how do i play against agressive players?

A lot of the times IME at a table there is atleast someone playing super agressive and betting every hand and raising every be I tend to freeze up and not now how to react when an opponent is playing this way how should I deal with this kind of player???

I love to call down these aggro donks nowadays, there are so many of them. I let them make the work (betting, raising, shoving), they kill themself and i also often use bluff catcher in those cases.

Wait for big hands, and trap them, let them do the work for you. Once you hit top pair, or sometimes middle and bottom pair, be fearless and just call them down. Ok sometimes they will have ends but most of the time they are just barreling.

Hosscat said:

A lot of the times IME at a table there is atleast someone playing super agressive and betting every hand and raising every be I tend to freeze up and not now how to react when an opponent is playing this way how should I deal with this kind of player???

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Do you play cash or donkaments? How deep do you play? Are they aggro preflop or postflop?

Also using maths is a great way of playing against these players. Eg if there is 1000 in the pot on the river vs one of these players and they bet 500 on the river. You are getting 3:1 on a call, so only 1:3 times do you have to be good to make this call profitable

I totally agree with Ducky7... IF you can afford the call on the river - call them! Even if you can get information it can be worth it... Foir example - you have pocket 8's...they call your value bets all the way and bet the river 3x BB... I will usually call just to see what the hel their playing and possibly catch their bluff/plus if there pot odds too. OBV if they go all in and its a flushy/str8 looking board - I may wait for a trap hand. I know when I played above my head/my Bank Roll in ring games (I dont suggest ever doing this other than for fun) I woulkd get knocked around all day/shoved on. I would just wait for Axs and a limp situation. The flop comes up with 2 suited - I'm n great position to catch a thief - especially with an ace on the board. BIg pocket pairs are nice to trap with too - if you can catch a set over set situation yu know u got them all in and toasted - just dont tip ur hand. Of course playing with a small bank roll I would get varianced/donked out of my BR for that level - but it was fun.

First of all, position's very important. If such an aggro dude is on your left, you're better off going for another table.

And how to play against aggro guys depends on that specific player.

If he's a true maniac who thinks his bottom pair is the nuts, and won't fold no matter what you do, then you just call down with medium strength hands and raise the strong ones. It's better to check/call with the medium strength hands cuz you have showdown value but you also don't want to overplay what you have. You don't wanna get check raised with medium pair.

Against the guys who steal alot but have enough sense to fold to 3 bets, 3 bet them light occasionally. Mix up the light 3 bets with the legit 3 bets. Otherwise, he'll just fold everytime you reraise him.

Check raise him if you think you are behind but he's just cbetting with ace high.

Against specific guys I would float the flop and bet or check/raise on the turn. This is risky and I only do it against the guys that I know are capable of folding when the board texture doesn't connect well with his range.

Learn to play aggressive yourself. I love waiting for a hand and check/raise these guys. Suddenly to them it's a pissing contest, and they put it in... yep.

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These players are my favorites for building my pot in the earlier stages of a tournament. You have to play very tight around them and wait for the nuts....and as blueskies says, position is very important... really....I'ts very, VERY, very important, especially when playing with the agressive/maniac types... and its pretty important the rest of the time. When theres a maniac at my table, i shift into low gear, I play as tight as I know how to, and have been known to fold even AA, KK without even betting if I'm not in the right position (late to on the button)... I be folding alot of hands, but when I finally get the nuts..AA, KK, AKs maybe AQs or off suit... (depending on your comfort level) I play like im scared and like Ducky7 said, I let them do the work... and just follow em down to the river like a stupid little donk, then I push and I rarely fails... I end up with all the chips they had been busy stealing...lol
of course, there are alot of variables there.. like your in position and bully leads out with mega bet and you limp behing and the flop brings something like Aks 7o...or what ever.. if its a scarry flop and I have the nuts.... I push the player all in and that works better than giving them the chance to make a hand down one of the next streets... sometimes they fold, sometimes they don't thinking they can scare me off by raising.. but once Im committed, that aint happening and I can asuure you, I've won way more chips this way, than I have lost... Once you have the nuts... own them and kick the idiots butt... show em how to play... and...if you loose anyway... then know you ain't no sissy and you went out like a champ... not with 23o in your hand! Good luck!