February 24, 2010
Let Others Do the Work
Having aggressive poker players at the table can be a pain if you want to see some cheap cards, but when you’ve got a winning poker online hand, playing against an overly aggressive player can be one of the best situations to be in. If you’ve got the nuts, it doesn’t always pay to come out betting-you might already have a reputation as a tight online poker player and blow your chances of fattening up the pot. I usually find myself in this position-I always try to portray a tight image during the early stages of the game so that I can bluff effectively later on when the blinds are worth stealing. It’s a great strategy, except for when I make a great hand. Since my opponents are conditioned to fold when I raise with rags, the odds are good that they’ll fold when I raise with a good hand as well. That’s why I love having an aggressive player at the table. You can usually count on an aggressive player making a play for the pot, especially when the rest of the table is checking. Even if no one else calls him, you can always re-raise him or call and string him along for another bet. They’re frustrating to play against when you’re on a drawing hand, but when you’ve got the nuts, the aggressive player is your best friend.