How do you play versus horrible players? You know the kind that can 4 bet Q3 because it's suited? I'm playing 5/10 and struggling BIG TIME right now because of these players. My bankroll is experiencing enormous fluctuations, and I'm getting so frustrated that I'm no longer enjoying poker. I used to think it was fun and playing it by the 'book' when raises mean you actually hold a hand etc was a lot of fun, with the occasional fish. I play Paradises 5/10, regularly 6-8 players in every flop, many flops get 3 bet. My big pairs get cracked easily by small two pairs and trips.
Would playing suited connectors be the only solution as when they hit, they make big hands? And forget all about AK and AQ and basically check/call with big hands? Aggression is not rewarded as a bet doesn't mean anything, there's many people who will call with absolutely NOTHING in hopes of catching a small pair and then bet it even if the board is high. A lot of the time they miss, but if they miss, one of the other 5 callers will surely have hit.
What's the way to tackle these tables?
This is one example, I actually depleted my entire bankroll when I dropped close to $1100 in the matter of two hours today, two hours yesterday. This was the very last hand.
Seat 1: sknitt ($65.50 in chips)
Seat 2: France Popit ($116.00 in chips)
Seat 3: Novashock ($116.00 in chips)
Seat 5: BDavis ($253.00 in chips)
Seat 6: andriy ($192.00 in chips)
Seat 7: bakes1251 ($239.00 in chips)
Seat 8: ahnuts ($273.50 in chips)
Seat 9: vegasbound60 ($169.00 in chips)
Seat 10: 5765441 ($95.00 in chips)
ahnuts : Post Small Blind ($2)
vegasbound60: Post Big Blind ($5)
Dealing...
Dealt to Novashock [ Kh ]
Dealt to Novashock [ Ad ]
5765441 : Fold
sknitt : Call ($5)
France Popit: Fold
Novashock: Raise ($10)
BDavis : Fold
andriy : Fold
bakes1251: Fold
ahnuts : Fold
vegasbound60: Fold
sknitt : Call ($5)
*** FLOP *** : [ As Td 7h ]
sknitt : Check
Novashock: Check
*** TURN *** : [ As Td 7h ] [ 2c ]
sknitt : Bet ($10)
Novashock: Raise ($20)
sknitt : Raise ($20)
Novashock: Raise ($20)
sknitt : Call ($10)
*** RIVER *** : [ As Td 7h 2c ] [ Jh ]
sknitt : Bet ($10)
Novashock: Raise ($20)
sknitt : Call All-in ($5.50)
*** SUMMARY ***
Pot: $135 | Rake: $3
Board: [ As Td 7h 2c Jh ]
sknitt bet $65.50, collected $135, net +$69.50 (showed hand) [ Kd Qh ] (a straight, ten to ace)
France Popit didn't bet (folded)
Novashock bet $70, collected $4.50, net -$65.50 (showed hand) [ Kh Ad ] (a pair of aces)
Arminia didn't bet
BDavis didn't bet (folded)
andriy didn't bet (folded)
bakes1251 didn't bet (folded)
ahnuts lost $2 (folded)
vegasbound60 lost $5 (folded)
5765441 didn't bet (folded)
Another gem from yesterday:
Game #493234189 - $5/$10 Texas Hold'em - 2004/05/01-11:43:06 (CST)
Table "Arorae" (real money) -- Seat 5 is the button
Seat 1: fajiwaji ($368.00 in chips)
Seat 2: antisteph ($53.00 in chips)
Seat 3: cheapshirts ($320.00 in chips)
Seat 4: Novashock ($246.00 in chips)
Seat 5: eddie77 ($178.00 in chips)
Seat 6: wisherone ($215.00 in chips)
Seat 7: JTrudeau32 ($198.00 in chips)
Seat 8: RodgerRitter ($81.00 in chips)
Seat 9: Lay Low ($78.00 in chips)
Seat 10: 888kk ($353.00 in chips)
wisherone: Post Small Blind ($2)
JTrudeau32: Post Big Blind ($5)
Dealing...
