Handling the Weak Players

[t1riel]

I recently read an article about identifying and playing against weak players. If you want to win at poker, you have to focus more on the weak players becuase in the long run, you will risk less and win more.
The article gives signs of a weak player. They are:

• 1) A player who dresses extremely conservatively will generally play poker that way.

• 2) If a player is quiet or timid in the way they speak, chances are that's how they'll play poker.

• 3) If he likes to limp in on a regular basis, you might be dealing with a weak player.

• 4) An aggressive player is a bettor, while a weaker player tends to check or just call others' bets.

It's relativity easy to play against a weak player. What your hand is jsut doesn't matter in most cases. Basically, you have to "bully" them repeatedly and the majority of the time, they will fold.
If you're in great position, you want the weak player to be heads up with you. As the article states:

" If you are able to get the weak player heads up, with position, you'll let his actions, or lack of them, dictate what you should do. If he bets the flop, you can be pretty sure he has a good hand. If you don't flop a very good hand, now would be an excellent time to fold. You might be playing the player, but you can't ignore his bet entirely."

Basically, if a weak player shows interest on the flop, chances are he/she has a good hand. Unless you have a good hand, fold. The article concludes with a sentence that pretty much sums everything up. "Stay aggressive against weak players, but don't get caught running without the ball when they show interest in the flop."

 

[pifan]

your saying weak couldent that also be a very tight player waiting to be agressive ?

 

[Osmann]

Tight players don't limp in all the time, weak players do. The tight player will fold atleast 70% of the time preflop and the weak player will try to see the flop close to, or more than 50% of the time. So they are easy to tell apart.

 

[pifan]

i agree with the seeing too many flops part but if you let a tight player limp in and he catches nothing even with a better than marginal hand and doesent catch nothing you will be able to push him out because he knows hes beat that still doesent make him a weak player a weak player would still hope to catch he isnt smart enough to know hes beat

 

[Osmann]

The player who see way to many flops but fold if he doesn't catch anything is also a weak player IMO. He is easy to read and will almost every time leave the table with less chips than he brought.
I actually prefer the weak players who are loose/tight over the loose/passive. The loose/tight player will never catch a lucky river to suck out on you, the loose/passive will.

 

[holduplaya]

EXCELLENT

Now I know how to pose as a "weak" player (maybe I dont have to) Thanks for the info but I'am going to try to be a weak player for a bit and come out full force.

 

[DawgNutz]

You have to be careful about deciding if something like what you read is true and gospel or maybe has only a little truth to it. I don't know who wrote what you read but I'd like to point out to you...

1. I dress like I do partly because of my age and I don't like loose, baggy clothes that shout some sports team or guy who makes megabucks off people who think wearing something special makes them special. Also, I play a lot of golf so a lot things I wear in a casino I also wear on the golf course. If I'm in jeans, my baseball cap isn't backwards.

Now, since I'm a very aggressive tight player, won't my play soon dispel any thoughts of me being loose because of the way I'm dressed?

2. I'm quiet because socializing is not my main interest at a card table. If someone starts a conversation I'm civil and I'll sometimes join in on a joke. I never talk trash, and smack mouth won't put me on tilt. You can beat me with your play, never with your mouth.

Again, if I'm being meek/timid (in your opinion) and you're classifying me as a weak player, won't my style of play change your mind?

3 & 4, I agree with. As does anyone with any experience.

Just be careful when you're classifying players. Caro's book is loaded with information that can be used against you. It's "I know you know I know so I'm gonna..." tells are extremely important - if they are actually a tell and not a false signal.

It takes a few orbits to be able to classify a player. And smart players know this. That's why they mix up their style. You see a good player bet a certain pattern twice, he wins with trips. Later you see him bet the same pattern again and you go to the river against him with your straight. Then he shows you his boat. That's why they're called smart.

 

[beatrix]

I don't think pretending to be a weak player is a very good idea.

You're hoping that everyone will classify you as being weak and then you'll be able to clean them out later in the game. This sounds like a great plan in theory but there are a few flaws.

Appearing weak meens seeing loads of flops, never betting into anything and allowing yourself to be bullied out of a lot of hands. This means you'll be depleting your chipstack for quite a few hands, making you less of a threat to others and it's more likely you'll really be pushed off hands.

If after a while you're certain that everyone thinks you're weak and you start betting, hoping to get a few callers, everyone will fold presuming you must have a monster of a hand. You'll get no action at the table and recoup very little of the money you initially lost. And when they do actually call a large bet by you the "weak" player they'll surely have a monster themselves. Good players play solid poker against weak ones, basically just playing the cards, no fancy stuff.

This all means that most hands you play will mean you'll get very few callers (probably none) or you'll be beaten anyway. And with you're already reduced chipstack it's unlikely you'll come out on top at the end of the game.

If you want people to think you're weak don't do it with how you bet, you could enter a game with people you hardly know and pretend you don't know the rules (trying to fold when big blind or not knowing if a flush beats a straight etc) or constantly ask for advice at the start. But this is all just an act so don't let it spill over into your betting style. Soon people will become wise to this and this will generate a certain amount of fear in other players, this is exactly what you want them to be feeling.

You want to be the man that people want to beat but are also afraid of. Don't be afraid to take charge of the table if you can.
If you pretend to be weak for too long you'll actually become a weak player

 

[Osmann]

Couldn't agree more to what you just said. Letting people think you're weak won't win you any money. Instead if people are a bit scared of you, you have them right where you want them!

 

[twizzybop]

Yes if you become weak by calling with mid to low pair showing on the board time and time again, showing your cards that is the winning hand(that you are folding)...If you come across as extremely tight.. they will also take advantage.. appearing loose aggresive then changing gears..

It is those who can make themselves appear a certain way then change gears to take advantage of the situation.

Deception can play a key into winning you hands.