how to play with people who never fold

[dandelion]

Hi everyone. I've been playing online for about a year now, and I think I have made some pretty good progress - from a fish to a pretty decent player. I have played at full tilt for the most part, but I opened an account at pokerstars recently and find the style of play is enormously different. I play the micro tables still. I simply cannot win a holdme tourney at pokerstars. If I bet twice the pot on AA, nobody folds and somebody lucks out and wins with a pair of 3s and 7s or some other such garbage. How on earth do you play with people who play anything - and luck out? Any advice?

 

[rrojel]

All in or slow play

In my experience if you have pocket Ace, you either play them all in pre flop to get rid of all people who have crap hands. Doing this normally results in everyone folding meaning I take home the blinds. The other thing that happens from time to time is that someone else have a hight pair on the hand an calls you, in which case the other player have to be extremely lucky and catch 3 of a kind or better, the risk is obviously that you go out of the Tournament, if you are called by someone who gets lucky.

The the other option is to slow play the aces all the way to the showdown and then be lucky that no one else caught to pairs and better, and take home a small to medium pot, but this also gives more players the opportunity to catch a better hand than your pocket aces.

I rarely chose the option for slow playing them, since when trying to slow play the pocket aces, I personally tend to try to start defending them if the table starts giving chances to flush or straight, or I end up folding them someone makes a big bet when there is a possible straight or flush, and then the next couple of hands I will be wondering if the other player really had the flush or straight.

 

[mjdavinci]

IMO, I play regularly on both sites. You will find at the lower level stakes people will play any two cards. They mostly are just gambling hoping to hit their hand in some cases they do. One of the best lines you will here from them is that the cards were suited, does not matter that it was 7,2 that is their reason trying to hit the flush. Or some other lame reason that does make good poker play. You will have to just pay attention to way the table appears to be playing at that time. Good luck and keep playing and catch them at the right time.

 

[TKinWIS]

your an 80:20 favorite

PS uses a 52 card deck, so you will have the same odds as anywhere else.
When you have AA make a big raise and either take down the pot or be a big favorite against any caller. Once in five against a single caller you will loose. To loose 2, 3, 5 times in a row is frustrating, but far from impossible. Play with the fish and you will prosper. If 5, 6, 7 people are calling regardless of your raise I would still play those pocket aces for all in and take my chances. That's about the only hand to play at lottery style game. Your odds to win are less than a 50% with even 3 callers, so you will suffer loses. to lose several times in a row in this case is very likely at PS or anywhere else.

 

[zachvac]

1. don't bluff
2. value bet thinner

If it's like a lot of low-limit games and they limp a lot, limp in yourself with SCs, PPs, etc. and hope to stack off with sets/flushes/straights. Don't slowplay ever because as you mentioned, they don't fold.

 

[dandelion]

Thanks for the advice. Probably just a run of bad luck and I think I may be playing a bit too passively, I will try going all in next time I get pocket AA and see what happens. What I consider to be a big raise that shouts out "hey, I've got AA" is apparently not enough.

 

[sketchpad]

there are always going to be suckout's, fishies, donks and fools...short term they do fine but long term they will always give you their money. Just don't let them discourage you

 

[FlowJoe]

Only time slow play is good is when a maniac at the table and especially if you are in early position. You may be able to let him/her trap themselves. But always BE CAREFUL!!
Peace,
FLOW

 

[silverslugger33]

You should never bluff and pretty much never slow play. Only play big hands until late in tournaments. I've played there for a while and you'll find, like I have, that once you get late into tourneys and the blinds get high, people don't play like that anymore. Just try to stay around the chip average for the most part and then make your move later on when donkeys don't call anything.

 

[UnknownFlush]

Nothing much you can do about it in Pokerstars Freeroll there you can win tickets, only push all in with crappy hands and try your luck, that's bingo there

 

[underdog140]

In my experience if you have pocket Ace, you either play them all in pre flop to get rid of all people who have crap hands. Doing this normally results in everyone folding meaning I take home the blinds. The other thing that happens from time to time is that someone else have a hight pair on the hand an calls you, in which case the other player have to be extremely lucky and catch 3 of a kind or better, the risk is obviously that you go out of the Tournament, if you are called by someone who gets lucky.

The the other option is to slow play the aces all the way to the showdown and then be lucky that no one else caught to pairs and better, and take home a small to medium pot, but this also gives more players the opportunity to catch a better hand than your pocket aces.

