blonde poker forum

Hope this is OK but for the last 24 hours I have been thinking of a situation which occurred yesterday for an hour or so where I struggled to devise a strategy and eventually for a short while felt totally owned and hamstrung.

Here's the situation.

Six Max Comp.Sponsored by a TV Company.

Seat 1.  300,000.    ( no knowledge,seems tight )
Seat 2.   250,000.    ( no knowledge,seems tight)
Seat 3.   900,000.   (  Strong player,has won major comp at DTD as well as a recent side event in Riga)
Seat 4.   1,100,000. ( Owns a poker club)
Seat 5.   500,000.     ( myself,commentator and analyst)

Only 5 players.

Blinds 8,000 and 16,000. Ante 3,000

Seat 4 opens every single pot with a bet of 32,000.
I do mean every single pot.No matter what position.Every unopened pot he makes 32,000.

He takes pot after pot uncontested showing 7/2, 10/4, and all sorts of hands.
He is to my right and being inexperienced I try various strategies all get me into trouble.

1) wait for a strong hand,call,hope to hit the flop because whatever the flop seat 4 bets the flop.
This didn't work because I never hit a flop,never.

2) wait for a strong hand and raise?
Yes did this once with A10 suited.Raised to 100k folded round to seat 4 who immediately puts me all in.

3) Fold,fold,fold.fold and get blinded away never being able to steal any blinds.

Only hands I won was when one of the short stacks went all in and I called with AK and a double up when I went all in after a raise with AQ,got called by KQ and it held.

Above are the starting stacks but my stack soon diminished by the phase of calling and missing and the raising only to put all in and folding?

I have come to the conclusion that very early on this table I should have gone all in to the constant opening by seat 4 to kind of send a message.An  added dimension was I actually did want to make the final table this time rather than my usual approach of tilt spew.

I became an enjoyable target for seat 4,it was all harmless but would appreciate some advice as to how more experienced players would cope with the ultra aggressive big stack to your right who opens/raises every hand such that you cannot put him on a hand.

You can feel you are bleeding chips because you are playing at a rapid pace and the blinds come round very quickly.

This isn't a bleeding heart,I did survive,enjoyed it all but want to learn.
Also a pols for any typo's etc still haven't hang of previewing etc lol.

Ok guys,give me your best shots.

You can 3b/fold just about with 30bb. Otherwise widen your 3b/call range. The AT sounds like it might have been a pretty good spot to raise/call.

Either flat and make a pair, and hold on for the ride! Or wait for a hand I'm prepared to go all in with, and 3b/call. If he isn't folding to any 3bs, no reason to bluff, just get it in with 77+ and ATs/AJo and get a full double.

Pretty much what the above say.  Don't try to bluff just 3 bet value hands and be prepared to call off lighter than normal.
Also be patient- when the blinds go up to 10/20 you can really punish somebody who is opening every hand with a 20-25 big blind stack by shoving all in on there raises extremely wide, suited kings, suited aces, Broadway's, pairs, suited connectors.

Failing that just try and play as many hands as possible with the fish in seat 3.

Question on calling off 4 bet shoves lighter than normal.

Given that Rob is opening every pot and getting most through, does he really need to maintain the pressure with a light 4 bet against a seemingly tight players 3 bet?

If I was Rob, I would let him have that one and would then keep pounding away. If he keeps doing it then fair enough, put the 4 bet in. This creates the dynamic for calling off light.  However, this is the first time OP had 3 bet and he gets it stuck in his eye. I'd have thought Rob was crushing AT, or am I thinking a level short here?

You will get away with two three bets at least, just 3bet really small to like 5bb's. Seat 4 prob won't peel and also won't 4bet light because he is amassing chips this way.

Swinebag probably right though, Rob isn't going to 4bet jam light, once you've 3bet a couple of times though I don't suggest raise folding (ie mainly 3betting to get it in)

I think in your spot I would've waited for decent hands. Strong hands reraise, he will still call. Flat other hands like KQ, AT, 77 and just yeh make pairs and hold on! Don't raise him when you hit the flop, just call call call and let him bluff.

