I had a most interesting situation last night at Pacific Poker $200 1-2 nl.
6 handed with the villan on my right. First off i don't play much nl holdem basically because i have found other games to be more profitable.
Anyway about 20min. after i sit down i'm up to about 250. Game is playing fairly tight with basically straight foward play from all 5 players. Then villan joins and sits directly on my right. Immediatly he starts raising every pot. Its becomes crystal clear after about 10min that this guy is a no limit expert. He raises everything and either follows it up with a big bet on the flop or checks and fold to another players bet. The villian takes immediate control of the table causing all 5 other players to react to him and seems to have a dead on read for how the other players will and do react to his style of play. About 15min after the villian joins the table he is already up to $300 without a single show down!! At this point the table starts to get suspicious and we finally see our first showdown. The villian after raising pre-flop follows up with a bet on the flop, turn, and river gets called and shows down 6,2 for a 6 high. Finally i get a glimpse of information and adjust my game by coming over the top and taking away a few pots building my stack to just over $300. Mean while the villian continues raising everthing and continues to take almost all the small pots and big pots (by this time he is getting payed of for his real hands) leaving the med. pots for the rest of the table. He is now up to $500 after less than 1hr.
Villian raises again, I look down and have AK suited I just call. At this point i was determined to win a big pot. Too many times I had come over the top of Villian and he just simply folds surrindering a meager $30 or $40 dollar pot. This time I wanted to really just beat this guy with the best hand for a big pot. pot $25 flop: A, K, 9,. Bingo I finally have a hand against this guy, he bet's his usual $20 and I just call knowing that if i raise he will just fold. Turn brings 9, he bets $35 and i decide its time to pop it up to $80, Villian calls. At this point I very confused, the Villian is not a caller. In fact this could be the first call I have seen him make since he joined the game. But i figured he could be tired of folding to my reraise and may have decided to make a stand and or is planning to bluff at the river. River card 4, Villian immediatly moves all-in and has me covered. I really didn't like my hand at this point but given all information i have recieved up to this point I knew that the Villian is completely capable of a stone cold bluff. This i felt was especially true given the fact that everytime we had clashed before a bet or a raise always took down the pot and this was a big pot. I couldn't justify folding given all the information i had picked up about villian so I called. The villian showed 9,3 for three nines taking down and monster $600 1,2 nl pot.
I am not dissapointed about the way i played this particular hand but i wasen't thrilled with my overall strategy against the Villian. I play nl holdem to win the big pot and take pride in getting alot of money in the middle with the best hand. I would just like to ask the forum how they would deal with this type of player who raises everytime preflop, and either wins with a bet on the flop, folds, or gets paid off sick because no one believes his total lies. I have never seen any player with this kind of edge at a table and i need some suggestions about how to win a big pot against this type of player.

:oops:

blaze, don't get greedy. "I'm going to win a big pot." You've got a good hand. Go ahead and pop it pre-flop and/or on the flop. You also have to be able to get away from this hand on the river. I'm not saying that I'd always be able to make that fold, but...you hadn't seem him call the entire time. That should set off alarm bells.

First off, you were pretty unlucky to lose that pot. However, players like that are extremely dangerous because they have courage( too much) and they are capable of holding any hand.

Unless I have a set or better, I always try to end the hand as quickly as possible against these guys. In your case, I would not have slowplayed AK on that flop because if he has any piece of it, you are getting action. Based on what you have said about this player, he is fully capable of betting any two cards. Define your hand with a raise, and if he folds, he folds .But if he is going to see the turn make him put in more cash.

You said that you don't play No Limit much, so I'll assume you primarily play Limit. In limit against a reckless opponnent you would be correct to just call his bet and then raise him on the big money street. However in No Limit, against an extremely loose dangerous player its possible you could lose all your money if the wrong card comes on fourth street, so make sure you make him pay to stay.


I like to make moves on these guys when I have good hands, because once they get beat in a showdown, their moves are more transparent when they are playing pots against you. Don't be afraid to fight back, its to your advantage.

To blazefreely- Let me tell you about a hand I played just a moment ago. I limped UTG with 44. Its another example of aggressive play resulting in 'lucky' cards.
Two players behind me call, and the BB checks.
Flop is 10-5-2 rainbow. If the blinds check to me, I always bet a flop like that with any pocket pair because there is a pretty good chance I'll win it right there.

A guy in LP calls, but everyone else folds. Turn card is a 5. I'll surrender here if he makes any play at this pot. I check, he checks.

River is a beautiful 4. I bet the size of the pot in case he slowplayed trip 5s or to make it appear as if I'm trying to buy this pot if he has a 10. To my delight he raises. I raise him all-in, and he turns over A3 for a straight. Unfortunately his miracle card was the same as mine and on a paired board he lost all his cash.

Aggression pays in many ways. Just know when to hit the gas and when to put on the break and you'll win big in No Limit Hold'em.

paragraphs please, or a summary.

After reading the hand just calling on the flop is a pretty bad play. Make it 70 and hope he comes over the top with a weaker hand or just take down the 65$ pot. You got greedy, you have to figure your opponent isnt folding an A or a 2 pair on this flop even to a raise and if not the only hands hes going to put in major $ with is hands that now have you beat. As in trip 9s, a turned straight with QJ etc etc. Keep raising and taking the 65$ pots when you have the goods, sooner or later he'll get frustrated and make a bad play or go over the top with nothing and thats when you'll get him.

Let me add that if you think he's a great player, you probably don't want to get involved in many pots with him, because he'll have an edge. I understand the desire to slap the table captain, but it's often a pride issue. You'll make far more money from the fish.

(Now, if you think he's a donkish maniac, that's a different story.)

You would be ~$300 richer if you'd just reraised preflop. Unless your opponent believes in the power of the SIK.

Paragraphs SVP

Pre flop is OK, I don't mind it at all as long as you are prepared to go over the top on his continuation bet on the flop.

Flop- he bets into the pot, Raise over the top $60 at least. Most flops I would do this even if I don't hit to steal the pot from him.

Turn- 9 is pretty much the worst possible card to see, You can bump it up see to where you are at, but when he calls alarm bells go off in my head.

River: painfully fold