playing against aggressive players

Hi everyone not been playing long, when im playing six seat tourniments i keep getting bullied by aggressive players when it gets down to two or three players anyone got any advice for me on this one it would be appriciated..

thanks everyone

Well the only thing I can say is bully right back by stealing blinds etc...

Also esp with 3 players hand values go way up, so sometimes don't be afraid to shove those marginal hands.

Hope that helps and welcome to CC!

Fight Fire with FIRE. I suggest that you read up on ICM theory and basically know when to shove when the blinds get high.

6 seater tourments/cash tables are very aggressive i ended up moving away from because of the aggressation was used and know play 9 seaters where i'm doing a lot better

Being aggressive towards an aggressive player if you weren't already aggressive in your play isn't going to get you anywhere. If he's being aggressive and you are playing tight, there will be a point when you'll be able to trap him. Every time I have been aggressive against an aggressive player, he is just overly aggressive and I have to back down. Maybe he can read me well. Maybe he just like throwing chips in; I don't know. I just find it smart to stay tight and play the hands you know you can trap him with. Hopefully he's not raising every hand and you can get a read on him.

Just turn it up a notch and be aggressive yourself. When faced with raises from the CO or button, don't be too afraid to call with less than premium hands cuz it's pretty likely the original raiser didn't have much of a hand either.

I like agressive players, they are bluffing most of the time, they like reraise with nothing. They collect the chips for me. Good timing is necessary of course (trying to get them when they really have strong cars is fatal).

Unless you're going heads up, I think it's best to play tight and stick with strong hands. Once you get them in a situation where you're in front, you can trap him and take a good portion of his chips. Sometimes, if you're lucky, you'll convince that opponent to give up being so aggressive especially since he's low on chips.

When you're playing heads-up, you have to play smart and read your opponent's hands.

Yeah i play tight, and bully them back when i have something good, and yeah theres less peple with 6 player, so your hand might be better than you think! I am new here also, gl to you!

phoebekitten said:

Hi everyone not been playing long, when im playing six seat tourniments i keep getting bullied by aggressive players when it gets down to two or three players anyone got any advice for me on this one it would be appriciated..

thanks everyone

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Yup, I love playing against players like you in sit n go's at the bubble, granted I don't play 6 seaters, either 9 or 10, with 3 payout places, I guess the dynamic changes with only 2 spots paying, 4/5 handed in 9 seaters I don't mind playing super aggressive, picking up blinds, and taking a flip to get a stack to practically guarantee Heads Up. If you roll over, you're very rarely going to have a competing stack heads up, your opponents are going to have a wide range, and you're rarely going to be a massive dog nearly whatever the hand, fight fire with fire. Some players may not be as aggressive into your blinds as a result, making things a little easier.

Over the course of a few orbits on the bubble, you'll be able to make more educated decisions, you will gauge your opponents better, and have a more playable stack playing aggressive than just rolling over and folding all the time waiting for a half decent hand that probably isn't a massive favourite with which you won't be getting value after being blinded through a few orbits anyway!

G'luck!

I also have a problem with overly agg opps. I try to play tight but will loosen with position or a short stack. I think of these over agg's as banks, when I get the good hand i'll make a withdrawal.

greywind50 said:

I also have a problem with overly agg opps. I try to play tight but will loosen with position or a short stack. I think of these over agg's as banks, when I get the good hand i'll make a withdrawal.

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Problem with playing really tight against them and just folding until you get a good hand is that when you get a good hand, your betting action (the fact that for once you bet) reveals the strength of this hand.

If someone is extremely aggressive then you need to realise that most of the time they have a poor hand, so calling them down with marginal hands will be profitable. Sometimes they will show up with a good hand, but more often your marginal hand will be best.

