How do you play against someone who can read you?

[bdawg56kg]

Alright the question might sound kind of dumb, but its a little more complicated. One of my friends at my home game is a very good tournament player. He plays very solid poker and knows his stuff. When he has position on me, he likes to call my raises and steal the pot postflop. Just the other night we were down to 4 in our tournament, and I pick up A9s in the CO seat and raise it to 4xbb (the blinds are starting to become significant). He calls right behind me on the button. Everyone else folds so its just me and him. Flop is T42 rainbow. I bet 6xbb and he reraises me 12xbb. I have no choice but to fold. Other times he'll call my flop bet and I check the turn (when I didn't hit anything) and he fires and takes it down. Now personally I think that most of the times when he calls my raises, he has nothing, but I can't come over the top of his rerasie (it would be for nearly all my chips for it to be significant). It just seems like he has a real good read on me and knows that my flop bet is usually a bluff to follow up my preflop bet. What should I do?

[SteveO]

2 things assuming you too are playing solid poker.

First, don't change your patterns. When you catch that big hand or hit a good flop trap him. If he likes to steal the pots you are involved in he is set up for a trap when you have a monster or hit a big flop. Also, you may consider that some of those laydowns are good because you are beat but you are still in the game.

Second, play some poker. Once in a while you have to put him in his place and come over the top of him even when you have nothing, or even the smallest piece of the flop.

When you are down to 4 players in a game, the cards don't matter too much.

[dalecooper]

Sounds to me like he has you pegged as firing at pots a lot when you didn't really hit. One idea would be to reign it in a little - stab at pots less when you don't connect with the flop. When you do connect, be willing to go all in over his re-raise and see if he'll follow you. He can't always have something, so take advantage of your opportunities. It also sounds like he has you pegged as a fairly timid player who will fold when he raises you, so you need to show another side. Stab at pots less, but raise more when you hit anything worth raising on. If he raises your top pair, re-raise. Be willing to go to the mat with a solid hand.

Another idea is to integrate the check-raise. I'd be tempted to use this both as a bluff and when I had a decent hand. To set it up right, you would first change your post-flop betting for a while; start checking the flop even when you raised pre-flop (I know - I've read Brunson too, but do it a few times anyway). Let him take a few pots without much struggle from you. Then pick a spot, either when you've hit big, or just when it seems like a good opportunity, and check-raise him with a nasty overbet. Let him chew on it. If you have a real hand you have insurance if he calls, but the real purpose is to unveil a new tactic and force him to back off on raising your flop bets. You can also try a minimum bet, which he'll probably raise, and then you can re-raise him... similar to the check-raise, but it comes off a little different and doesn't cost much more.

Finally, if you are really concerned about this guy (which is reasonable, since he seems to be both smart and aggressive), stop giving him options. In a short-handed game (once it's down to 4 or less players), if you hit a good hand before the flop - push all-in. Every time. Make him play coinflip poker. I usually save this for those hyperfast SnG's on PartyPoker, but it's a reasonable counter-tactic against a player if you suspect he's just outplaying you. You'll either see him fold more, or you'll put yourself in situations where you have a 50% chance to put him out of the tournament. If he's giving you as much trouble as it sounds like, a 50/50 shot to beat him (and double up, and therefore probably go on to win the whole thing) isn't so bad. I have only one player in my home games who really gives me grief; like your guy, he reads people remarkably well. I will gladly push all-in against him pre-flop with a decent hand, if we're in the later stages of a tourney. Because I know he's going to put me to that decision on the flop or turn, I'd rather force him into the decision himself.

[a500lbgorilla]

Make a move that will telegraph "I have it." Re-reraise him.

#Game No : 1389958635
***** Hand History for Game 1389958635 *****
$100 NL Hold'em - Tuesday, January 04, 17:03:29 EDT 2005
Table Table 14166 (6 max) (Real Money)
Seat 1 is the button
Total number of players : 6
Seat 3: sniper2345 ( $176.15 )
Seat 5: KingLimp ( $135.75 )
Seat 6: leegee ( $94 )
Seat 8: jjall_out ( $81.4 )
Seat 10: Chocolate___ ( $149.4 )
Seat 1: Harib_Allsak ( $103.6 )
sniper2345 posts small blind [$1].
KingLimp posts big blind [$2].
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to Harib_Allsak [ 3s 9s ]
leegee calls [$2].
jjall_out folds.
Chocolate___ folds.
Harib_Allsak calls [$2].
sniper2345 calls [$1].
KingLimp checks.
** Dealing Flop ** [ 6c, 2c, Ts ]
sniper2345 checks.
KingLimp checks.
leegee checks.
Harib_Allsak bets [$5].
sniper2345 folds.
KingLimp folds.
leegee calls [$5].
** Dealing Turn ** [ Td ]
leegee checks.
Harib_Allsak bets [$10].
leegee raises [$20].
Harib_Allsak raises [$35].
leegee folds.
Harib_Allsak does not show cards.
Harib_Allsak wins $81
KingLimp has left the table.
Game #1389962324 starts.

-'rilla

[RHCNNN]

Gorilla, could you explain why you played the hand like that?
Why did you reraise his reraise?
From my unsophisticated point of view I would have folded to his reraise, since I didn't have anything and he's showing strength right?

What made you reraise him?

[dalecooper]

Gorilla, could you explain why you played the hand like that?
Why did you reraise his reraise?
From my unsophisticated point of view I would have folded to his reraise, since I didn't have anything and he's showing strength right?

What made you reraise him?

