Why?

This happened in an online game but it might as well have been live. Its shorthanded (4-5) and I am killing the game. I have been getting a lot of hands and playing very aggressively, which is not a style that I like for a 5-handed game usually. However, things just played out that way. So,I have everyone afraid to make plays against me because I have a gambling image. I am sure in there mind, I might just 3-bet them with nothing. So, I am in an unusual but great spot. Also, I am getting incredible value with my real hands, which seems to be every hand. Things don't usually work out this well for me.


So, there is one really good player in the game. We have tangled about five times and I won them all. He has never made it to the showdown, folding on the turn or flop in every hand. I bluffed one of the hands. But in general he has done a good job not paying me off.


So heres my problem. I know he's waiting for a real hand to spank me, the maniac. However, he also, has been raised out of five hands in a row. So thats got to be eating at him. He might just snap and playback if he cant take it anymore.


So this hand comes up. He open-raises on the button and im thinking he an above average hand, cause he knows im in the big blind and I have been playing back a lot. But how good could his hand really be?


I call in the BB with J7s. Flop comes 9-7-3.


I check, he bets. I check-raise. He threebets.

What do I do? Results and comments in the next post.

The title of the post is why, because thats what I was asking myself after I paid it all off. He had a set of nines.


So my question is....when I have a loose image like this, I never know when a good just snapped and is taking a stand, or wheb they were waiting for a real hand.


The other players aren't as tricky so I don't pay them off, but the tricky good players I pay off. What should I do? Any advice would be nice.

Yes, you are playing correctly for shorthanded play. Keep it up, despite this hand.

raise him back. since on-line poker is rigged, real good chance you'll spike a jack or make trips. make sure to quit and cash out when (and I mean when) the cards start running bad -- it won't be just bad luck, it's the way on-line poker is designed.

I disagree. At a five handed game, anything close to a maniac is flat out awful play, in general. In this session, my image was that of a maniac because I was getting many good hands.

I disagree. A loose aggressive player is much more effective in 5-handed than 10 or 9-handed play, especially if his opponents are tight.

So poker literature would have you believe. Talk to Abdul Jalib and he says 5 handed is not that different than a full game. Until you've played a 1000 hours in a loose aggressive manner is shorthanded games it might be hard to grasp this. I feel I am an authority in the 5-6 handed games. Since I have put in 1000 of hours doing both.