HUSNG Theory: Aggression

[ghettointlectual]

Thank you for all the responses, I do need to just slow it down a little bit. I feel some pressure from the fact that the blinds are increasing soon but I overreact to that pressure.

I just had a break even stretch and upon review I found that I am losing a lot of money bluffing, I mean A LOT. I am also being results oriented lately

Thanks again

[MxGucci]

I have always told my friends, bluffing is like cheating. It only gets you so far. It works out if you can time your bluffs, and you do everything right on how a bluff should be made.

I just dont find it really profitable in HU sng's, maybe in cash games, or in mtt's. But in a HU sng, you should focus on making semi-bluffs, and if your called, at least you have decent number of outs, in which you can be saved, and if your opponent folds, you just took the pot.

Say no to bluff!

[ChicagoRy]

There are plenty of players in the mid stakes games that bluffing is pretty profitable against, more so on Pokerstars than FTP (it seems to me). But it's pretty obvious who these players are.

I attempt bluffs at the 33s but it's really tough against some players because their hand ranges are so wide and there is a lot of incomplete/uncertain information from player to player. There's enough "wtf" type calls or raises in these to keep me away from too many bluffs.

[MxGucci]

My thoughts exactly Ryan. It's so hard to bluff some players, even when you have played the hand so perfectly to show strength pre, flop, turn, and river, and when they end up calling you down with Ace high or bottom pair, it really just gets me boiled up.

-- MxGucci

[rja87]

I've been playing the $5's on Bodog and aggression seems to work pretty well for me. I start off every sng playing exactly the same way and maybe 1 out of 5 I'll have to adjust but most of them are all passive and I seem to build up to a 2:1 lead just about every time. By the time they start getting bored or whatever it is goes through their minds they are shortstacked and eventually they shove when I have a hand. Obviously there are exceptions, sometimes I'll encounter one who actually raises but then I just switch and win with real hands.

[MxGucci]

So these passive players, actually call your preflop raises but then fold to any cbet you put forward? I highly doubt this is true, a passive low stake player is usually a horrible frusturating calling station, who will most likely call you on the flop with bottom pair or Ace high or two overs, and continue to call you down.

I wish BODOG accepted Canadians to play on their website. They are missing out on such a huge target market, but they are avoiding legal actions if and when online poker becomes illegal in Canada also.

[mb6tour]

I struggle with this also from time to time but two things:

1. keep track of ur timing tells - when u cant bluff u will smartly switch from LAG to TAG. That's fine, but I did (and still do that) use to change the time it takes between making a bet or raise when I actually have a hand & when I dont... that's mostly b/c players are so predictable (these [censored] callingstations) that u get bored & tilted & start to speed up things... then when u get a real hand u feel that "payback time babe" inside u and change ur focus & with that ur timing. These CS have big timing tells themselves and that's why they can notice it on u (even if they're totally beginners). Use it to ur advantage.

2. watch urself (pretty obvious but somethings we (I) forget): if u want to play longball u have to set up an opportunity, so u have to "unlock" certain moves IN THEIR MINDS. That being said, when u actually have a big hand, don't do much out of what u have done recently, just stick to the moves THEY THINK are ur usual and be happy. U can make little adjustments of course like when u have a better hand u can put in a 4/5 potsize c-bet instead of a 3/4... very opponent dependent. An usual mistake is that we get excited with big hands and we are not happy winning a medium pot with a flopped set (specially against donks CS), we want to win all their money & often we end up winning nothing.

I'm dazzled with MxGucci saying u should VB river more against missed draws. I really could use some more explanation.
imho if theyre passive and u have a middle pair u prolly better exploring the odds and checking the river. although thats pretty situation dependent.

[daveT]

[ QUOTE ]
So these passive players, actually call your preflop raises but then fold to any cbet you put forward? I highly doubt this is true,

[/ QUOTE ]

This is very true.

You have to also know that there is more than one style of winning poker. If you are playing tight, then this is not going to work so well for you. But if you are a LAG monkey, then you MUST c-bet every hand. This system works because a bad player is going to either over-play back at the wrong times, or they are going to attempt to trap.

We all should put our pf stats in our sigs so that there is less confusion about why some people suggest certain plays. I play over 70% of my hands. If I find someone like this, then I am playing everything.

[rja87]

[ QUOTE ]
So these passive players, actually call your preflop raises but then fold to any cbet you put forward? I highly doubt this is true, a passive low stake player is usually a horrible frusturating calling station, who will most likely call you on the flop with bottom pair or Ace high or two overs, and continue to call you down.



[/ QUOTE ]

I know it makes no sense, but it seems to be the case most of the time. They rarely fold preflop but unless they hit they usually don't call a cbet. Of course, what they think means they hit always varies and can mean a pair/gutshot/3 red cards, whatever but they probably fold half the time, and I make the same bets whether I hit or not, it seems to work pretty well so far. Obviously I adjust once they realize I'm making cbets so often or if they are a different type of player but this is the general case.