I rarely chose the option for slow playing them, since when trying to slow play the pocket aces, I personally tend to try to start defending them if the table starts giving chances to flush or straight, or I end up folding them someone makes a big bet when there is a possible straight or flush, and then the next couple of hands I will be wondering if the other player really had the flush or straight.

Playing them slow is risky.AA looses alot more than it should but I slow them some times depends on the table and how the other player are playing tight or aggressive.I think going all in might be the best way to play them and just hope someone with a lower pair or AK calls and hope they dont get lucky.

 

[Kenzie 96]

1. don't bluff
2. value bet thinner

If it's like a lot of low-limit games and they limp a lot, limp in yourself with SCs, PPs, etc. and hope to stack off with sets/flushes/straights. Don't slowplay ever because as you mentioned, they don't fold.

Listen to this man. Oh, welcome to the forum

 

[confuzd67]

Be sure to grab a monster bet so he will over bet and knock him out early....

 

[vanquish]

bet with good hands and don't bet with bad hands

 

[LvilleSlugr]

There is only way to play against calling stations; You go in with the best of it and hope they hold up. Try to make them pay for their drawing hands and their mistakes.

 

[Netthug]

I have the same problem as I only play freerolls. I guess its just best to shove AA pre-flop and when you are ahead just bet a monster amount to get them to fold.

 

[WurlyQ]

If people ALWAYS luck out against you, you should quit playing poker. You should just play the odds and chances are, over the long run, things will average out.

 

[Cobryn]

Wait WAIT WAIT!

WHY would you want to just pick up the blinds every time you get aces?

WHY IN THE WORLD are people so afraid of getting aces!?!

Theres no way you should just push all in everytime you get a pair of aces. You have the absolute best hand in poker, you WANT to get some action. You want to win a big pot! And to win one you have to make one.

In a normal game, 5x the big blind to open the pot is just wonderful. If there was a limper, you can jack it up. If someone opened the pot before you with a raise, I'll go three times their raise a lot of times (Unless they min raise, in which I'll raise 7-9 times the big blind). And if theres a handful of limpers before you... you can double the pot.

You have ACES! Dont be afraid! If some donk gets lucky, its ok. Its going to happen. But you're going to win four out of five times against one player.

If you find yourself pushing in because you're afraid to play after the flop with AA... you need to really work on your post flop play. Its not the ace's fault. Its yours.

 

[vanquish]

Wait WAIT WAIT!

WHY would you want to just pick up the blinds every time you get aces?

WHY IN THE WORLD are people so afraid of getting aces!?!

Theres no way you should just push all in everytime you get a pair of aces. You have the absolute best hand in poker, you WANT to get some action. You want to win a big pot! And to win one you have to make one.

In a normal game, 5x the big blind to open the pot is just wonderful. If there was a limper, you can jack it up. If someone opened the pot before you with a raise, I'll go three times their raise a lot of times (Unless they min raise, in which I'll raise 7-9 times the big blind). And if theres a handful of limpers before you... you can double the pot.

You have ACES! Dont be afraid! If some donk gets lucky, its ok. Its going to happen. But you're going to win four out of five times against one player.

If you find yourself pushing in because you're afraid to play after the flop with AA... you need to really work on your post flop play. Its not the ace's fault. Its yours.

winner!!

 

[Ranger390]

In a cash game, some people will play any two cards, especially a micro level tables online and at small stakes tables in a casino. That's why they call it "No Fold'em Hold'em!" Yes, it's frustrating when someone calls all the way to the River with two cards that should have hit the muck preflop. But, that's the reality of the game. Look at the cards that Sammy Farha plays on High Stakes Poker...so it's not only at low stakes games that someone plays rags and wins. The trick to winning under these circumstances is to not over-value top pair...realize that you are either way ahead or way behind...so play top pair carefully. Also, use smart pot control...don't ram and jam unless you are holding the near nuts. Be sure that you are playing position wisely. And, keep your emotions in check when you are beaten by rags. Know that, in the long run, donks will lose their money to tight players. Don't plot and plan your revenge on the donk...just be patient, very patient, and wait. Then, once you have him in your sites, jam the knife in and twist it!

 

[BuggyX]

I play on Full Tilt and Pokerstars but it seems to be the same on both sites if you are on low tables or micro tourney buy ins. Especially in tourneys you have to survive the first hour untill the all in players and callingstations are reduced. You need patience to fold and wait til you have the hand which hits.