Stacking aggresive players with TPTK

[FreakDaddy]

Poker 101. Here's a play I commonly employ against very aggresive players at small stakes. Very aggresive players obviously think that if you put a lot of money in the middle, then you must be bluffing. Their mentality is that people 'bluff' a lot and they 'tyically' will fight for pots with meager holdings. Use this to your advantage always. Occasionally they'll flip over some random crap two pair, but more often then not, you'll stack them with a lower pair, draw, or weaker kicker.

Ex: 1
Villian sees 70% of flops, aggresion is over 5. He likes to re-raise pre-flop and bully people out of pots.

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $ BB (10 handed) FTR converter on zerodivide.cx

saw flop|<font color="#C00000">saw showdown</font>

SB ($41.45)
BB ($46.25)
UTG ($23.73)
<font color="#C00000">Hero ($24.15)</font>
UTG+2 ($17.74)
MP1 ($14.75)
MP2 ($4.95)
MP3 ($37.45)
CO ($28.25)
<font color="#C00000">Button ($19.38)</font>

Preflop: Hero is UTG+1 with A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], K[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]. SB posts a blind of $0.10.
<font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to $1</font>, <font color="#666666">5 folds</font>, Button calls $1, SB (poster) calls $0.90, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>.
Typically raise more here, but instead raise slightly less, and allow villian to come back over the top, to 'take control of the hand'. Doesn't happen this time though.

Flop: ($3.25) 3[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], K[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], 8[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(3 players)</font>
SB checks, <font color="#CC3333">Hero bets $1</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Button raises to $3</font>, SB folds, Hero calls $22.15 (All-In), Button calls $15.38 (All-In).
Feign weakness with a small 'feeler' bet on a somewhat harmless board. Villian bites, now push.

Turn: ($44.78) Q[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players, 2 all-in)</font>

River: ($44.78) T[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players, 2 all-in)</font>

Final Pot: $44.78

Results in white below: <font color="#FFFFFF">
Hero has Ah Kh (one pair, kings).
Button has Kc 5c (one pair, kings).
Outcome: Hero wins $44.78. </font>

Ex:2
Villian plays over 65% of his hands, very aggresive and active. Bets/raises most streets regardless of bet sizes with anything from bottom pair to nothing (no re-draws).

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $ BB (10 handed) FTR converter on zerodivide.cx

saw flop|<font color="#C00000">saw showdown</font>

BB ($24.25)
UTG ($21.85)
UTG+1 ($3.45)
<font color="#C00000">UTG+2 ($27.15)</font>
MP1 ($55.90)
<font color="#C00000">Hero ($33.05)</font>
MP3 ($23.60)
CO ($27.80)
Button ($19.90)
SB ($5.65)

Preflop: Hero is MP2 with A[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], K[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]. SB posts a blind of $0.10.
<font color="#666666">2 folds</font>, UTG+2 calls $0.25, MP1 calls $0.25, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to $2</font>, <font color="#666666">5 folds</font>, UTG+2 calls $1.75, MP1 folds.

Flop: ($4.60) Q[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], 8[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], K[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
UTG+2 checks, <font color="#CC3333">Hero bets $4</font>, <font color="#CC3333">UTG+2 raises to $8</font>, Hero calls $27.05 (All-In), UTG+2 calls $17.15 (All-In).

Some possible draws on board and this villian will raise nearly any hand, so allow play hand straight forward and allow him to play back. He does, now push.

Turn: ($60.80) 5[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players, 2 all-in)</font>

River: ($60.80) 9[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players, 2 all-in)</font>

Final Pot: $60.80

Results in white below: <font color="#FFFFFF">
UTG+2 has 4s 4h (one pair, fours).
Hero has Ad Ks (one pair, kings).
Outcome: Hero wins $60.80. </font>

These are a couple of hands from the last few nights I thought I'd share. Questions/comments welcomed.

What your saying is "get 'er done on the flop vs. crazy aggros?"

[elus2]

versus guys like these i usually checkraise the turn in hand 1.

[wdeadwyler]

Your strategy is -ev against most opponents and stakes.

never folding tptk is +ev against 25nl aggros.

[Mercman572]

[ QUOTE ]
versus guys like these i usually checkraise the turn in hand 1.

[/ QUOTE ]

[ajmargarine]

[ QUOTE ]
versus guys like these i usually checkraise the turn in hand 1.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thumbs down to that after a PFR. Even the worst donk in the world may realize his K5 is beat after a c/r from the UTG PFR. Better to bet, bet, bet and let him call you down on all three streets which he'll do with top pair.

[lautzutao]

against a 70 VPIP 5 aggression player I'd say this is +EV at any stake that has a guy like this.

[lautzutao]

Do you like the flop push by hero in hand 1? Is this a standard maniac play here?

[ajmargarine]

[ QUOTE ]
Do you like the flop push by hero in hand 1? Is this a standard maniac play here?

[/ QUOTE ]

So much depends on Hero's read of the maniac, and what's been happening up to this point (the history between them). Sounds like I wouldn't mind getting it all-in with TPTK against this maniac.

To illustrate a little bit what I mean by history: Yesterday, I stacked a guy who had AA when I had sc's, and I was pretty sure he wasn't happy about it. Later in the day, we meet up again. I PFR AK from the button, he smoothcalls me in the SB with AA, and proceeds to destack me when the board is K high with a c/c, overbet blank turn. Switch to today, I stack him with a flop overbet with middle set when he has top pair; and I think it happened because of our interactions of yesterday. Immediate history and past history can mean so much in this game, and IMO our "reads" that we often post here are shallow compared to what our intuition is telling us at the table.

[Mercman572]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
versus guys like these i usually checkraise the turn in hand 1.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thumbs down to that after a PFR. Even the worst donk in the world may realize his K5 is beat after a c/r from the UTG PFR. Better to bet, bet, bet and let him call you down on all three streets which he'll do with top pair.

[/ QUOTE ]

not from my experience. we are talking about c/ring turn. lead flop, just call raise from an agro, they think you have missed overs but are "standing up." checking the turn they get encouraged to bet big to take it down, but your C/r AI leaves them with not much behind after flop action alot of the times. They call and pray. Shipt it.

ps, donks don't often realize you're UTG and that means your raising requirements have significantly changed.