playing against a high pre-flop raiser....

[keyser5]

i play in a small NL home game on wedenesday nights. 50$ buy-in, $100 in chips, blinds start at $1-2 and double every half hour. usually about 6-8 players. just wanted to give u guys the backround on the game.

we got a guy who plays sometimes and no matter his position, his stack size, how many limpers, whether there is a raise in front of him, or his hole cards, he raises every pot pre-flop $10 to start. ive won a fair amount, probably about 1/3 of the games. but those other 2/3 losses come because he forces so many people to fold their hands after calling the BB that he wins so many uncontested pots that by the time i catch a good starting hand, he's now raising the pots $20 or $30. he's not a good player, its just the $50 buy-in is nothin to him so he takes insane chances and plays the bully role.

im always a little worried to call his $10 or $20 raises to start cause there are times when, like anyone, he catches AA, KK, QQ or a high suited connector and has the best hand. so what happens is i call his raises with AKs and the flop comes rag-rag-rag. now he knows that i wouldnt call this raise without a good starting hand so he then bets another $10 on the flop taking the chance that i wasnt in with a pair and didnt make a set and i know he could be holding anything (set, two pair, top pair, draw, nothing) and my two overs just arent worth the call. i end up feeling like ive just lost $10 for nothing.

a couple times i called his pre-flop raise with low pocket pairs and hit the set, but the chances of hitting the set being 8-1 its not profitable for me. im a tight-aggressive player, playing few hands but playing them aggressively if i'm getting odds, but i feel like when i play against him my whole game has to change. i understand that you have to adapt to a table but i hate adapting to someone i know im better than. most of the other players are scared of him, folding their blinds and their calls. i once saw a guy fold tripQs cause the turn brought a club and that left the board with 3 clubs and he held the Qc and the maniac bet $30 at the pot. he didn't hold a club, just bottom pair, and i cant stand it. i dont want to give the other guys that i play with advice that will help their game, but i hate seeing them just give him their chips. im not immune to tilt and there are times ill go on tilt and then its over.

hope this wasnt too long for my first post, just lookin for some advice.

[michael1123]

I think you have to turn it around on this guy. Like you said, he does this every single flop, so if you have a great hand, don't be afraid that this is one of the very few times that a random hand (since he bets with anything) is AA, KK, etc. Limp in preflop, and either reraise his raise huge or all in before the flop, or call and raise him at the flop.

Even if you have nothing after the flop, it sounds like for the improvement of future games, you might be best served shoving all in after his preflop raise, and showing off your bluff if he folds. Teach him that he'll have to hold some cards if he's going to bet like that.

[SteveO]

If he does a big raise EVERY time, loosen up your starting hands and isolate him. Be careful when you loosen up because you don't want to reraise him and have someone wake up behind you with a really big hand.

Also, he is also opening himself up to big traps if the does that too often. When you catch those poket As or Ks smooth call him. If the flop is not scary ie. no straight or 4 to a flush slow play him.