Need help beating my home game

[Flopz]

(Mods: Please move if not in the right forum)

I play poker once a week (SNG style) with a pretty wide range of players. We’re usually 8 players. Here is how we breakdown…

Me: I consider myself average to above average when playing with people who know what they’re doing. I play my cards for the most part, but when I get a few chips in front of me, I try to get fancy and end up spewing. I commit cardinal sins like trying to bluff weak players and let myself get pushed around by bluffers.

Player # 2: Good player who knows how to play the player/situation no matter what cards he’s holding. Hard to bet off a pot if he has a read.

Player # 3 : Almost identical to # 2, except he folds a little more.

Player # 4 : Type of player who plays nothing but premium hands. Not very creative.

Player # 5 : Good player who only plays his cards (no reading skills at all). If he’s got a piece of the board (I’d say anywhere from 2nd pair to draws), he’ll be there to the end.

Player # 6 : Weird player. He’s a calling station who will stay if he’s got a piece. He’ll often take flyers by calling decent size pre-flop raises with crap.

Player # 7: Calling station who will call pre-flop with a wide range of cards (most of the time with hands like paint + rag)

Player # 8: Wild, wild player. Our game has a rebuy period (until the 4th level) then switches to a freeze-out. This guy loves to gamble and has the money to support his style. He’ll go all-in with crap and will call all-ins with crap. If you get into a hand with this guy, you know it will most likely cost you all your chips. His only move is…3x raise pre-flop…pot on the flop and all-in on the turn or river. Totally unpredictable.

I can hold my own for most of the game, but usually succumb to players 2, 5 and 7 on a pretty consistent basis. I just can’t seem to crack these guys.

When I try to make a play, # 2 always seems to read it and will always either check/raise me or re-raise my decent size bluff/semi-bluff bet.

#5, who stays when he has a piece, will call any bet I make. If I check, he bets like 75% of the time. I don’t know how many times I’ve lost to this guy when my straights and flushes don’t get there only to find out he had like TPNK or 2nd pair decent kicker. We keep a running total of points (based on where we finish) and he’s consistently at the top but I still think he has no clue as to what he’s doing.

# 7 is poker players worst nightmare, Like I said, he’s a calling station and limps in with crap like paint + rag. He’s not creative and can’t be pushed off. I don’t know how many times I’ve had TPTK and lost when he hits two-pair with his J10’s or Q8, etc…

I would consider myself a LAG when I hit and a Loose-passive when I’m trying to get my chips back after a bad beat (which happens pretty often with these guys.)

Any advice on how to beat these guys?


I’ve never made a post like this, so let me know if need me to add anything