question for the panel

ok so i go over to my boys house on wed to play a 5 dollar game of poker...bout 8 people, and these guys suck bad...but i can never seem to win, it seems that something always stupid seems to happen, now lets be real for a minute..5 bucks is nothing, but i would rather walk away with 35 than play for nothing know what i mean? so how in the hell do i beat these shitty players?

Play really tight. Bet your hands big on the flop when you hit.

thank ya kind sir

Dont try and over complicate anything, just play simple ABC poker. Raise with good hands, bet when you hit, fold when you have nothing. Thats the best strategy, dont try and slow play is another key point

All good advice. I'll also ake the point of learning to fold big hands when you need to, it ain't always easy to do. I'd wager there more than a little bluffing going on. Play tight and try to find their tells so you can bust 'em. If you're taking a good lead and want to throw a bluff or two then make you own move only after taking down several pots with monster hands but make sure you play your bluff exactly the same as you did your monsters. Do it to much and they'll crack ya and most importantly, Never show a bluff. Showing it makes life tougher at the table although sometimes it an work to your advantage if you hit a big hand and they don't buy it.

Quick review, Pay tight and don't overcomplicate your play is the mst important thing to learn. Folding big pairs when you have to is part of the game

Oh ya, let 'em get drunk as hell but stay sober your self! It works....most of the time.


Best of luck!

...and most of all DON'T try to "bet them out" of pots.... bad players will call down to the river with second pair...ya think that river duck was no help only to find they stayed with 2nd pair, duck kicker

I prefer the opposite approach to bluffs. When the blinds are small, make a small bluff. If you lose the hand you don't care, or if everyone folds, you win a few chips. Whether it's a showdown or not, SHOW THE BLUFF. Especially if it works the first time try it again a few hands later. Then switch back to tight play, only play good hands and don't try to bluff. Bet your hands you do hit hard. They'll remember the early bluffing and call you down with crap. Tried that method and I had someone call my all-in with T high.

I'm playing a live game this weekend with very weak players as well. There is only one guy there I will even have to worry about. Play by the book and you'll, most likely, take it down.

Shitty players are going to play too many hands, they're going to make it real obvious when they got something and then they haven't. Play ABC poker, but pick up reads on when they're good and when they're not. Then use the reads to steal every time they got nothing. Remember live poker is about reading the player and they're betting patterns, use their face as well as the way they use their chips to get information.

I totally agree with this it has also worked for me in the past.
Good luck for the next time you meet these guys.

There was a post here last summer about how being too good was a handicap. It wasn't stated that way. Rather it suggested that you should only play one step above your competition, not 2 steps, not 3 steps.

It used Rock Paper Scissors as an analogy. Went something like TAG beats MANIAC, MANIAC beats LAG. LAG beats TAG.

With any contest, MTT or SNG, there will be an early,middle, late stage dynamic. Some go maniac early, others TAG. Personally, unless the cards are flowing like sweet wine, I prefer the early TAG. The middle stages seem to be a jostling period mainly, setting up chip position in prep for the late stage grapple for the win.

With this in mind, I'd suggest you play TAG to start, concentrating on watching them, seriously watching them.