Catching the big fish

While playing online last night, I was in a low-limit 7-stud game with what could only be described and a loose-passive/aggressive -maniac. (AKA: Moron)

The general description of style would be...call every single hand, never fold; bet when checked; re-raise when raised, call or raise when bet into...No Matter What! Sounds tasty eh? I guess we all hope for a live-one like that...but...whenever this anomaly arises I tend to loose my shirt against such an idiot. I've been there enough to know that it is my failure to correctly adjust my betting strategy combined with the inability to read the unreadable-hands which cause me to loose. I need to understand what is the correct strategy to capitalize on such a big fish?


Thanks for your advice,


GeorgeJones

Alan Schoonmaker wrote an excellent chapter on just this sort of thing. I highly recomend it.

strategy is NOT to play in such a game.

Find a higher limit game where players are more readable . Your chances of winning would be much better.

If Y do not have the bankroll,take a "shot" every now and then.

I'm assuming that U have been playing 1/2 stud on the internet.

The collusion factor works against almost every good starting hand--too many players staying in and reducing your chances of winning.

Although drawing hands go up in value,U might have to wait a long time for a drawing hand. In the meantime,the ante is bleeding your stack.


Sitting Bull

In any almost any form of poker, the correct strategy against very loose and unreadable players is basically to play tight. That is, play the percentages. If you play good starting hands, fold when you have poor prospects, and bet a lot when you are pretty sure you have a superior hand, in the long run you'll come out way ahead.


If you're trying to make fancy tactical plays against people like this, you're wasting you money. Your only weapons are the value bet/raise and the fold. Don't be raising for deception, free cards, thinning the field etc unless there are other players it will work against.


And realize that some days, the cards are going to run over the fish and miss you completely. That's why this sort of player plays like this - occasionally he has a monster day. Don't take single-session results out of the bigger picture.


TRLS

Larry normally you are right on target, but telling people who can't beat an easy game to move into a tougher one is just way off mark.


If you can't beat a player who is playing every hand then there is something very fundamentally wrong with your game and you should find it and fix it, not put even more money at risk vs tougher players at higher limits.


Loose player are the easiest to beat and they are the most profitable to play against. I'll take a whole table of them any day.


TRLS

this is obviously not correct. basically you are saying that you dont want to play against a live one. well maybe you dont but i sure the hell will!! :-)


as far as the strategy there have been essays on playing against the maniac, and you need to read them since just telling you a few maxims (as i am about to do) wont nearly cover it. basically you should tighten up on semibluff type plays and use his aggressiveness to your advantage in multiway pots, such as betting into him with the expectation that he will raise. also, be careful with your own marginal hands since you can get strung along for a lot of bets.


Pat

post seems to be excellent advice. I'm currently using this strategy in 5-10 online "play money" games where NO ONE folds because it's play money.

So far,I went from 1K play chips to 8K.

Although these are "play money" stud games,they still seem to accurately simulate "real money" loose/passive or loose/aggressive games.

Hence,I'm currently retracting my previous statement.

Thanks again to U and Pat!

Happy pokering!

Sitting Bull