Beating a table full of fishes...how do you do it?

[bdawg56kg]

Alright guys I really need help with this one. Basically the group of friends I usually play with are all fishes. I am getting so frustrated b/c its so hard to make a profit. I follow Brunson's advice and never stone-cold bluff and semi-bluff very little. I play very tight, almost like a rock, but the players are so bad that they don't pay attention to this, so its not a problem. Usually I will keep increasing my stack slowly, and then take a bad beat and lose almost all of it. Its kind of like going all in with AA and the whole table calling you. You're actually an underdog to the rest of the table with the best starting hand. Well, heres an example of a hand I played. Let me know what you think.

At a 7 person table, I am in the BB with T8o (Blinds are 5 and 10 cents). Player 6 and 7 limp, and everyone else folds and I check. Flop comes T44 rainbow. I bet 50 cents, player 6 calls, player 7 reraises 50 more, so I call and player 6 calls. Turn is an 8. I bet a dollar, player 6 calls, player 7 reraises a dollar, so I call and player 6 calls. River is a 6. Player 7 announces pre-river that he's all in, so me and player 6 just check to be sure. Sure enough, he goes all in, and now its to me. Player 6 tells me that hes calling the AI, so its to me again. I layed the hand down thinking player 7 had the 4 or a higher pocket pair than tens. They turn their cards over, and player 6 shows 66 and player 7 shows AQ. I went on tilt so bad after this hand it wasn't even funny. I think I should have raised really big after the turn. Well let me know what you think. Thanks.

[PipeLN]

I don't know about you, but here is how I would have played that hand:

At a 7 person table, I am in the BB with T8o (Blinds are 5 and 10 cents). Player 6 and 7 limp, and everyone else folds and I check. Flop comes T44 rainbow. I check because I know any of these jokers could limp in with a 45o or A4s. If someone shows the least bit of aggression I fold.

My reasoning is that I don't want to get involved with marginal hands against people who will call anything with the worst odds. I want to flop 667 when I hold 67 and take them for a ride. Anything less than the nuts and I am playing it safe. With these players, it isn't over till the river, no matter how scary it looks.

PipeLN

[ShadySully]

Any pot full of limpers is dangerous. You have no idea where you stand. I wouldn't have raised with T8 either but I would have no problem laying it down at any sign of aggression.

Another thing to note. Flops that come down with a pair and another card are tough situations which you should play very cautiously. Even if you have the card that gives you the trips. Its kind of a "sucker's trips" if you know what I'm saying. You think you're about to make a killing but many times someone will have you outkicked or may even have the fullhouse. You have to play these carefully and be happy with a small pot.

Something else to think about. Your game will improve significantly when you take the emotional aspect out of it and start playing with your mind. The past is the past. Let it go.

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[a500lbgorilla]

You were lucky that neither one of them had a 4. There is a guy in our homegame who believe he just can not win. He is constantly flipping out and demanding we change decks so he'll stop losing. He has played the same way since day one when we were all bad. But as we've all grown a little better (some more than others) he refuses to change his weak-tight play. At a table of fish, there is an easy formula to win: overbet your great hands, over value top pair top kicker and up but anything else just dump. They'll pay off your good hands becuase of their fishy nature and you'll never be playing with a boarderline hand postflop becuase you've junked that crap. Just bet the hell out of it when you think you're ahead.

-'rilla

[elanto]

I agree with rilla 100% (first and last time), when u get a monster hand AA,KK,AQs,AKs bet hard pre flop, start juicing up the pot, most of the time they will call you with junk, A4,K8,etc. When you do hit your top pair you will have them out kicked, so start betting that pot HARD, NEVER slow play them, most of the time they will call anyways so just bet hard in every street, youll make a juciy profit. I play with a lot of fishes too, and the trick to beating them is to play tight and make a huge profit when you hit a monster, dont go into a pot with a marginal hand because they will probably out draw you or beat you in some fishy way.


-anto

[a500lbgorilla]

http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...pic.php?t=3802

-'rilla

[bdawg56kg]

So Rippytyde, you think I should have raised preflop? I can see your reasoning, but keep in mind that these people are calling stations, and in that hand, I actually had the worst starting had with T8o (and out of position) and unless I raised really really big those other two players would not lay down. The person with AQ might have even reraised and there's no way I could call a reraise with that hand. I think you guys are right, I should have just played cautious on the flop. I guess I really have to turn into a rock (lol).

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[Aceofone]

I hear about this all the time from players who get stomped by the fish in their home games.

Be like ripptyde, play the the player, send your cards straight to the muck, and play farking waffles if you want. I don't even get invited to home games anymore because the last few times I played everybody owed me money.

I have nailed every personality that I play against, there is one weak tight guy, if he checks at any time I bet the pot if its heads up, he doesn't call nearly enough to break even. There is a solid limit player in the group, so I raise the pot every time he limps, he is beaten down into folding anything less than a premium hand because of my re-raise, so it's easy to avoid his monsters. And finally, all the calling stations, I take them down with the nuts.

Follow Brunsons advice agaisnt weak players, you can beat them into submission by always raising, they usually wont re-raise your re-raise without a monster, then you can duck and save chips. Live is all about the player, not the cards.

[whileone]

You might think about playing a whole lot looser, limp any two sooted or connected. Chase some flushes and straights. fold outside of pot odds. Bet small and trust implied odds, this will also keep the big pairs off you back. They'll just call, or bet real big, which is an easy fold. Since they'll call anything, you should be able to take down some big pots with four people seeing the river. Straights and flushes rule, but you'll have to be able to let them go when you miss. you'll probably get your flush beat by a higher flush once in a while, but don't let it be disasterous. you can have everybody along for acouple of bucks, rather than one guy along for all his chips. Basicly trust that you can outplay them.