Also learning about the ICM is a good idea because as stacks become short you can shove margional hands.

playing aggressive players

when you get down to 2 or 3 players, at this point I start playing raise or fold poker, I want the aggressive players to isolate each other and knock each other out so I can get heads up cause I know heads up I have an edge. At this point if there is a short stack I play a game I call push the weak around I take turns with the other big stack raising the weak player and fold anytime the other stack shows strength, I never call an all in from the weak stack unless I have a decent hand and never raise the other dominant player unless I have a premium hand, just try to starve the small stack of chips and get heads up is my goal.

playing aggressive players

Another concept I find effective is bet size, you want your opponents to be playing pots against each other so they have a chance of knocking each other out and you make the money, when the blinds are smaller I bet 3 times the big blind, as the blinds increase I start betting 2 times the big blind, then if the person you isolate raises you can fold and get away from the hand cheaply if they show strength otherwise you have picked up the blinds without confrontation or are able to see a flop where you can evaluate your holdings and choose to continue with your hand or fold.

I think that playing back at them is a suicidal thing to do, specially if you are playing tournaments. They may pick up a real hand and knock you out of the tournament. I have played against many agressive players on sitngos, for example, and the best thing to do is to wait for a good hand and try to double up.
I play tight in those cases and i end up winning most of the time.

Let the agressive players knock each other out and try to make the money.

Stu_Ungar said:

Problem with playing really tight against them and just folding until you get a good hand is that when you get a good hand, your betting action (the fact that for once you bet) reveals the strength of this hand.

If someone is extremely aggressive then you need to realise that most of the time they have a poor hand, so calling them down with marginal hands will be profitable. Sometimes they will show up with a good hand, but more often your marginal hand will be best.

Also learning about the ICM is a good idea because as stacks become short you can shove margional hands.

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I 2nd that, also in HU, i will shove. Just take your time, pick the right spots.

Drop the hammer! I don't recall which poker book I read this advice in but it works! When you are short handed and being bullied one of the most powerful tools you have is to drop the hammer on your op. Let's say he raises your bb every orbit and most of the time you either fold, or call then fold to his big bet on the flop when you don't hit anything. Next time he raises your bb do a very large re-raise (if it's just the 2 of you in the hand) and you'd be surprised how often your op will fold preflop to this move. You can also lead out big on the flop if you just call preflop (whether you've hit the flop or not) and if it doesn't look like a drawing board (straight or flush draw possibility) your op will also fold more often than not. Another strategy is trap - hyper agrressive players are very easy to trap, they do all the betting for you - just be careful you aren't letting them draw to that flush or something for free so be selective with these moves.

I have to say most of the really aggresive players I run into end up having a -50% ROI when Scoped.

For a player such as myself with fairly limited skills along with a disinclination to gamble too much, I admit I can get frustrated. I typically let them play thier game until they make the wrong move at a time that's right for me.

Then WHACK.

headtrip13 said:

when you get down to 2 or 3 players, at this point I start playing raise or fold poker, I want the aggressive players to isolate each other and knock each other out so I can get heads up cause I know heads up I have an edge. At this point if there is a short stack I play a game I call push the weak around I take turns with the other big stack raising the weak player and fold anytime the other stack shows strength, I never call an all in from the weak stack unless I have a decent hand and never raise the other dominant player unless I have a premium hand, just try to starve the small stack of chips and get heads up is my goal.

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"so i can get heads up cause i know heads up i have an edge" great attitude!! good post. love the starve the SS. and not play sheriff and doubling them with any two cards.

marginal hands with 3-4 players is my key. I have no problem giving it right back to them. You will know by observation who is trying to run you over. They usually do not have any kind of a hand and that is why you have to be more disciplined than them by playing tight to marginal hands.

TheNoob said:

I have to say most of the really aggresive players I run into end up having a -50% ROI when Scoped.

For a player such as myself with fairly limited skills along with a disinclination to gamble too much, I admit I can get frustrated. I typically let them play thier game until they make the wrong move at a time that's right for me.

Then WHACK.

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That it's mostly true. Almost every agressive player you run into in the lower stages are bad players.

But the problem is that you can be eliminated of the tournament to early by one of these players because they will not fold even on a draw and then hit a card on the river. I know that scenario very well.

Is just not worth the risk.