How do you confront the weak calling station/donkey/bluffer?

Michael Paler

Michael Paler

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I could use some advice; How do you handle this type of player?

1. Always limps in every hand from almost any position, and will call a raise with it as well.
2. Will do the above with AA, AK, KK, or 2-7off, 10-rag suited, etc;
3. Will call any c-bet, with or without a hand (often will call down w J-high, no pair, no draw, etc) Often just will not fold until the river.
4. Will hardly bet out (if at all?!?) any good holding, so if he flops a set, he will just call or check it down. If he has the absolute nuts, he still will not 3-bet, or bet at all. EXCEPT FOR...
5. If you bet and he calls, then you check, he will bet out on the turn (sometimes) or the river (almost always). You have no clue if he has a hand or doesn't. Sometimes you call and he is bluffing, sometimes he actually has a hand (from bottom pair to the nuts)
6. Will often limp in and call any all in with god-only-knows what hand, you just don't know!
7. Seems to run real good until one of those all-in calls, usually into a multiway all in, takes them out.

I'm doing only a fair job against these types, as they are horrible to get a read from. I get them with the number 5 by deliberately checking after I flop something really good and bet the flop, I just check to get them to bet. But if I 3-bet, he may or may not call it. You just never know what they may or may not have, until they finally fold. But this guy just screws with your c-betting strategy, and since he is so often also in a hand, aaarrrgghhhh.....

What do you do when confronted with this type of quiet psycho (I call it the Norman Bates type)?
 
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dudemanstan

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Sounds like most of the players i play against. I just wait for a good hand and hope for the best.
 
B

bull

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I personally find them the easy to play against as they let you hand improve without putting pressure on you.
Bet your good hands relentlessly, check/call with medium hands that can improve. Check, put no more money in on medium hands that have no chance of improving and low strength hands.
And above all - rule number 1 - do not try to bluff these players.
 
Michael Paler

Michael Paler

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I personally find them the easy to play against as they let you hand improve without putting pressure on you.
Bet your good hands relentlessly, check/call with medium hands that can improve. Check, put no more money in on medium hands that have no chance of improving and low strength hands.
And above all - rule number 1 - do not try to bluff these players.

I like it, thanks!
 
aa88wildbill

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I was playing a guy couple days ago about like the one you describe. What I did was to wait until I had a good position, and good hand, pushed all in, he called, he lost. I had pocket aces, he had a three and a six. lol. But it doesn't always work sometimes they get lucky.
 
S3mper

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I say try to play against these players, just try to catch straights or flush draws with just checking no point in semi bluffing as you won't get him out 8-% of the time and he is just going to call after you hit anyway..

So just take him to value town on your made hands and hope this player keeps winning off other players so you can stay at the table with him/her as long as possible.
 
S

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Don't bluff. That means a Cbet as well. All you need to do is make a hand and then bet until raised.
 
Michael Paler

Michael Paler

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I was playing a guy couple days ago about like the one you describe. What I did was to wait until I had a good position, and good hand, pushed all in, he called, he lost. I had pocket aces, he had a three and a six. lol. But it doesn't always work sometimes they get lucky.

Tell me about it. Sadly, often by the time I properly ID them, someone else gets to them before I can.

36 off. LMAO. Good for you.
 
Michael Paler

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Do not bluff, rule number one!

Don't bluff. That means a Cbet as well. All you need to do is make a hand and then bet until raised.

Very good point also, about the Cbet. Glad you said that, because you are correct. Most c-bets are just bluffs to this type, and danger to be avoided only to those who know better.

Good advice, thanks!
 
Michael Paler

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I say try to play against these players, just try to catch straights or flush draws with just checking no point in semi bluffing as you won't get him out 8-% of the time and he is just going to call after you hit anyway..

So just take him to value town on your made hands and hope this player keeps winning off other players so you can stay at the table with him/her as long as possible.

Well, thats one good thing; they will certainly let you go to a nut hand for free often. Sadly, they may or may not call the river. Depends on how obvious it is. Which, is kind of sic, considering how they play! Like "Oh, now your dumb arse wakes up!"
 
vinnie

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It has been said but I'll repeat it, value bet these guys to death. Will they sometimes show up with a set or the nuts? Yep. And you'll never see it coming. But, you'll make so much from the times they don't have a quiet monster that it's not even painful to loan them a pile of chips for a while.

Just remember that the vast majority of their range is weak. It's really hard for them to have monsters often enough to make barreling for value wrong.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
 
Michael Paler

Michael Paler

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It has been said but I'll repeat it, value bet these guys to death. Will they sometimes show up with a set or the nuts? Yep. And you'll never see it coming. But, you'll make so much from the times they don't have a quiet monster that it's not even painful to loan them a pile of chips for a while.

Just remember that the vast majority of their range is weak. It's really hard for them to have monsters often enough to make barreling for value wrong.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

I think for a cash game you are spot on. However, in an MTT I would look at position; I might fold if close to bubble unless pretty sure.

Then again, I have yet to see one get that far, lol. Thanks for advice, I love it.
 
vinnie

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I think for a cash game you are spot on. However, in an MTT I would look at position; I might fold if close to bubble unless pretty sure.

Then again, I have yet to see one get that far, lol. Thanks for advice, I love it.

I am, admittedly, a cash-game player (99.9% of the time). So, I'll admit that my advice is almost always going to be based on that point-of-view. Tournament chips have variable value based on a lot of things. Risking 90% of your stack in a situation where you're +EV to bet normally, might be -EV in a tournament because the small percentage of times you're betting into the top of his range, you'll be crippled.

But, early in a tournament (when stacks are deep) or in a cash-game, I would always value-bet these players. You have an edge against them, abuse it.
 
A

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Where do you guys find so many awful players?
 
A

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Where do you guys find so many awful players?
Where don't you find awful players? :p
goodluck.gif
 
Michael Paler

Michael Paler

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Not all of us are blessed, clearly

Where don't you find awful players? :p
goodluck.gif


Mostly at freerolls. Hey, I'd love to make deposits and play with the big boys. But I still expect to see these loons no matter what the stakes.

So, if you want a good example of these types of players, try ANY free games on ANY site.

***I thought the original question you answered (where do find these awful players) would be included, it was not.
 
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