If I may speak for 'rilla (and I think I may), the opponent simply called the flop bet, indicating either that he doesn't have top pair (he had middle pair or some kind of drawing hand) or that his top pair is weak (bad kicker that doesn't pair to the board). The turn is scary to someone without a 10, maybe even to someone with a 10 but a bad kicker. 'rilla is repping that he has a 10 and maybe even a boat, or at least something like 10-A. So either the opponent bluffed and folded to the re-raise, or he had a 10 and is very tight.

[a500lbgorilla]

Gorilla, could you explain why you played the hand like that?
Why did you reraise his reraise?
From my unsophisticated point of view I would have folded to his reraise, since I didn't have anything and he's showing strength right?

What made you reraise him?

If I may speak for 'rilla (and I think I may), the opponent simply called the flop bet, indicating either that he doesn't have top pair (he had middle pair or some kind of drawing hand) or that his top pair is weak (bad kicker that doesn't pair to the board). The turn is scary to someone without a 10, maybe even to someone with a 10 but a bad kicker. 'rilla is repping that he has a 10 and maybe even a boat, or at least something like 10-A. So either the opponent bluffed and folded to the re-raise, or he had a 10 and is very tight.

*taps his nose*

He can only call with a ten. My raise said, "I have that ten. Beat it."

-'rilla

[dalecooper]

...which, by the way, is not an amateur hour move. It takes brass ones to do that, and you damn well better know that your opponent isn't some passive moron who would just call that first bet on the flop with A10, and then keep calling you down. Of course his raise on the turn already tells you he's not completely passive or moronic, which means he's ripe for the pickin' with that bluff re-raise.

[bdawg56kg]

Hey guys thanks for all the advice. The next time I played after posting this, I played against this guy again. I picked up QQ in the small blind, raised it 4xbb and sure enough he called in the bb. Flop was Q93 rainbow. I thought about checking, but decided my monster would be best concealed if I threw out a bet, so I bet 8xbb, a typical bet postflop. Well, he went for the bait and came over the top all in and I immediately called and he showed K9! Turn and river were rags and I knocked him out of the tournament. That hand just made my day.

However, I am still unclear as to the advice you guys give about coming over the top of his rerasies once in a while. I mean I can understand if this is a ring game, but this is a tourney we're playing and one careless mistake will knock you out. I mean I have no solid read on him that he is bluffing for sure, so by reraising him it would be a totally naked bluff with no solid read. Don't you think this is too risky for a tourney? I can understand doing this on a semibluff, but on a naked bluff, hmmm. Also, the way this guy plays is making me wonder if I should even raise postflop if I miss, or even preflop. It just seems like he's gonna call me for sure on my preflop raise and try to reraise my postflop raise, forcing me to fold a lot. I don't want to become timid, but given that this is a tourney and seeing how this guy plays, do you think it could be a wise move?

Hey guys thanks for all the advice. The next time I played after posting this, I played against this guy again. I picked up QQ in the small blind, raised it 4xbb and sure enough he called in the bb. Flop was Q93 rainbow. I thought about checking, but decided my monster would be best concealed if I threw out a bet, so I bet 8xbb, a typical bet postflop. Well, he went for the bait and came over the top all in and I immediately called and he showed K9! Turn and river were rags and I knocked him out of the tournament. That hand just made my day.

However, I am still unclear as to the advice you guys give about coming over the top of his rerasies once in a while. I mean I can understand if this is a ring game, but this is a tourney we're playing and one careless mistake will knock you out. I mean I have no solid read on him that he is bluffing for sure, so by reraising him it would be a totally naked bluff with no solid read. Don't you think this is too risky for a tourney? I can understand doing this on a semibluff, but on a naked bluff, hmmm. Also, the way this guy plays is making me wonder if I should even raise postflop if I miss, or even preflop. It just seems like he's gonna call me for sure on my preflop raise and try to reraise my postflop raise, forcing me to fold a lot. I don't want to become timid, but given that this is a tourney and seeing how this guy plays, do you think it could be a wise move?

Well he's raising you with nothing, so you can either do what you did and wait for good cards, or you can reraise with nothing. In any case, if you both have nothing, the more aggressive one takes the pot.

[montimus]

Now you know he's been semi-bluffing/bluffing you, and he knows that you know that. One magic little phrase people hate to hear when bluffing..."all-in."

[dalecooper]

Exactly. If I were you I would re-raise him with nothing, but if that's too bold for you I'd re-raise him on any semi-bluff opportunity... a good flush draw, open-ended straight draw, middle pair with an overcard, just about anything. You come into the pot strong and if he raises you, re-raise all-in without hesitation. Make him sweat for a change instead of you. I don't think this has to be a permanent strategy on your part, but if you do it a few times maybe he'll back off of you and stop always raising your flop bets. One reason he may be doing that is not that he has a great read on you, but that he knows you'll fold most of the time... that's a can't miss scenario for him. You bet, he raises, you fold 90% of the time - he's making good money. You absolutely have to put him in his place.

And congratulations, by the way, on the queens hand. That's important too, playing monsters just like you play any hand post-flop. Give your standard raise and see if you can steal his cash.

[TLR]

As mentioned before I would assume this guy does not have a read on you, but he is an aggressive player and figure out he can bully you around.

All the suggestions posted made a lot of sense. One more thing I would do is vary my preflop game a bit.
He seems to be calling your preflop bets no matter what, so bet much harder on preflop, see if you can scare him out of the pot, or make him pay for trying to bully you around.

By the way does this player play in this pattern for other players as well or does he play this strategy only against you ?