Did anyone notice this strategy? (kind of long)

[peterchi]

My first table last year was pretty weak-tight. I was probably the most active player at the table, and I'm not even that crazy. I opened almost every pot that folded to me in mid-late position, but I never re-stole, and didn't get TOO out-of-line post-flop. I did get all-in on a bluff once, but ONLY once... which worked.

My second table was full of the type of player you describe. I had to pick off a bluff with my tournament life on the line. Also, upon arrival at the table I went from being one of the big stacks at my first table (20k by dinner) to being medium-small at this table. It included Shannon Shorr with like 80k or something ridiculous, and getting in just about any battle he felt like.

So yeah. These players were incredibly tough to play against. In one spot I tried value-betting middle pair against one of them, only to have him bluff-raise me off of it on the turn. He was overheard saying he had jacks, on a QKxx board with my AQ.

I think other people have said a lot of great things in this thread though. Things like playing suited connectors in position instead of big cards OOP, making huge pre-flop raises against people who will try to pick you off with any 2, etc. Against the right opponent, I'll make a huge raise pre-flop that is almost targetted at him, thinking in my head "Go ahead, let's dance. I'll run with you all the way home on this one. If you hit, gg." Of course I will make some attempt at hand reading and figuring out when I'm beat, but since that's exactly what this type of player makes it tough to do on him, I think sometimes you just gotta run with it.

But yeah, I'm still trying to figure this out, too. Ideally, I'd like to play that way myself, and I have at small stakes with great success. But I don't have the stones to do it at larger stakes, yet, where it would probably be more effective, too...