Dealt to Novashock [ 9h ]
Dealt to Novashock [ 9d ]
RodgerRitter: Call ($5)
Lay Low : Call ($5)
888kk : Fold
fajiwaji: Call ($5)
antisteph: Call ($5)
cheapshirts: Fold
Novashock: Call ($5)
eddie77 : Fold
wisherone: Call ($3)
JTrudeau32: Check
*** FLOP *** : [ Qc 6s 9c ]
wisherone: Bet ($5)
JTrudeau32: Fold
RodgerRitter: Fold
Lay Low : Call ($5)
fajiwaji: Call ($5)
antisteph: Call ($5)
Novashock: Raise ($10)
wisherone: Call ($5)
Lay Low : Call ($5)
fajiwaji: Call ($5)
antisteph: Call ($5)
*** TURN *** : [ Qc 6s 9c ] [ 5h ]
wisherone: Check
Lay Low : Check
fajiwaji: Check
antisteph: Bet ($10)
Novashock: Raise ($20)
wisherone: Fold
Lay Low : Fold
fajiwaji: Call ($20)
antisteph: Call ($10)
*** RIVER *** : [ Qc 6s 9c 5h ] [ 8d ]
fajiwaji: Check
antisteph: Bet ($10)
Novashock: Raise ($20)
fajiwaji: Fold
antisteph: Call All-in ($8)
*** SUMMARY ***
Pot: $178 | Rake: $3
Board: [ Qc 6s 9c 5h 8d ]
fajiwaji lost $35 (folded)
antisteph bet $53, collected $178, net +$125 (showed hand) [ 5s 7s ] (a straight, five to nine)
cheapshirts didn't bet (folded)
Novashock bet $55, collected $2, net -$53 (showed hand) [ 9h 9d ] (three of a kind, nines)
eddie77 didn't bet (folded)
wisherone lost $15 (folded)
JTrudeau32 lost $5 (folded)
RodgerRitter lost $5 (folded)
Lay Low lost $15 (folded)
888kk didn't bet (folded)
Dude, that's online poker for ya. Totally rigged all to hell. Last night I cleaned house kickin azz on 3 tables. Guess they decided to flick the switch my way for a change.
Now today.. everything gets cracked by miracle rivers. All you can ever win with is flush and straight draws, but mostly flushes and they are all happening against me non-stop. Miracle after miracle after miracle after miracle. Every MFing hand got busted even if it was one on one and I had pocket AA's. The cards always came up for the other guy. I won maybe 1 hand out of 300 on each table, just kept getting beat down.
F online poker! It's completely Fed up and rigged to create major action and maximum rake.
They know exactly what they are doing. They make you lose big time, you take a break, come back and all a sudden win big time. Then you get nailed right back down to square one. They get the rake over and over and over yet the player just gets ripped.
May the computer choose you if you continue playing.
I JUST WON A MIRACLE HAND WITH MY "TT" against "AK". The Ace showed up on flop. I said F it and called all in knowing the T was coming because the only thing that wins is miracles. Well, sure enough my 10 hits on the river for 10's full of 2's. GIVE ME A Fin BREAK!
This is my thoery on bad players. If im playing a table with say 7 other people and all 7 play every crap hand that comes, then it's 7 vs 1 and 1 out of the 7 is bound to hit something. It also works the other way around, if 7 people are playing quality hands and 1 person is playing everything, he/she may win a couple of lucky hands but will lose in the long run. What I would say is watch about 10 minutes before you deceide to join and make sure you have a good table before sitting down.
Good point Brian. Table selection is so important, yet often overlooked. The last thing you want if you're a tight aggressive player is a table full of chasers. If there is a high level of people seeing the flop (especially at 5/10) then it maybe worth switching. It's tough to fight fire with fire by expanding your starting hands when it's often a crap shoot.
The second hand is fine, but the first one was played horrible. You don't want to get cute and slowplay on the flop because many of your opponents will overcall the flop. The turn cap and river raise are insane. Overplaying is one of worst mistakes you can make in limit because it is usually a two big bet mistake. That hand looked like you were on tilt.
If your games are aggressive, you want to play fewer hands, but usually more pairs if you can collect a bunch post-flop and it doesn't get 3-bet much preflop. Watch your players and find out who the wild players and idiots and rocks are. You have to watch the game closely after you fold.
I was on tilt by far because the very same guy had been calling every hand since I sat down and I did in no way put him on a set or two pair, he had been raising with bottom pair before and he had been playing horridly. He sat down at the table with 500-600 and he had almost pissed it all away with the exception of a few chips, I was for sure he had second pair or a weak ace at most. I didn't want to bet the flop as I had been very tight up until that point and I figured that maybe he'd fold that one time if I bet the flop, putting me on an ace, so I was trying to be cute and slowplay and get a lot of money back on that one pot. It did backfire, big time, and I was tilted beyond belief. I took a long ride on my inlines just getting my "I wonder if I'm even good enough to continue playing" sort of train of thought. I cashed out a few big wins on Paradise after only putting in $100 and I thought I was invincible, then I ran into this series of events when I haven't been able to catch a whole lot for two week (been +/- 0 for two weeks) with my bankroll at 1000-1100 and then this hit that depleted it.
I might just take a week off, reread the books and make another shot at it, just putting in $200 and hoping I can build a bankroll up from that one buy-in.
It makes more sense when you explain your opponent's previous actions.
The thing about running bad is that it happens to everyone. If you watch your game close, in almost every session one of the players will get hammered with beats. Some keep on playing just fine after. Others self-destruct. In time you get numb to all but the worst runs. Keep playing solid and you will get it all back with interest.
