Don't milk em dry

Now this is just a theory that's done well for me over the years and some may not agree, but..

I'm sure everybody has heard the saying "Don't milk a good cow dry.". Right?
Well this applies heavily to fish in any MTT with a big field.
In all MTT's even high stakes there will be a good amount of fish. These fish are great gamblers. Just watch. After they get busted out they hit the slot machines. But where you come in is the decision to bust em out, or keep them around.
My point is their gambling makes a lot of them good at building a heavy stack in a short period.

So you're sitting at an early/mid MTT and you're at a table with an obvious gambler/fish. You're dealt AA/KK/AK suited in position.
The fish raises out of position. You've seen him raise with literally any two suited cards.
Time to take him out? No. Not unless he volunteers it to the pot.
If you can take half to 3/4 of his stack he's going to gamble, and possibly pay you off again and again.

Hey, this isn't for everybody I'm sure, but it's worked for me more than once. I'm usually sad to see a cash cow slaughtered.

I have to disagree with this.

In a tournament, if you're in a situation where you can get your opponents stack and they're willing to pay you off, take it all. The main reason is being having a large stack is vital in tournaments as the blinds go up. Not only that, but I don't want another player to take chips that I could've easily taken myself and give them a better chance at running deep.

Lets say you play a hand against a villain. You both have 100 BBs and get a hand where you can easily take your opponents stack. Say set vs 2 pair situation. Why would you only want to take 3/4ths (75BBs) from this player and leave them with 25BBs for someone else to take or for them to potentially double up with? Especially in tournaments where eliminating players is what you want to do. The less opponents you play against, the closer you get to the money/FT and eventually the win. Allowing a player to stay in is just giving them an extra chance to potentially bust you in the MTT. One less player in = One less player to get through on your climb to 1st.

I'll bust anyone in a tournament. At a live cash game at my house I may dump a bit if someone loses too much. That way they may come back.

I see the OP's point, as I kinda do a similar thing, what I mean is when you know you have the villain beat and he has connected with part of the board, you want him coming along for the ride, a lot of people miss out on value if they shove and don't get called, but if you take reasonable chunks from them they are more likely to call, but just shoving can scare of a villain and if he is collecting chips by his wild play just wait and take chunks out of him again.

:top:

Zorba said:

I see the OP's point, as I kinda do a similar thing, what I mean is when you know you have the villain beat and he has connected with part of the board, you want him coming along for the ride, a lot of people miss out on value if they shove and don't get called, but if you take reasonable chunks from them they are more likely to call, but just shoving can scare of a villain and if he is collecting chips by his wild play just wait and take chunks out of him again.

:top:

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Exactly!!!
Not like this is a play to employ every tournament, but there's a special kind of fish that's just really good at doubling up on coin flips.
When you're having a better than average run of cards and are sitting easy it's often more profitable to milk him slow.

I can see what you're trying to say but I have to disagree here. The theory of taking some chips then letting them build up again and taking more again is a bit unreliable. It assumes they will definitely rebuild and then you will be the lucky one to take from them and that's just too speculative. Instead when the opportunity first presents itself to stack and opponent I can find no reason to leave money on the table and miss equity and value atleast in a MTT. I can see ShoTymes point in a cash game setting if you want to keep a player in for the long game.

JPainTrainSicko said:

I can see what you're trying to say but I have to disagree here. The theory of taking some chips then letting them build up again and taking more again is a bit unreliable. It assumes they will definitely rebuild and then you will be the lucky one to take from them and that's just too speculative. Instead when the opportunity first presents itself to stack and opponent I can find no reason to leave money on the table and miss equity and value atleast in a MTT. I can see ShoTymes point in a cash game setting if you want to keep a player in for the long game.

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I agree when it comes to MTTs. Get those chips before somebody else does or the tables get switched. That "good cow" might not be there 10 minutes from now.

If I have the chance in a MTT or at cash tables, I will take them out, and hope they rebuy. Just makes the prize pool bigger.

I prefer to take them out and have one less to deal with. Plus eventually you know they are going to hit that long shot straight or flush on a river card and possibly take some of your chips in the process! To me the less people I have to beat the better.

Its better to bust him out ofc but as you said he raises almost every card and you can loose even with AK AA KK i usually go in the pot with fish if someone gets 50% or more in his stack then he is in tilt and he will 80% loose

I prefer to work the opponent on the table and say that as the vast majority of those fish enter yet simple letters and many are going to put so many chips in play that they find it difficult to fold the hand

There are enjoyable fish. Ones I don't mind having around in the mid-late stages. Especially if they're acting before you. You never know who will show up in his seat.

Still, If I get a chance, its my JOB to take ALL his chips.

The only time I feel this is a good choice to keep a fish in a tournament is if your stack is dominating your table and you are on the bubble, it would be advantageous to keep a severe short stack in so you could continue to attack the middling stacks at the table.

In cash games where the fish is a reg I also get keeping them in the game and wanting to return time and time again is as if not more important than taking an extra 10 bb one night.

Almost all other times stack the fool and keep looking for the next one.