I’ve been playing in some shorthanded games lately at Canterbury-mainly because i usually get there around last call and play late. Some questions:
1. What are some ways i can maximize my potential against fish? I understand that pairs go way up in value with less and that draws are much worse. I also know to play aggressively, but by how much? With 4-5 players, should I raise preflop with A-big card? Pocket pairs? I’m just not sure how much I should lower my standards. Axo playable?
2. How do I defend against a good player? I know I “should” switch tables but I want to get better at poker and that involves playing against good opponents. I already consider myself a big enough player at the table, but I ran into a guy the other day who BLEW ME AWAY.
Answer 1:
First of all, define short-handed. Secondly, it seems to me that there are two different strategies against fish- one advocates sitting tight and playing tight, and the other is, well, a bit vaguer. It sort of seems to advocate jumping in there, but being an expert. Go figure. I’ve been up against this question for a few weeks. Let me know if you find a way to beat fish other than following the gospel of S and M.
Answer 2:
As mentioned, there are two schools of thought. (Pardon the pun). You can play like a rock. Classically tight-aggressive, predictable and mathematical. Someone who has read S&M cover to cover. You can add considerable flair to this basic strategy, but ultimately a rock will never be the best player in the card room. The other style is what I would call ‘fast play’. I personally have switched from a computer-like rock to a fast player in the past six months, and I can’t recommend it highly enough. What’s critically important for fast play is that you learn tells and how to read people. You must be highly, highly aggressive. I could describe fast play a number of ways, but essentially it’s like this: From the moment your opponent picks up his cards to about the time the turn card hits, you are attempting to work out what cards he has, and more importantly, how he’s going to play those cards. It’s a lot easier to do this when you’re the one doing the betting and he’s the one doing the calling. Personally, I wear a cap and prescription sunglasses, and stare at their faces throughout the entire hand (thought they wouldn’t realize it). So that what HE has is more important than what YOU have. If you know he has a made hand AND will call to the river, you simply play your cards properly. If you know he has a flush draw, you then just start jamming the pot until the flush card hits. If it doesn’t hit, you bet again and pick up the pot. When in the pot against a highly aggressive player (whether an expert or a maniac), most people will let that person do the betting and will play weak-tight. It actually takes a lot of guts to raise the most aggressive player in the game. By fast playing, you control the game. You force them to play incorrectly. If the best anyone else can do is check and call or check and fold, you’ll clean them up. I also ought to say that raising before the flop becomes mandatory. You can’t let the blind see the
Answer 3:
I guess they do. But what I’m principally referring to is a style of play that causes your opponents to play weak-tight (and therefore incorrectly). You’re unlikely to get every opponent playing weak-tight at a big bet game. Raising it up in a big-bet game is certainly potentially profitable, but it’s also a good way to lose all your chips. Thus you would need to be much more selectively aggressive.
Any opinions, good or bad, on the LL HE (4-8 or less) games at Sam’s Town or the Station Casinos?
