Playing Against Donkeys or Patience is a Virtue
Playing Against Donkeys or Patience is a Virtue
If it were not for fresh fish...
I was playing today when a player joined our table directly to my left. I noticed that he seemed to have two significant patterns that I believed I could (and did) profit from. The first was his percentage voluntarily putting money in the pot, a whopping 68% of the time. His second pattern was going all in, as a good bully should, but being called and loosing with marginal hands. I decided to play against this opponent with caution and aggression.
If it is true that only about 20% of pre-flop hands are playable from late position if one is playing a skillful game, a range that varies by 5% to 7% up or down depending on how tight or loose a player is, then playing 60% or more represents one who is willing to gamble without understanding the strength of either the pre-flop hole cards or the value of a hand post-flop. Even playing upwards of 35% of one's pre-flop cards raises flags of suspicion in a skilled player. I, for one, adjust my game when a player like this is at the table, playing ultra-tight if he is to my left and somewhat tighter than usual if he is to my right. It is always easier to play against the player in front of you than one that has position on you.
The all-in bet is not a tool that intimidates. In fact, it is a bet to be used with caution. It generally drives opponents away, leaving the bettor with a small pot to scoop. If called, in a cash game it is likely to mean that your all-in is second best and you lose your entire stack. A far better approach is to make standard bets and raises with both your strong and weak hands if you wish to build a pot rather than driving your opponents away with ridiculous, hyper-aggressive betting. Additionally, hyper-aggressive bettors drive people away from the table. No one wants to play with them. I mark these players with a purple color and a note that reads hyper-aggressive BULLY. When I am choosing a table to play at and one of these players is sitting there I go elsewhere. While they are generally quite profitable to play against, they present no challenge and they are not fun to be with. Mike Caro, the Mad Genius of Poker, advises that you need to be the kind of player people want to play with in order to be profitable playing this game. If you are not, folks will just stay away.
Caution Pays Off
I never went in against this opponent without the nuts or a draw to the nuts. I slowed down considerably and waited very patiently to strike. It is sort of like becoming a spider weaving a web waiting for the fly to make a huge mistake. The spider waits patiently for a meal much like the ultra-tight player waits patiently to scoop all his opponent's chips.
I held an interesting suited connector, a JhQh and I was in the BB. My hyper-aggressive opponent opened with a call, the board checked around to me and I checked my options. The flop came JKK rainbow. Not a heart in sight. My opponent opened with a standard half the pot bet. Since I had a small piece of this hand I decided to call. The turn was a 4d, a brick but it put two diamonds on the board. My opponent stacks. I immediately mucked. There were just too many hands that could beat me and the all in bet priced me out. I went to the chat box before I folded and told him that I would have called a reasonable bet but he priced me out. I also reminded him that he most likely left money in my stack that could have been in his. I considered this fair warning of things to come. He didn't listen. Good for me!
Two hands later I have AcQc on the button. Everyone folded to me and I raised 3x the BB. My opponent, now in the small blind raised to double my bet. I called. I hit it big on the flop, TsJcKc pealed off and I was in heaven. I had the made nut straight, a nut flush draw along with a up and down straight flush draw. Against this highly textured board my opponent goes all in again but this time I gladly called. Bingo, all his chips were in my stack. Just like a good little fish, he bought in for some more chips only to lose them all again, this time to someone else. He repeated the same mistake several times and was still at the table when I left to play in a tournament.
Lessons Learned
I love playing against players that are hyper-aggressive and play any two cards they are dealt. It takes patience to play against these disruptive forces at the table but eventually all their money will be in someone's stack and not theirs. With a bit of luck much of it will be in yours. Playing against these maniacs is not easy, however. One wants to push back, to speculate along with the bully but that is an unprofitable strategy. The right thing to do is wait, play back with a monster and muck with a marginal hand. Sure, the maniac will win some small pots, but will generally lose the big ones.
Playing with patience is a lesson that took me a while to learn but once I did it proved to be a real boost to my profitability at the poker table.
I apply the rule of playing patiently to any game in which the players are loose and reckless. I also apply this rule to the early stages of a tournament, when my goal is to survive to the middle and late stages. By playing with patience early, I generally assure that I will be around for the money. I will build my stack slowly and I will develop a reputation for being a very tight player. This image will serve me well when it comes to the later stages of any tournament.
My goal as a poker player is to build my bankroll, to play profitably so that I am able to do so, to make right decisions and to simply have fun doing this. I welcome the fish to the table because they will help me achieve my goals. Hoo Ha!
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