The Tale of Splashy McStation

[TheCount212]

Was at my local 3/6 live haunt Friday for a 5 hr. session that was highlighted by a hilariously bad player who never met a starting hand he didn't like, never missed an opportunity to bet (or cold call), and repeatedly showed down some of the worst holdings anyone at the table had ever seen. The five people at my end of the table were struggling to contain themselves as he continually dug into his wallet and ordered tequila shots. Thus the nickname Splashy McStation, which I must take full credit for.

A couple hands in a row he drew out on me in ridiculous fashion, the last being where I had a straight that I knew was good with three spades on the board, and he caught a fourth spade on the river. He bet, the MP mucks, as did I. The clown then puts his hand face up, giving his usual quizzical look, and the dealer tells him that his J4o is good because the 4 happens to be a spade. He had absolutely nothing else that would have warranted calling down to the river. Which lead me to say to him from the other end of the table, in full good humor without a shred of malice, "Now sir, how is it that you can't read your hand when I can read it from all the way over here?" The table was in tears.

Here's my question. This guy was so bad that a lot of the better players were itching to play a hand against him. I have always understood that against the truly horrible player that patience is the best policy. But is there something to be said for turning the table into a limp-fest?

[KitCloudkicker]

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I have always understood that against the truly horrible player that patience is the best policy

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what aspects of play are you referrring to here?

no, you cant bluff him

but you def shouldnt be waiting for only premium hands to play against him....

also, btw, i wouldnt try to insult him or hurt his ego...you want him to keep playing terribly

[TheCount212]

Patience PF. I know without doubt that I can outplay him after the flop. But I also know that top pair is gonna be good enough to beat him nearly every time... perhaps even second pair.

[KitCloudkicker]

[ QUOTE ]
Patience PF. I know without doubt that I can outplay him after the flop. But I also know that top pair is gonna be good enough to beat him nearly every time... perhaps even second pair.

[/ QUOTE ]

yeah, in that case i would opt for patience postflop but play a lot of hands preflop vs him. if second pair is good enough to beat him then you shouldnt be folding second pair hands preflop.

and dont bother bluffing (note: AK UI is not a bluff)

[TheCount212]

Right... I never bluff a calling station. But I had suspected that doing a lot of limping might be profitable against him in the long run.

[KitCloudkicker]

[ QUOTE ]
Right... I never bluff a calling station. But I had suspected that doing a lot of limping might be profitable against him in the long run.

[/ QUOTE ]

well, obv also depends on the rest of the table...after all you have up to 8 other players to worry about...

I would probably stick to the guidelines in SSHE for loose games preflop.

[Frond]

I know it is very tempting but try not to embarass a player if you can help it. You want to make him or her feel welcome and comfortable at the table for as long a possible.

=$$$

[TheCount212]

Yes, believe me, I made sure it was taken well. After all, I was the one who waived him back to the table after he was on his way back from the bathroom and clearly lost =]

[Aces McGee]

Just remember that you are playing against 7 or 8 other people, too. Your implied odds may go up because of this yahoo in that you will get paid off postflop, but beating him does you no good if you can't beat the others in the hand.

The best way is to isolate him preflop with a raise, but this depends on your position and frankly never works at lower limit live games anyway. You're likely going to play most of your hands multiway against him.

You should be more willing to invest an extra bet postflop with marginal hands, to get it heads up at that point. Depending on your position at the table relative to this guy, it may be close to impossible to do that.

Be careful, too, about the other good players at the table noticing what you are doing. In my opinion the worst part about your little nickname for this guy is not that it "taps the glass," but that you tip your hand to the other good players at the table (with whom you definitely seem to have developed some camraderie vis a vis this opponent) about how you might adjust your play. If you start coming in light, then they'll start taking advantage of you, as well as the maniac.

-McGee

[TheCount212]

It did turn into a limpfest, as the others at my end all knew without saying it out loud that we wanted him badly. And only our end of the table knew about his nickname =] Believe me, it took everything I had not to pee my pants laughing...