, all-ins, etc. Then there is the “passive” player (harder to spot right of way) that plays almost every hand, calls almost every bet, never raise and if holding A rag never folds. This player limps from any position with AA, KK, and QQ. BE LOOKING FOR BOTH THESE PLAYERS AND ADJUST YOUR PLAY ACCORDINGLY. This is an excerpt from an article I found very helpful:

Adjust Your Strategy
When you are playing in a game filled with new players you will need to make some adjustments to your strategy. Actually it doesn’t matter if they are new players or not. You need to adjust your play based on the players in your game at the moment. If you are in a game with a lot of aggressive players you will want to tighten up from early position. If you are in a passive game with a lot of loose players you will want to play a few more hands. In a game with a lot of callers you will win fewer pots but you will win more money in the pots that you do win. It is up to you to learn how to adjust your strategy to play and win against the new players. Here are a few tips to help you in these types of games:

Play aggressively from early position with the big pairs but realize that they won’t hold up as often. Pocket Aces will win the majority of times against a small field but will only hold up about 35 percent of the time against a full table of calling stations.

Don’t try slow play or try to get fancy. Bet the best hand if you have it. The straight forward approach is usually the best as there are plenty of players who will call you. Make them pay. Why give them a free card if you don’t have to.

Don’t try to bluff. If you are in the game with even one calling station, you shouldn’t try to bluff. You will be called by some player who wants to keep you honest.

Play more connectors from late position. In a game with many players in the pot your drawing hands go up in value. You will be getting correct odds to see the flop with these hands and when you do hit you will be rewarded with a good sized pot.

I hope this helps someone.

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it is a very good article Cat...This is what I like about this site. Its like an Ants nest that sends its Army out to recon for food. When found they will bring all information obtained back to the home nest

good job with the post girl...keep them coming.

Thanks gijoe Much of this is posted here in bits and pieces. I just thought I would put it in one post. It really works when you stay disciplined enough to use it.

PS Another thing I do periodically is check my stats. If I am above 25% on a full table or above 40% on a shorthanded table, I am probably playing too many hands. I ask myself if I am bored or impatient and try to adjust immediately.

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The most effective way to beat this player is to simply bet into them when you have a decent hand. Be sure to bet just enough to keep them in the hand, as large bets are likely to scare amateur players out of the pot.

Use caution when trying to bluff the loose-passive player, as they'll often call you with even a weak hand, and even a weak hand can beat a stone cold bluff. If you absolutely can not control the urge to attempt a bluff on a loose-passive player, be sure to bet or raise aggressively, putting a significant amount of chips into the pot to scare your opponent out.

The keys to beating the loose passive player are to value bet with decent hands and to refrain from bluffing unless you're absolutely certain your bluff is large enough to scare them out of the pot.

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this is why i joined this forum,it is just full of info,so how would you play a very tight person?i noticed you have maniac,an passive,but nothing on tight players,i guess maybe the preflop,or use passive on them?......cobbie

Actually the whole post was about "weak" players. Tight players are not considered weak.

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Real poker players don't cry....

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