How to handle a Bully?

Hi! I'm a beginner at hold'em poker. I just lost my first $50 at Fulltilt, sad but I'll learn from the lost. There is one session that keep bugging me. It's a 6 players single table game. There was this guy positioned after me play so aggressively that we (at least I was) felt bullied. This guy keep raising and raising even before the flop, he just never call (very seldom fold). At first we all try to stood up, but almost everytime one of us try to trap him, he somehow got the better hand or got lucky and got the draw he was waiting for. At the late part of the session everybody become scared of him and he practically own the table. He start the session with $15 and in 1 hour his balance become $50 playing a 0.25/0.5 game. Me myself lost $15 in that game.

My question is, how should I play againts player with that style?

I would suggest what you guys were trying, fold patiently and wait for the hand you can get them on. However if he is running hot like that, if you are playing ring I would suggest switching tables especially if you are short on funds.

If they raise big, I don't think there is much you can do except try to trap. If they raise small and you have position, it may be worth it to call him down or re-raise which may also help in setting up a trap also.

So you deposited $50 on FTP and sat at a 0.25/0.5 table?

What you really need to do is learn about bankroll management. Even if you're a winning player, which remains to be proven, the inherent variability of poker means that if you want to keep your risk of ruin reasonably low, you should not play 0.25/0.5 unless you have at the very least $1000 in your bankroll.

Since you play on FTP, there is no limit low enough for you to play on a $50 bankroll, but at least drop down to the lowest limit possible to learn the game. Also, realize FTP is about the worst possible choice for a beginner, because they don't have micro stakes and they take double rake for their lowest level. I'd really recommend PokerStars for your next deposit.

...bankroll management, bankroll management, bankroll management....

It is not a question of handling the bully.

You should have left the table and found another.

I would suggest the following.

1) Play limit holdem
2) Play 10 player tables
3) Play as low buy in as possible
4) Play real tight

You need to learn how to play your game first, then worry about how others play after you have mastered that.

Give them a taste of their own medicine!

This is a ring game, so you might as well leave and find a table with worse players. With bullies I would just play tight and try to trap with big hands.

Definitly stay the heck away from games that big with a roll that small, and definitly go for Pokerstars if you're looking to rock a roll that small. The .01/.02 tables at least give you a decent shot. A pro would need a lot of luck on his side to make a roll out of 50 at those levels. When you deal with a hyper aggressive player at a table you have two options really, you can widen your range a bit if his preflop raises aren't too crazy, and try to hit boards to take him out, or you can tighten up and just try to catch him when you strike gold. However, with your short roll, you can really only try to tighten up or move to another table, because players like that can pay big, but they spike your variance, which you have zero margin for.

You might start by letting that game be a lesson to you. The bully was you teacher and he seems to have played the table right.

Based on your description of the nefarious incident, I think that he was cherry pickin. In a Visigothic kinda way.


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Its all been said before in this thread.

If you can leave the table.. do so.

If you cant / really donnt want to then tighten up. Play only AA KK QQ AK against him.

Ok you wont be playing many hands but thats great for 2 reasons.

1. When you do play raise.. let him reraise and then come over the top. He wont like that one bit and after an hour or so he wont really want to play pots against you.

2. by staying out of his way, you are letting others do your work for you. Eventually someone will have a monster and may well bust him.. ok you dont directly profit from that.. but you dont loose money either!!

I'll definitely have to agree with stu and a couple of the others here. You natural response because you are naturally competitve (oker does draw very competitive people) is to try to stand up to the guy and BEAT him. Lick your wounds and LEAVE THE TABLE, LEAVE THE TABLE LEAVE THE TABLE!!