How do you take advantage of someone that...

[Pirc Defense]

...too often goes to a showdown?

[Jimbo]

Bluff less often and value bet more often.

[Bob T.]

Value bet. Value bet. Value bet.

[jumpthru]

Whats a value bet?

[Pirc Defense]

Thanks for your responses, Jimbo and BobT. I wrote a reply earlier, but maybe I didn't press the submit button? Here it goes again.

If you have AK and you have been betting and getting called against a single opponent that too often goes to showdown, do you bet again with a board of A /forums/images/icons/club.gif /forums/images/icons/club.gif x /forums/images/icons/club.gif on the river?

Would this be a value bet?

[Jimbo]

"Would this be a value bet?"

Only if you believe you still have the best hand. Basically anytime you believe a worse hand than yours will call a river bet you are making a value bet. Note you need to be correct over 50% of the time (heads-up) for this to be profitable or more often if your oponnent is prone to check-raising or even worse bluff check-raising. However the player you described in your first post is "value bet heavan". /forums/images/icons/smile.gif

[Bob T.]

Whats a value bet?

A value bet, is a bet that you make, where you expect to be called, and you expect to earn money from the value of the call.

There are two main cases where you make value bets.

The one that we are talking about in this situation, is where your opponent never goes away. Here, you are going to bet hands where you think that it is likely that you have the best hand. Because he never, or rarely folds, you can't bluff, because he will call, but at the same time, you can bet weaker hands than you normally would, because you know that he will call.

The other case where the term is applied, is when you have a draw, and many opponents. If you have the nut flush draw on the flop, and there are three opponents, you can bet, or raise the flop, because you will make the flush about 1 out of three hands by the river. If you bet and are called by three opponents, you will be getting paid 3-1 on a 2-1 shot, so you will be getting value out of your bet, as long as you have three callers.

[Dynasty]

Yes, you would definitely bet against that opponent with top pair/top kicker despite a scary card coming on either the turn or river.

[Ed Miller]

Honestly, Pirc, you aren't even in the right ballpark here. I rarely check TP/TK just because the flush got there on the river in most situations.

This is not the sort of marginal value bet that you need to make to exploit this guy that calls too much... this is a crystal clear value bet. A marginal value bet would be betting second or third pair for value against him, especially if you have a strong kicker to go with it. If you have a poor kicker with your top pair, I bet you routinely check it (if you've gotten to the river at all). Against players that go to showdown too often, you need to be betting this hand by far the majority of the time. Any top pair is the nuts against a calling station, even with a crappy kicker.

Remember, this player is robbing you of a potent weapon (the bluff) by looking you up constantly with all sorts of trash. Make him pay... you don't hit big hands often enough to make him pay with just those... you've got to make him pay with your mediocre hands too.

[Pirc Defense]

Thanks for the replies all.

Alright, majorkong, your admonishment is heard and taken to heart. Against this type of opponent, value bet the heck out of your good, and sometimes even marginal hands.