In my opinion, one of my biggest leaks is when there is little to no action from my opponents postflop (only checking/calling small bets) I tend to raise even if I have nothing and am in late position. My reasoning for this is mainly to test the water and see what people have, if they have nothing they'll fold and give me the pot (I play micro so people don't get tricky and call with nothing most of the time) On the turn, if a scary card comes up like an over card or another suited card, I'll bet again and get called. On the river I'll make an even bigger bet if the guy has just been calling, and I'll sometimes be beaten. The river bet I make partly out of frustration and partly to continue pretending I have the nuts. I don't do this very often but when I do it ends up costing me a good amount.
Does anyone else have this issue and if so how do you deal with it?
I used to. You stop doing it.
How do you ever know whether they have nothing, are floating to hit their draw, or know you're aggressive so allowing you to make those mistakes?
You never really know. It comes down to knowing your opponents and how they play. You do pay attention while playing, don't you? Regardless of whether you're in a pot or sitting on the sidelines? I've got a line on several players who're FoF to the n_th degree. I always try to sit behind them, that way, I can almost call with ATC. If they check the flop, I can almost always steal it on the turn. These low limit fish aren't thinking about their play, let alone yours. That doesn't mean that you won't come across a player who isn't totally clueless.
Of course, you have to know this. Automatically playing as described is always a mistake, especially if you try it against a 'station. They'll call with damn near anything, and that "anything" can beat your bluff. Nothing wrong with taking a stab at an "orphan" pot, but if you get called, they have something and aren't likely to give up on the river.
The river bet I make partly out of frustration and partly to continue pretending I have the nuts. I don't do this very often but when I do it ends up costing me a good amount.
Desperation bluffs are a
really bad idea. If they've been calling, that usually means they have something, and are very liable to call. I've met -- maybe -- three micro players who could play the leveling game, and I'm not sure about that third guy. I can sell them a story since they're actually thinking about my play, what it means, and how it relates to whatever they're holding. So far, I've gotten away with several triple barrel bluffs against them since they're playing a Level 2 game and I'm playing them on Level 3. I'm surprised I've gotten away with it as often as I have.
Against reg-fish, that won't work. "Me can has pair. Me calls" is about as deep as their thinking goes.