Online play with bad players

[Dhendrixon]

How do you play against bad players that play any two cards? I have problems with them as putting them on a range of hands is difficult for me to play against them, even harder when they have position on you. What is the best way to play against them? I always hear tighten up your range, but that only goes so far. Thoughts?

 

[5KINGLEO5]

the simplest answer is not to play all hands with them, I try to narrow the range of protection from such players and then very often it turns out to take all their chips))

 

[Dhendrixon]

the simplest answer is not to play all hands with them, I try to narrow the range of protection from such players and then very often it turns out to take all their chips))

What would you do if they have position on you and can not control what hands they play with you? Would you look for a different table or just tighten your range to beat them and scoop their chips? They frustrate me and can cause tilt.

 

[Rvstam]

I am stop this bad game and sit another table

 

[successlaw]

You should play just strong hands with big bets..also there is a possibility to play aggro when you have top of the ranges

 

[Nikolay Nakhaev]

wait for some other player to knock them out
don't waste your nerves[emoji1787][emoji1787][emoji1787]

 

[Risto234]

wait for some other player to knock them out
don't waste your nerves[emoji1787][emoji1787][emoji1787]

Why you should wait for others to do it if you can do it on your own and much faster lol ...

 

[fundiver199]

What would you do if they have position on you and can not control what hands they play with you? Would you look for a different table or just tighten your range to beat them and scoop their chips? They frustrate me and can cause tilt.

In cash games it is rather important to try to get the loose players on your right and the tight players on your left, because otherwise you will play most pots out of position. So yes in some cases table change can be a reasonable option. In tournaments you need to take, what you get. And typically the best adjustment will be to tighten up a little bit. This also include postflop, if they are equally sticky on the flop. There is no point in firing a C-bet with air into someone, who is going to call you 80% of the time, and he has position on you. So basically you need to be patient and wait for a big hand, where you can get paid.

 

[milka1605]

I try to play carefully with these players. Consider their presence.

 

[tauri103]

it is advisable never to bluff a player who does not respect the rules or who does not understand anything about the game. For my part, I only play against them with good hands. I prefer check call or check fold and wait for the right spot to take their chips.

 

[Nikolay Nakhaev]

Why you should wait for others to do it if you can do it on your own and much faster lol ...

if only I have a very good hand and position on this madman then of course I will go into battle with him and save this world and all players from him[emoji854][emoji854][emoji854][emoji1787][emoji1787][emoji1787][emoji41][emoji41][emoji41]

 

[Risto234]

if only I have a very good hand and position on this madman then of course I will go into battle with him and save this world and all players from him[emoji854][emoji854][emoji854][emoji1787][emoji1787][emoji1787][emoji41][emoji41][emoji41]

Nah i would that even with average hands :bebored:

 

[elizeuof]

Play more time in position, depending of what are their size bets you can just call more time with good hands to play post flop, or if you prefer use only the top of your range, and bet harder.

If you are playing against passive players, you will play with more callers, a bet can help you to kick them from the hand, if you are playing against aggressive players, you will find some good spots, they will give you more value, connectors and suited will be fine to play in the last position.

The most important are to play with aggression good cards, because their wide range, if you don't bet to filter theirs weak hands you can get involved in a bad beat, like one of these players holding 23o with an ace on flop, until complete their straight on the river.

Another good advice for who are deep in the table are to only play premium hands, try to extract value from these players, and later your image will give you the chance to make some bluff.

 

[niphon56]

I think those bad players don't care to lose some money.

My way is all-in every hand with him.

 

[thehangdude]

How do you play against bad players that play any two cards? I have problems with them as putting them on a range of hands is difficult for me to play against them, even harder when they have position on you. What is the best way to play against them? I always hear tighten up your range, but that only goes so far. Thoughts?

It depends on how aggressive the "any2" player is. If they are aggressive, play a tight range weakly. Allow them to make raises while you call. Make some check raises on the turn. If they are more passive, open up your range and bet into them more. If they are a calling station, only play good cards, and only bet when you have it.

If you have trouble with any certain style of player, change up what you are normally doing. Sometimes a simple style change is enough to combat their advantage.

 

[KeyJey]

This is a big problem. Not only you. I also don't know what to do in this situation. They play with any cards. Especially in KO tournaments

 

[TeUnit]

Just play your strong hands for value. I also like to change my bet sizing when I think it can get me extra value.

 

[eluwinka0]

Bad players are the best opponents. So I am playing hands even more often with them as they are mostly bad postflop

 

[ADRI7HO]

I like players like that because they only have to wait for a strong hand and the limp and all-in call can go.
However, there is a problem that you have to pray until no one drops them out of the game because it is easy money like that and I love it when it comes to me.
Of course, sometimes they knock me out of the game but even then it’s always well worth it in the long run.

 

[Fivefor]

Tighten up your range is correct and play those hands aggressively when you hit your hand on the flop. Bottom line is that you will win against these players in the long run but that won't ever stop them from winning their hands sometimes in the short run.
Usually avoid trying to bluff them as well. Just play straightforward A-B-C poker when in hands with them.

 

[Herkstwin]

Online play against bad players is a long-term winning proposition. You hope that all your tournaments start with a table FULL of bad players, so you can build your stack early. They are your best option to make money. Why would you want to play against GOOD or BETTER or GREAT players? I am a mediocre player and hope to find all kinds of bad players at the tables. The best players would just take my money.

 

[freestocks]

Play well or get lucky. Both is best. Knocking a bad player out of a tournament feels great.

 

[kkami]

Play only good hands and don't bluff.

 

[fundiver199]

How do you play against bad players that play any two cards? I have problems with them as putting them on a range of hands is difficult for me to play against them, even harder when they have position on you.

Part of the secret is to not worry to much about their exact range, but more about classifying your own hand correctly and take lines, which are long term profitable in general against loose players. In the course "become a winning poker player in 30 days" Collin Moshman talk about the concept of hand planning.

When you see the flop, the very first thing, you do, is to classify your relative hand strength and determine, how many bets you would like to go in. If for instance you opened AA, and the loose player called you in position, then most of the time the answer will be, that you want 3 bets to go in, unless the board change in a very unfavourable way like putting out a 1-liner to a straight or flush.

So if the loose player with position on you is also passive, and the effective stack is 30-40BB, probably the plan is a very simple bet, bet, shove. So you bet, he call. Turn is a blank, you bet, he call. River is also a blank like an offsuit 4, so you carry through with your plan and shove for 63% pot. He call and show Q4 offsuit, which rivered two pair.

The point here is, that you did not need to know, that his range included Q4 offsuit. All, you needed to know, was, that you could take this line and show down the best hand more than 50% of the time. Which I think, you almost certainly can, if his range is wide enough to include Q4 offsuit.

Or lets say, you were 100BB deep. Then he might have raised you on the river, and again the important is not to know, that he might have that random two pair with Q4 offsuit. The important is to know, that when a passive player call preflop, call on the flop, call on the turn and raise on the river, then he can almost always beat one pair. So you should fold your AA.

The real issue for many players is, that they cant fold in the second scenario, and even in the first scenario it tilts them to lose to a hand, that the opponent should not have played. They feel, that when the opponent is so bad, they deserve to win every time. But as has been said many times, this is the difference between poker and chess.

 

[Rob Hobson]

Of course the lower the stakes, the harder to put them in a range. But anyway the best way to play with them is folding most of the times, ie, play, I'd say, 80% of the times with high pairs and premiums hands.