how to adjust to playing against bad players?

Hello all,

I understand the basics of cash games to where I can usually end a session with a small profit. However, since making the switch to Carbon, a room with mostly recreational players, I am having difficulty adjusting. I guess I had gotten used to playing against regs and fish only.

I'm talking about the type of players that will call a pot-size bet on the flop, limp then call 6-7x BB pre-flop raises with Queen Ten, etc.

The cash game guides on this site address how to play fish. These guys aren't fish, they are oafs. I seriously doubt some of them even know how to play (all-in with Ten Three suited, anyone?)

So the question is, how do we play micro-stakes (.02/.04) against an oaf?

Exactly the same way as you would adjust to a fish. Play a tighter range, bet big for value when you make a hand and check/fold when you don't have a made hand. Don't try to bluff them at all, the only time you should ever bet against them is with made hands. This way when you do bet you can bet big and get called down by all kinds of crap...

No Brainer took the words right out of my mouth, get that hand, then take em down.

I know exactly what ya mean, ive been playing the 02/04 cash games on Lock, and ive really narrowed down the hands i will play. Alot of these guys will call no matter what you throw at them in the hopes of catching a pair on the A3 they were delt. Ive seen people push all in with something like a 5 7 os thinking they were going to draw out to the straight. Its rough, but doable. Keep to the hands you know will have the best chance of winning. And be prepared to get hit with a bad beat on the river from time to time.

It's hard and frustrating because the swings are just more along with bad beats so it's hard to deal with at times.

When it feels they keep throwing money at you yet catching the cards then just try and keep cool and collected. So long as you know you're ahead when the money is going in, this is only +EV play in the long run. Sure you might hit some losing sessions just because of bad variance but keep letting these players do it, you will be thankful further down the road.

I am wondering if they are simply passively calling anything you throw at them and not making a bunch of hyper agressive raises. Wouldn't it be +ev to actually see as many cheap flops as you can with a very wide range of hands, and simply wait til you have the nuts to comit any sizeable amount of money to the pot? I mean come on if they are going to call anything I would be looking to give myself as many chances to see discount priced flops with almost any speculative hand that with a decent flop could lead me to or close to the nuts which means everything except offsuited non connectors/gappers. If you can outplay em after the flop than why not see more flops? But you guys are better players than me and I have never seen such a rewarding situation as the one described above at any table what are your thoughts on this?

You can't make any advanced moves at all. Just play tight and wait for monsters to get it in. Should be able to make some decent money this way, except you can only 4 table over there right?

On Carbon? Ive played way more than 4 at a time there.

Well it depends on the type of bad player you're playing agaisnt, ( calling station, maniac, donk, etc.. ) but usually you just have to be tighter ( or tighter than them ) to get a good hand and give them the blow.

I agree the swings can be harsh against bad players. I had a note on this fish that he stacks off on the flop with air. So when he 3bet infront of me I decided to 4bet with QQ and he called with his A7o. He hit 2 pair on the flop but with his history i gave him zero credit. Most of the time its them that end up looking silly with air or bottom pair.

Why play tighter? If they're playing loose can't we open our range?
Say they're willing to get AIOTF with T2s on a KT3 board, our K5 is going to pick up a lot more value than against someone who will only play KT+ and so our K5 is never good.
Extereme example I know (i'd never play K5) but you get the point.
Another example if a nit opens from MP i'd happily chuck KJo. If a donk like you described opens (say he's 71/34) KJo would be played for value. So i've opened my range against his wider range.