A common question I've noticed that we get on here is "How do you play against a loose calling station in a NL game?" Usually it involves a story from the previous night about a guy who was an absolute moron, but managed to get a big stack through luck, used his big stack to call down every bet, and ended up riverring the poor saps at the table over and over again.
This, in my opinion, is the easiest kind of player to beat. I've run into a lot of players like this in micro ring games over the past few months and frankly am bored with how simple it is to beat them. I feel that I've pretty much mastered playing against calling stations and there isn't a lot of room for further growth. I don't think it should be hard for others at all, so I wanted to point out some experiences and observations I've made while beating the crap out of them. As for me, I'm going to go back to focusing primarily on SnG's for now! :) Happy trails to everyone and kick those calling stations where it counts!
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Below are some general guidelines to use when playing against a calling station. Many of these are common sense when you sit down and think about them, and you've probably heard lesson #1 before. I think most of the problems people have with playing a loose calling station boils down to these two things: over-thinking things, and losing patience. You pretty much just have to wait around mindlessly until you have a hand before you see any payoff.
Also note the difference between being a rock and being a calling station: Rocks will fold frequently to bets unless they've got the goods, in which case they will call or occasionally raise. Calling stations will call frequently and fold seldom. I know this is obvious but it can be overlooked at a table of 10 if you are not paying attention. The point is that you have to know the player you are up against.
One more thing to keep in mind before I get going is that this is not a general strategy for playing at micro tables; it is a player-specific strategy, and you need to take into consideration the playing styles of other people involved in the pot. Contrary to what seems to be a common notion, I'd estimate only 25% of the players at micro tables are loose calling stations. So anyway, most of these guidelines are simplified principles, assuming you are up against one or two calling stations.
Lesson 1: Don't bluff them.
There's no way around it - you just can't bluff someone who is almost always going to call you regardless. It is a waste time and energy trying to give them reads and repping hands. Most of the time they simply won't pick up on it and will only be thinking about their own hand. You'll end up being an idiot losing your buy in with high card ace against the guy who hit top pair (9's, for example) on the flop calling down pot sized bets from preflop to the river.
Put it this way: Even if you KNOW he has a crappy kicker and SHOULD fold to your bet, it doesn't matter because he'll call a huge % of the time regardless of if he thinks you are bluffing. Understand that they're not worried about your bluffing - they are worried about how their heart goes pitter patter when they see they have a pair of queens, or a 9 high flush draw going into the river.
Lesson 2: Take notes.
Know who they are when you come to the table. Pay attention for a few orbits to pick them out, and take notes on them to be used in future sessions. It will save you time later.
Lesson 3: Loosen up a little.
Limping preflop, they could literally have anything. Even sometimes in a raised pot, they may stick around with any two suited cards. It is because of this loose preflop play that you should also loosen up preflop, just make sure you are still much tighter than they are!
The reason for this is because you don't want to fold something like KJ preflop in EP when chances are good that they are willing to see the flop with J8s. When that J pairs up for both, you will be making some good money. If you had folded it preflop like most tight games would require, they will be taking the pot with their 8 kicker...
Why dump group 4 and 5 hands preflop when your opponents are playing group 13 hands? :)
Lesson 4: Don't think about what they think you are thinking, because they aren't!
Reads are a vague and fuzzy concept for them. You have to back it up a level, and only worry about figuring out how much they like their hand on the flop. I've broken them into categories, but obviously it will vary a little based on the player. But for the most part, here's what they are thinking on the flop:
A. "Oh man! I've got a great hand! I'll call pretty much anything! I may even bet to see if I can take someone's money!" This is usually an overpair or anything better.
B. "I'm not totally sure about this hand, it's decent, so I'll call anyway just in case." This will be top pairs with any kicker, or possibly a flush draw depending on how loose the person is.
C. "My hand isn't that great. It could get better, so maybe I'll call and see how things go." Mid-bottom pairs, flush draws and straight draws, including gutshots.
D. "I guess I should probably fold this time." Nothing but a high card.
Lesson 5: Bets are relative to their stack size.
For a lot of these players, they are unaware of pot odds. In order to determine how much they like their hand, it has to do with the size of the bet they are willing to call in relation to their stack size (NOT pot size!).
Lesson 6: Tilt: NO!!
When they river you, which they most definitely will, take a few moments in your mind to laugh your ass off at him. If it weren't for the horrible calls, you wouldn't be having him to thank for the rest of the time when you show down a winner. Type in the chat window "lol, awesome!"
Lesson 7: Position is less important.
Don't worry as much about position. And don't worry about showing fear by checking out of position. You'd be surprised how little they are worried about what's in your hand and generally won't bet into you unless they have something. Chances are you will get a free card from them by checking.
Lesson 8: They see your tight aggression as unimpressive chronic bluffing.
Example: You've got AQs. Preflop raise it 3x, with 2 callers. Flop comes up JK3 and if you bet it, they will call you down with J's. When your AQ shows down, they will think "what the hell was he thinking bluffing me like that?" It's better to not even bother. Just wait til you hit something! It's that simple! Let your best hands bring in the money and don't put on a silly monster suit and go prancing around trying to scare them. Bet when you've got something nice, and don't bet when you miss. Another example, bet AK hard preflop and if the flop is Q94 against 3 preflop callers, check. It's not worth semibluffing with your overs, just call any bet that gives you pot odds for your overs.
Lesson 9: Keep your semibluffs within the pot odds.
There's no sense in betting half the pot on a flush draw against one player if there is a very slim chance of them folding. However it could be worth it against two or more players that you are almost certain will call. As long as you keep in mind the estimated pot odds for putting out the bet and don't expect any +EV from potential opponent folds.
Lesson 10: Aim for sets
Here's a nice and simple, yet extremely important one - flopping a set with pocket pairs will make your best cash. Often you can take their stack if they have top pair. Holding a pocket pair, you want to see the flop in almost every possible scenario.
Lesson 11: Check raise them!
Hit a great flop? Check and raise, they will think you are bluffing them and that their top pair is invincible. Check raises are seen by them as representing desperation, not strength. They will often continue to call your check raises to the river, especially if you've been playing TAggy and have shown down what they consider a "bluff" recently.
Note that you really only want to check with the intention of raising if you are pretty sure your opponent will bet. To that end, it helps if you are first to act and there are at least two other players in the hand with a good chance of one betting. Otherwise, all you are doing is losing an opportunity to get more of their money in the pot. Which brings me to the next point........
Lesson 12: Slow play very seldomly.
Preflop, always bet high pocket pairs strong. Raise preflop to the pot size (or more if you are in early position and the pot is not yet large.) It's OK to tone it down a little if you get 3 callers and an ugly flop. On the flop if you have a monster, bet it strong. It's not worth the risk of letting them suck out for cheap because most of the time they will end up seeing 4th and 5th street anyway.
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I'm sure there are more lessons I've learned but this is all I can think of for now. I may be playing a little more just to see if any other lessons come back to me. In the mean time, let me know your feedback and I hope it helps everyone who has struggled with this. Just remember, beating calling stations may not be the most exciting thing in the world in terms of strategy, but at least it doesn't have to be hard! Sporadic and annoying at times, but not definitely not hard!!!
FlyingSaucy
