Dealing with people who are aggro pre, station post?

RedBaron · Dealing with people who are aggro pre, station post?

I've just finished working through Broker's foundation course material and begun trying out the strategy in the $7 games on Pokerstars. The course content is excellent, particularly as it's presented in a practical framework for use in games, rather than just general theory advice. It seems to work very effectively against players that conform to the three player types specified (particualrly call stations), however I'm finding trouble in ajusting to those who display characteristics of more than one type.

In particular, alot of players seem to be a mix of aggressive preflop and a calling station postflop. They raise most of their buttons, and like to punish limps, but after the flop become loose-passive and call with any pair/draw. One example that I just played paid me off on 3 streets with a pair of 2s on the flop. They do display some aggression postflop if you show weakness, but it just tends to be a stabs, and they go back into station mode if called. Nothing aggro enough to be able to trap them into bluffing off their stack.

I can't limp in alot preflop because they're raising limps and with them raising most of their buttons I end up folding a ton preflop. When I do see a flop obviously I miss 70% of the time, so I'm just not making hands often enough to exploit their call-station tendencies and leak chips all over because I can't get them to fold either. I'm sure there is a way to own these guys but it just seems that to look at it, the LAG and station counterstrategies don't really combine very well.

U Cook Socks

Well you would use the Lagg part of the course for playing them pre flop, and the station part for the post.

So if your limps are getting punished, then just switch to min raising, and the odd limp with stronger hands and so on. Then just value bet post flop. If they are passive, then you can just check down some hands with showdown value. Go for big value when you do hit.

Can be frustrating, but really passive post flop players are every poker players dream, they just allow you to dictate the tempo.

The Angler

If villain is loose passive post flop but aggressive pre flop, surely you can call pre flop wide OOP and play straightforward from there?

kolonel

Pretty much as mentioned by Blazing, I will switch to limping some hands that i will call his reriase that can flop well, and raise my stronger hands and just valuebet when i hit. The hands will come when he flops decent, and is happy to call you down, so this is where you want to get max value.

With their raises, play a good range of hands that you can call his reraise, and then when you hit, valuebet them. Be patient, it will happen come.

Also working on what size bets he may call for value if he tends to shutdown when you call his bets postflop. Sometimes you will find that the villain may adjust eventually, so always keep an eye on this as well.

RedBaron

What I'm finding is that when I play a passive style vs an aggressive player, I'm not making hands nearly often enough and always find myself rapidly leaking chips. When I do make a hand, they fold, presumably because they have noticed the passive way I play and realize I must have a hand when I play back. But if I try to be aggressive back, it's just a case of leaking chips because they won't fold to it.

I'm also having trouble categorizing certain opponents too and getting a handle on what they're doing. I can spot that they're aggro in certain spots e.g raising limps, cbetting alot, stationy sometimes calling a wide range in some spots, then other times they'll fold to 4 stabs in a row. I can spot things they're doing, but I can't see a pattern that I can exploit, and most matches just end on a couple of all-ins when the blinds get big or I get short. This above may be something I need to post about separately though, but I find almost no-one I play against ever fits into the category of 'tight passive, loose passive or aggressive' and tend to be a blend of these.

kolonel

Dont despair mate, not all villains will fit into one category of player type.

Its the way you observe when they change that will make a difference. Mix it up to suit how you think he is playing when he changes, and not how he was playing early in the game. Feel free to jump on Skype and maybe we can sweat some games. Maybe we can look what is happening, and how to adjust.

Give me a holler.

RedBaron

kolonel

^^^^^^ added

forced

i tend to call down agro players more with draws/air. Once they check on 4 or 5 street, or bet really weak.... they allways fold to a bet/reraise. --- but that is when i have shown to be playing tight. slowley open up a bit and rake in the chips... start mixing it up a bit from there on... tag. lag. tag. lag.... read the player.... I tend to get into betting patterns that confuse them... whilst at at the same time... playing rather tight and just spotting thier obvious bluffs.