Playing against aggressive players can be daunting, but with the right strategies, you can turn the tables. Here are five effective tactics to counter and outplay aggressive players at the poker table.
Let Them Threebet And Bluff Off Their Chips
Many aggressive players are actually just players who threebet too much.
First off, you need to make sure you’re actually dealing with an aggressive player. Many people assume any person who threebets three times in the first couple of orbits is a psychotic player. It’s far more likely that the player picked up three hands.
However, if you see some ridiculous hands get threebet, then you need to play into that. They likely do that play because they’ve had success with it.
When you have Aces or Kings, don’t fourbet and make things easy for the maniac. Flat and let them bluff versus you. They’ll naturally assume you would never flat with such a good hand, because most of their opponents don’t want to face the pressure of multiple barrels.
What Boards Do They Bluff On?
Many loose and aggressive players have boards they love to bluff on. If you’re playing against aggressive players over several sessions, you should be able to pick up on what boards they like to hammer away on.
One guy I used to play against loved Ace high boards. He felt when he was the preflop raiser everyone should respect his bets on Ace high boards. He would constantly hammer Ace high boards with any two cards. The way to outplay him was to slowplay all good Aces and let him fire away when you hit the hand.
Another regular I used to play against assumed that everyone would raise sets and two pairs on boards with flush draws, straight draws, or a combination of the two. If you just flatted him on one of those boards and the turn was an overcard, he was going to fire three streets every single time. He also would always try to represent the draw when it came in.
The way to beat him was to slowplay all of your value combinations versus him. You’d have to make dangerous calls on coordinated boards with sets and two pairs. Occasionally, he would river some freak straight and bust you, but most of the time he would give away his chips.
It was also important in these pots to take a long time to call him on the river. If you beat him into the pot, that would tell him to never run that bluff again because you figured out what he was doing. You were supposed to pretend like you really wanted to fold but you were tilted on that particular session.
Raise More Top Pairs Postflop When Playing Against Aggressive Players
One play that always seems to work versus aggressive players is to raise more top pairs postflop.
They bluff all the time, so when they see someone raising they assume they’re bluffing too much too. If they have any kind of top pair or second pair, they are looking to call down. You’ll be amazed by how many bets you’ll get out of them when you do this play, especially if you raise on a dry board where most people wouldn’t fastplay with a top pair.
Overbet If You’re Going To Bluff
If you’re considering betting 70% or 80% of the pot, just go ahead and bet 120% of the pot. The bet doesn’t need to work that much more often, and it is far more effective.
Many aggressive players are used to opponents who can’t handle the pressure. These opponents will often bet huge when they have a set or two pair because they’re scared of a draw coming in that the maniac can then represent.
If you use an overbet versus them, they’ll just assume you’re the 949th person they’ve seen who didn’t want to deal with a huge river spot they were uncomfortable with. They’re more likely to fold to you now.
Flat Their Raises Preflop
Every once in a while, it’s a good idea to flat a huge hand out of the big blind when playing against aggressive players.
They will naturally assume you would have threebet with your best combinations, so they will try to blast you off your mediocre range. If you’re brave enough, you can run a dangerous but profitable slowplay versus this aggression.
You can also flat larger hands from different positions, but then you run the risk of other players coming along and creating a multiway pot that is hard to track.
Playing Against Aggressive Players Summary
Using these five strategies, you can effectively counter aggressive players and capitalize on their overzealous tactics. By letting them three-bet and bluff, identifying their bluffing patterns, and raising more top pairs post-flop, you can turn their aggression against them. Additionally, over-betting when you bluff and flatting their preflop raises will keep them on their toes and enhance your overall game.
Want to read more from APT Head Pro Alex Fitzgerald? Try his article about the 5 Advanced Techniques for Exploiting Betting Patterns
