5CD - Standing pat
 

Last night I was at my usual €5 tourney and a guy started to play in a very unusual way...
He stood pat on the very first hand without a raise and checked after the draw. He had 88xxx.
From there on he stood pat 17 times during the first half hour, with hands ranging from 66xxx through 3344x. Sometimes he just checked, sometimes he raised, sometimes he won the pot without a call. He lost most of these hands but won a few big pots with KKxxx or AAxxx. I only called him twice, with 2-pair hands, and won both small pots.
Anyway, by the first break he had doubled his chips, meaning the rest of the table, including myself, did not find a way to take the best of his weird 'strategy'.
What do you all think should be the best approach against this odd behaviour?

Re: 5CD - Standing pat
 

Honestly, that kind of erratic play is no different than that of a maniac, only in reverse.

If he's going to be standing pat every time, you can't be afraid to bet into him or call with hands you'd do so against a normal player (typically, a big 2 pair and up). Especially if he's playing shorts, which he is, because when he improves, he'll pay you off. It's no different than calling down a maniac who raises before the flop, draws three and loses when you show a pair of 10s -- a hand you'd never fold heads-up against a player who is raising every hand.

Before you can take this advice to heart against this opponent, however, mind you that it's incomplete. I would like to know how often he folds when bet into after the draw, will he reraise before the draw, with what range of hands will he raise or call, etc.

Don't let his unorthodox play keep you from collecting chips when you have good hands.

Re: 5CD - Standing pat
 

[ QUOTE ]
Before you can take this advice to heart against this opponent, however, mind you that it's incomplete. I would like to know how often he folds when bet into after the draw, will he reraise before the draw, with what range of hands will he raise or call, etc.

[/ QUOTE ]

First of all thanks for your answer!

Whenever bet after the draw he folded 100% of the time against me - perhaps 50% against the other guys. I was too tight I guess.

50% of the times he bet or raised after the draw and he was called by someone else he had hands ranging from small pairs thru 2-pair. He won most of then though - the other guys were calling with anything or just leaving the pot uncontested for him. I was too passive, I guess.

He never re-raised - before or after the draw - as long I can remember. And folded to all re-raises IIRC.

By the way he busted very quickly after our table was broken - I guess other people managed a better strategy against him then I(we) did...