VWP with AQ, you fooled me totally btw :)

Wait until you are small blind to his button.. Peel pre and do a classic Ian Gascoigne 5x check raise when u flop a pair. Only option IMO ;-)

(http://www.sherv.net/cm/emoticons/guns/suicide.gif) (http://www.sherv.net/suicide-emoticon-473.html)

Making sure to verbally announce "check-raise" when doing so for the benefit of those not paying attention.

The way this particular poker club owner plays poker he will completely destroy you if you play weak/scared against him.

Whether you decide to 3bet liberally to call of 4bet jams lighter than average or if you decide to snug it up and wait for good hands you need to be making strong/bold decisions and taking advantage of the fact he is starting on average with a weaker starting hand than most. Basically don't put yourself in spots where you cant stand aggression because you know full well he's going to be aggressive.

Yeh I think the worst line to take is to look at a hand like A9 and think "he's raising any old shit, I'm ahead, I'll reraise" and then when he comes over the top think "oh shit I have to fold now".

This is excellent advice:

agree if this is the hand you've been waiting for to 3 bet.

However, if you decide before looking that you are 3 betting then happen to get A9 then 3b/f is fine. I think that 3 betting light is the best approach here with this stack. If this works then you can widen your calling off range. If it doesn't then once we get to 20BB territory then 3b shipping hands with half decent equity is the way.

Also sitting tight for decent preflop showdown hands is equally sound advice, it just doesn't solve the "what do we do about seat 4?" problem.

3 betting light is a bad idea when you've got a villain who will fold 0% pre, will not fold much if he hits any part of the flop and also does have the ability to stick it in your eye pre.  If you 3 bet him pre he won't think "oh I'll just let you have this one", he's more likely to think I've got 62 off here it'll be great to go all in here then show him the 2 when he folds.  Just play good hands and don't raise when you hit top pair

This, click the fold button a lot before the middle cards come out.

When you call preflop, dont fold until he shows you a hand and the dealer says its your turn to show.
(then only show the winners)

Don't play back vs him light, just abuse his aggression by widening our call ranges and let him cut himself.

Abuse seat 4, the tv celeb knows U won't get out of line and want to bust him. Grind him down while the rest get his autograph.

Also, earphones, iPad, hat, scarf, sunglasses and hoodie up.

:P

Whatever you do, make sure you use this poker face

(http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc416/cambridgealex/Gazzasglasses.jpg)

(http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc43/kinboshi/imagesqtbnANd9GcREgoIEBKIHTdcQCgbe3.jpg)

 Ahrt

well youre in a tough spot because at 25-35bb effective stack sizes the momentum goes to the open raiser. main reasons are a) you cant really3b/fold as we risk a big chunk of our stack and b) we dont have good IO's to flat IP QTs, spr's are low if we want to make moves postflop we're instantly committed ect. so no leverage for us but plenty for him.
so usually we have to play very tight in such situations.

vs this guy whos seems a) splashy and b) not folding to aggression, just widen your value range. ATs becomes an easy 3b/call etc. and if hes that splashy were obviously flatting QQ+ pre ^^.

3b shoving 30bbs vs a 100% opening range is obv +ev but i think its too risky, plus theres always a chance a guy behinds wakes up with a hand and in such a case 30bbs are reallllly a big shove. better to wait and get paid off. you cannot always flop nothing ^^. plus, 30bbs is not that of a shallow stack (unless structure is really fast) so just be patient, play tight, talk to him and keep him as loose as he is :P.

First time always a bluff, second time always the nuts :)

Thanks everyone for the advice.It was a tough spot and have come to the conclusion that I should have shown a little more aggression earlier in the level to avoid being targeted and eventually feeling totally owned.As the level continued confidence drained which is another lesson when playing live and 'in game'. Hope to see some of you soon.