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Copyright © 2006 Monterey Herald
HEADLINE: Winning by bullying a poker bully
Author: Daniel Negreanu
Body:
It can be really frustrating to have an extremely aggressive player
at your table who just won't seem to leave you alone. No matter
what you do, the bully keeps coming after you, especially if you
aren't getting any good cards of your own.
Hopefully, after reading this column, you'll have all the tools
you need to fight the good fight and start pounding back. If you
know anything about a bully, you know that if you stand up to
him, he'll usually run away and hide.
Let him run, but get his chips first.
To accomplish that, the first thing you need to understand is
the bully's biggest weakness. His most common one is that he likes
to play lots of hands, and, when he does, he'll play them aggressively.
Sooner or later, he'll cross the line between good, solid, aggressive
play and become a maniac who bluffs too much and plays wildly.
What you need to do is exploit his aggressive tendencies so that
they work in your favor.
When you sense that a bully is crossing that line, take a deep
breath and give him as much rope as he needs to hang himself.
By that I mean, trap him with your good hands and let him bluff
off his money to you. There is actually a poker
term for this maneuver: collecting bullets.
Collecting bullets is an excellent way to keep a tyrant off your
back. Try slow playing to trap your opponent. This passive and
clever tactic will win pots from the bully that had you otherwise
bet, would likely have prompted him to fold his cards.
Remember, a bully looks to pounce on perceived weakness, just
like one of those hooligans did in grade school. On the playground,
you'd eventually need to stand up to the tormentor to get him
off your back. In poker,
though, you want to let him feel like he can run over you all
day. Indeed, when you have a monster hand, your greatest desire
is that he will pounce all over you. Let him do all the betting
for you.
Or, as a friend of mine, and fellow professional player, Layne
Flack, says, "Why do the pushin' when the donkey will do
the pullin'."
It's very important and also financially rewarding to recognize
situations where slow play checking will win you more money than
betting. The bully who bets when you check, but folds when you
bet, is the perfect target for bullet collecting.
Now, I don't want to leave you with only one anti-bullying strategy,
or you could end up like a sheep to the slaughter. There is more
to it. There are times when you don't want to appear to be a pushover
by letting the bully run the show. The advice I've given thus
far works best when your opponent has position on you throughout
the hand.
However, when you have position on him, then it's time to stand
up and show him who's boss.
When you're in position, meaning that you are seated to the bully's
left, be a thorn in his side by raising and re-raising to take
control of the hand. He usually won't have a strong enough hand
to play and will fold.
Here's the most crucial concept to master: Always make the bully
think twice about stealing the blinds. You must make him believe
that he could run into a buzz saw at any moment -- that buzz saw
being you! Once you've tamed the aggressive opponent, the door
for you to become the bully has just opened.
Since you're now the bully, your opponents will be leery of you
and won't want to mess with you too often. Take advantage of this
situation by stealing their blinds. If the other players don't
stand up to you, keep being the aggressor and punish them until
they do.
And one last thought. Once you become the bully, beware of those
motivated players who will try to take you down. Being bullied
or being the bully both come with danger.
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