Counterattack or Patience? Facing the Aggresive in the Tournament

[La reytor]

What is the best strategy for playing against an aggressive player in a poker tournament?

 

[R.Melnyk77]

What is the best strategy for playing against an aggressive player in a poker tournament?

There are quite a few options and you need to choose the one that suits you best, taking into account your basic game strategy. Aggressive players are my favourite opponents. I deal with them very simply, I don't give in to their provocative actions, and I patiently wait for my good moment. When that moment comes, the best thing I can do is to trap my aggressive opponent.

 

[Magallaneroy]

Both are need, it depends of the opponents, in my case I like to be patient.

 

[ninocabral]

against very aggressive players I avoid playing any hand, I play good hands and always play in position, this gives me advantages since the aggressive player tends to bluff a lot

 

[oriole]

I think the best strategy is to appear weak with big hands and set traps. Some aggressive players aren’t 'sticky' and will fold when faced with counter-aggression, so in those cases, you need to bluff more often.

 

[havingfun]

The way I play against this opponent depends on my stack size compared to the aggressive player's stack. If I have a much bigger stack, then I will play back a lot more often, but if I have a similar or much smaller stack, then I will try to wait for a situation where I know I am most likely ahead to attack back.

 

[Lucho.riv9]

It always depends on the player. If they are too aggressive and bet more than necessary, it’s only a matter of time before you get a hand where they will just hand you their chips.

 

[dreamer13]

The problem people have when playing against aggressive players is that they are not willing to call big bets with a medium hand or bluff raise in big pots. Instead, they just call one street with a weak pair, and if the opponent continues to press with bets on the turn and river, they easily give up.In many situations against aggressive opponents, it is profitable to call on the turn or river with a hand worse than top pair.Sometimes it is a good idea to leave the table if there are too many aggressive players. It will be much easier for you to win against loose-passive opponents who only raise with absolute nuts.

 

[NotADonk]

What is the best strategy for playing against an aggressive player in a poker tournament?

Personally, I am inclined to wait patiently for strong hands to go up against them.

 

[dannystanks]

Pick a hand and buckle up!

 

[pancho_1954]

For me, patience is the key, but always trying to mix it with a little aggressive play and also taking risks, because somehow you have to win chips, many times you can't be as aggressive as other players, you have to be in a good moment and make it work, that's why being patient is the key, knowing when is the ideal time to be aggressive, calm... etc.

 

[kaynbergo]

wait for a good hand and go all in

 

[thedarkman]

Start by spelling aggressive correctly.

For hold 'em. wait until you are dealt a premium hand then play back at him. For Omaha, give it a miss - the lunatic always wins whatever he raises with.

 

[laihuynh]

Patience is the best way

 

[dompoker]

Aggression is better in tournaments, it's the best way to get a lot of chips, and if you get eliminated quickly, there's another tournament waiting.

 

[pentazepam]

Start by spelling aggressive correctly.

For hold 'em. wait until you are dealt a premium hand then play back at him. For Omaha, give it a miss - the lunatic always wins whatever he raises with.

So just become a lunatic in PLO

 

[Iryna Stryzheuskaya]

We are waiting for a good card and take his chips

 

[martDdart]

Try reraise if that does not work just fold and wait until you have a better hand,then be the aggressive player and get all your folds back and more from the aggressive player.

 

[Pokerpoet2]

What is the best strategy for playing against an aggressive player in a poker tournament?

Be patient, there is no use playing back into them by raising their raises, because they will immediately shove all-in showing no fear. I was involved in a Tournament where a player was being overly aggressive and was taking players out with absolute garbage hands, Shoving all-in with 8/10 off suit and hitting straights or flushes, He was just a Lucky SOB!
He even started to send offensive messages in the chat box and I found the best way to deal with him was to ignore him, which of course got him mad and frustrated to a point he was all-in on every single hand, regardless of what cards he had.
I was dealt Pocket Aces at one point and thought damn it, I know what he will do if I raise, so let him do it, Win or lose I will see the back of him, So I just limped in for the Blind size and he Shoved as I expected. My aces held up and I doubled my stack, Immediately on the next hand I was dealt Pocket Kings and did exactly the same, Limped in and he shoved, Kings made trips and it was goodnight from him.
Give them enough rope and eventually they will run out of Luck and hang themselves. Just be Patient!

 

[hardongear]

Patience pretty much every time. There is zero reason to be aggressive and scare the donkey away when you have the best hand.

I'll paraphrase I quote I read from the first Phil Helmuth book I ever read "Play Poker Like the Pro's"...."Never push the cart up the hill when there's a donkey at the table stupid enough to pull the cart up the hill for. And never interrupt the donkey while he's working"

Cheers!!!

 

[flabilim]

In that case, I prefer to be patient and play as hard as possible, as your chances increase.

 

[JaNie]

Patience with a little aggression in my opinion works well.

 

[pirateglenn]

I remember coaching someone a long time ago and was asked this question with a ton of others, we focused on mastering the art of the C bet, The check and check raise and positional play.

Maniacs will always be maniacs and will often be absolute in their theories that their play was right based often on mathematical probability - however we have all seen that anyone can play and win with a large chipstack and also lose a large chipstack equally as fast.

Patience is indeed a virtue but knowing your calling ranges and having an idea of who your maniac is - helps enormously. I loved being labelled as a certain type of player, it helps my game because i know i can mix that up and use that assumption to my benefit.

Solid principles of betting out, calling, raising and patience to catch that LAG or uber bully will work, i rarely see a super aggressive player win regularly and there is a reason for that.

The art of a checktrap is where really good players excel, bullying and over aggressive play is where they show their weakness (if consistently aggressive).

 

[thetick33]

What is the best strategy for playing against an aggressive player in a poker tournament?

not enough information....im never worried about an aggressive player...a super lucky aggressive player can be trouble...some people might say you make your own luck...is plenty of times i saw a player hitting i went after cause was playing shit cards at times...sometimes ive lost what will say is when was enough players left this person who played iffy hands? usually didnt get to final table money so taught me to ignore easier etc...you dont have to beat every player in a tournament to win you only actually need to beat the last player you can play against...when you really realize this you have options....im human just like everyone else so can be own worst enemy when someone makes me mad yet i play my best poker at times when get truly mad lol