All aboard! ......Calling stations

[HardCory]

Today I played against this guy who called everything preflop. absolutely anything and everything. I didnt know how to play against him. My question is how should u play against exremely loose players the maniacs? and also how do u play against really tight people?
Do u tend to play more hands or tighten up?

[LINES]

Caro says that you have to basically have a made-hand, or a hand that is better than his. He says that you should basically just call whatever he does, and or bet small.

[TimsterToo]

You only loosen up when there are a number of players chasing every hand. With one calling station you just HAVE to keep calculating your pot odds and equity and make your decisions based on that.

The fact that he calls everything means that you will probably make some more money that they.

I don't see how loosening up your starting requirements will help you if only one player is playing too loose.

[pzhon]

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Today I played against this guy who called everything preflop. absolutely anything and everything.

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When someone is playing too loosely, it is like they are posting extra blind money. You can profitably loosen up. Some hands are not better than the hands of selective opponents, but they are better than the new average.

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I didnt know how to play against him.


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Politely. This is a great situation.

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and also how do u play against really tight people?


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That depends on a lot of things. In general, you need to have a much stronger hand to get involved after a tight player has voluntarily entered the pot.

Some tight players do not defend their blinds without a decent hand. You should try to steal their blinds frequently.

[TheQ]

I have two examples of playing against weirdo's.
Maybe some advice...

1) Playing at home against my Girl, HU. She never folds preflop. Plays every hand till the showdown. Never raises preflop. She has some suprising wins, but I still win. No tells, because she doesn't have any theory. Doesn't raise with the nuts, I never know what she has! Using my pot-management skills (inducing bets, raising as a bluff, ect) I keep the pots small with 1 pair, and and bigger with two pair, and as big as possible with the monsters. I don't raise much preflop, unless I have a pp, as she'll just raise back for fun. My raise's to induce a fold or fear have been devalued by her. I have to see the flop cheap, and hit to win. No bluffing - she sees every showdown.

2.)Thats assuming Heads-Up, but recently I came across a true nut-job online. All he did was raise. He raised every two cards he got, and if I raised back he capped it. Saw every showdown! Every single time. The pressure was intense. I started folding on pairs, chasing flush draws, and losing fast. So anyway, I sat out and watched him abuse the 3rd player at the table for a bit. Was really funny actually, he was winning to fold outs.

So then I turned him off. He didn't exist anymore. I was playing the third player now. My same game, same starting hand requirements for a short handed game. I shortly emptied the third players pocket. The third player's checks, bets, and raises, MEANT something. Anyway, word must have spread becuase the table filled up fast! It was the weirdest thing ever, everyone was playing any two will do, and the maniac was on my right I think. Pre-flop betting was capped every hand! I kept playing my normal hand strategy, for a full table, ignoring the maniac, and paid attention the bets and raises of the OTHER players. I stayed in on the flop against low ragged flops, with overcards, and didn't do any raising preflop, to tip off the other players to my pocket. My suited connectors paid off huge. The maniac went broke at least 5 times, and so did almost all the other players. I won 30BB in an hour. Don't run-riot like the rest.

1) Don't tighten up/ Don't loosen up - starting hands.
2) DO change the value you assign to bets and raises.
3) Ignore the maniac - focus on the others.
4) Yes the maniac will win sometimes, get over it [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]
5) Let everyone else lose to your kickers as THEIR starting strategies go into the toilet.
6) Heads up - Don't raise much, unless you can induce folding, by bluffing. Raise if you have any piece of the flop, just remember you have to have something to showdown, cause he ain't folding. period. No Bluffing. Stay in with an Ace, it could be a winner, but keep it cheap. Get as much money in the pot with 2 pair or better, as you can. Top pair is less secure, but probably a winner. Look for some intelligence, does he bet with something, and check with nothing? does he ever fold? why? Get inside his head and reverse engineer him.

Anyone else?

[Louie Landale]

Lets not confuse "loose": calls a lot, with "maniac": bets a lot.

Weak-Loose folks are ideal. Play a few more hands, bet when you make something, bet the river, and take your chances. Yes, you'll look like a fool betting the other guy's hand somethimes, but the other times you get paid off more than make up for those times. Rarely call.

Loose Maniacs can be ideal. Play less hands and go to war when you make something. never bet so much that you "have" to fold if he raises one more time: when you make a hand then show it down.

Weak-Tight folks: Steal more often; stop betting when you get called unless you've got something real solid. Rarely call.

Tight-Aggressive: stay out of their way unless you've got a premium hand.

Don't underestimate the ability of "loose" folks to make hopeless calls; that's why they are called "loose". Don't underetimate the ability of the maniac to keep raising with a bad hand; that's why they are called "maniacs". Don't underestimate the quality of a weak-tight player's hand when he "just" calls: he's called weak tight because he doesn't call with bad hands but doesn't raise unless he's really got something.

- Louie

[johnc]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Today I played against this guy who called everything preflop. absolutely anything and everything.

[/ QUOTE ]
When someone is playing too loosely, it is like they are posting extra blind money. You can profitably loosen up. Some hands are not better than the hands of selective opponents, but they are better than the new average.

[ QUOTE ]

I didnt know how to play against him.


[/ QUOTE ]
Politely. This is a great situation.

[ QUOTE ]

and also how do u play against really tight people?


[/ QUOTE ]
That depends on a lot of things. In general, you need to have a much stronger hand to get involved after a tight player has voluntarily entered the pot.

Some tight players do not defend their blinds without a decent hand. You should try to steal their blinds frequently.

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[img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]

[TheClown]

I NEVER try to bluff a calling station! (no point).
I´ll wait for a good starting hand, let him take the lead, then nail him good, when I know I have him beaten.

[500apm]

[ QUOTE ]
I NEVER try to bluff a calling station! (no point).
I´ll wait for a good starting hand, let him take the lead, then nail him good, when I know I have him beaten.

[/ QUOTE ]

A calling station almost never bets (thats why they're called calling stations), and when they do bet they got something big. So you can't wait for good hands and for him to do the betting. Best thing IMO is to wait for good hands plus a good piece of the board and let them call down.

EDIT: But you're right about not bluffing them.

[Louie Landale]

Right. Make something and bet it. This is not rocket science.

Waiting until you make something and until the caller has something good enough to bet is a disaster. [1] you don't get those calls [2] he's probably got you beat when he bets.

How about this. You call early with AK and a couple calling stations come in. Flop is A85. Everyone checks. Turn is 4. You check, a caller bets ... now what? Want to raise? I don't think so. If everyone checks, well you've lost those calls.

- Louie