keeping a Lag Luckbox at the table - tips?

[britspin]

Tonight I was playing an incredibly LAG luckbox in $1/2 limit HE online.

He was doing wonderfully. He has made baby straights, wild FHs, wierd 2 pairs. The works. He went from a $30 buy in to $160 in about an hour. What's more, he was tilting the table. People were amking looser calls, pots were getting bigger.

His rush was having another unusual effect. To begin with he only called preflop and raised every unraised flap. After the rush he was raising 2/3rds of preflop hands.

Naturally i wanted him to stay right where he was, yet shortly after hitting $175 he had the good sense to walk away.

The table wasn't abusive to him, but neither was it a pleasant chatty enviroment. People weren't chatting in the text, there was no sense of spirit or fun in the room. Occassionally we'd get a "ffs"- no real aggro, just the dispiriting feeling of a losing table.

Reading Dr Schoonmakers book, it strikes me that LAGs are more likely to enjoy screen banter, a chatty table, jokes and fun. If I wanted him to stay at the table, should I have been making an effort to keep him amused? Has anyone done this? Any tips? I'd have been happy to make a couple of bad plays, or show hilariously bad bluffs, of just act the fool- anything to make the table fun- if it was likely to have an impact on him wanting to stay there. Obviously this is eaier to do in real life, but any chance of it making an appreciable difference online?

I had perfect position on him, sitting one to the left. I was very sad when he left. it totally changed the table, and the game became normal- and with much less potential profit.

[sandsmarc]

I wouldn't waste focus trying to retain an individual LAG. Just put him on your buddy list. Over time you should have 50-100 lags on that list, pretty much guaranteeing a decent game whenever you play. Also, don't follow someone around too closely. Fish are quite sensitive to this and will flee if they notice certain sharks frequently gathering around them. They might also react by wondering how this keeps happening. A little exploration and they'll discover they can shield themselves from searches. Very BAD for the sharks. I only play with each of my fish about once a week. Sometimes I get real lucky and play with 2 of them in the same game. Yummy. The key is a big fish DB. Oh and of course never even remotely criticizing their play. Silence is gold.

[DrewOnTilt]

[ QUOTE ]
I wouldn't waste focus trying to retain an individual LAG. Just put him on your buddy list. Over time you should have 50-100 lags on that list, pretty much guaranteeing a decent game whenever you play. Also, don't follow someone around too closely. Fish are quite sensitive to this and will flee if they notice certain sharks frequently gathering around them. They might also react by wondering how this keeps happening. A little exploration and they'll discover they can shield themselves from searches. Very BAD for the sharks. I only play with each of my fish about once a week. Sometimes I get real lucky and play with 2 of them in the same game. Yummy. The key is a big fish DB. Oh and of course never even remotely criticizing their play. Silence is gold.

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I agree with sandsmarc. Make a long buddy list, and rotate fish on a nightly basis.

It can't hurt to have some friendly chatter going on with the guy, though. Tell him "nh" when he hits a good one, and comment about his rush occasionally. That should keep him happy, and it doesn't take much effort.

[BluffTHIS!]

Mike Caro has written that there are better games and bigger pots on a sociable table and I agree 100%. You can do this by complementing the lags and also if you want by abusing the weak-tights that whine about bad beats (lags find this amusing).

[ QUOTE ]
Also, don't follow someone around too closely. Fish are quite sensitive to this and will flee if they notice certain sharks frequently gathering around them. They might also react by wondering how this keeps happening. A little exploration and they'll discover they can shield themselves from searches. Very BAD for the sharks.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is excellent advice. And if you do play with them too frequently they can if they are thinking lags, adjust to you and not overplay hands versus you only but while playing normal against others -- horrible situation. Also I try to get position on these types of players and sometimes won't sit without it especially on 6max tables. But even this can be overdone and they notice these things too as lags are usually quite adept at using their positional advantages and don't want to surrender it to a tag.

[britspin]

Thanks all for the advice- I play at a relatively small site (victor Chandler/Doyles room) so when i find a new genuine fish at my level, I get (over)excited.

I guess this is another reason to invest in a few accounts in the big wide world and get pokertrackering to find the juicest tables.

[SavageMiser]

I'd just try to be as friendly as possible, but these types tend to hit-and-run when they get a lucky streak. Really burns me (especially when it's my money) but I just figure they or someone else will be back, eventually.