Head to Head v the SuperAggressors

I find my own play in general terms lets me collect a bit of money when we are long-handed (7-9players). Then as we narrow down to the last 2 or 3 there'll be one character that shifts gears and starts playing super-super-aggressive, going all-in so often you know he doesn't always have a pair/ 2 picture-suited-connectors.

So I just finished an online game where we started head-to-head with me 8000chips, him 4000chips. He keeps raising and re-raising and eventually he becomes me 5500 chips and him 6500chips. I admit the raises and reraises put me off so I called his all-in preflop with A-2os while he had Q-10os. He struck his bloody 10 pair.

How would you handle players like this? Would you play like this yourself?

I think everyone eventuall gets frustrated with this kind of play. The thing about heads up is you almost have to play any two cards but with a guy who continually goes all in you want a hand worth playing. Usually an ace is good heads up so you didn't make a bad play there, he just got lucky.

It happens to me alot... i hate it. Dont know if this is the right thing to do but, all i do is wait for an ace or king or pocket pair then call.

I have to admit I'm that guy you don't like to play against. Constantly raising and reraising. From that point of view the way you combat it is be even more aggressive. Never just call. Either fold or raise and raise a lot. And reraise a lot as well. It doesn't have to be with the greatest starting hands either. At the very least it should slow them down. Usually does to me anyways.

When you play against aggressive people, you need to be very patient for a good hand. Then trap him when he is bluffing, then he will be less aggressive. The other option is to take risks and call his raises. Observe how he reacts when you call or re-raise his raise. If you can't beat him, then the only way to beat him is to be him.

Re raise when you get good hands. I will let them steal all the small stuff. Nail them with the good hands. You got your money in with the better hand. That is all you can do.

Sometimes these people will play this way becuase they suck at post flop play. It works because you can't be bluffed if you are all-in preflop. If you know you are out matched by the opponent then all-in is the right play.

i don't consider my self an aggressive player. i am definetly an ex-minimum raiser and don't believe in letting any one see any cards for free. of course this all depends on position.

....You just made Qhr1s 's day


A Most Excellent article by ChuckT: http://www.cardschat.com/heads-up-strategy.php
( hidden under the Articles tab...along with quite a few other gems of knowledge )

Read it, learn it, live it...and + rep ChuckT for his help

yes... well. he did beat this into me and daks......i have learned a lot from him and a lot of others in this forum both from reading and especially from sitting down at a table with them

I am the super aggressor late in tournies and i will tell you how to play them fold fold fold fold fold fold. Personally if a rock starts to play super aggressive the tactic has worked because he is not playing in his comfort zone whilst i am. The thing is that hyper aggressive players dont care about where they finish but they will play completely and utterly for first.

ERR...
that came out wrong

they will push everything to get to first place not minding going t#in third or 4th all they want is the win.

i will always take a lot of risks to get 1st which will annoy the hell outta tag players and put them off their game and they will always call me a fish (which i am) when my kq beats their a2 aqnd scream about bad beats which it is not really.

by the way of you are 3 handed or more you gotta grow some cahoonas and reraise a bit otherwise they will get such a big stack tht they can call your all in with anything

woo

That's the only way to play HU, IMO.
aggression is the key to a successful HU game, when meeting a player that's this aggressive, you have to play his game or lose.

If the blinds are monster in say a sit and go. I will pick up the blinds occasionally and then show my hand when I have a big pair or a big ace. This allows me to collect the blinds later when I have garbage.

when it gets down to heads up or 3 handed with big blinds you have to be aggressive or you will just get blinded away to nothing hand values change