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Identifying weak players at the poker table can significantly increase your chances of success. In this article, we’ll break down the key signs of weaker opponents and provide strategies for capitalizing on their mistakes to boost your winnings.
They Never Want To Fold Anything Preflop Or On The Flop
This is the most common sign of a weak player. They never want to fold anything preflop or on the flop. If they have a shred of anything, they want to see the next card. They play poker for entertainment. They find folding to be boring, but playing any hand is fun to them. They live for flops and showdowns.
Experienced good players do not play like this. They tend to know what hands they like and don’t like. They make disciplined folds early and often. They don’t spend time waffling around.
If you see someone having an issue folding preflop or on the flop constantly, this is likely a weak player who doesn’t want to be bored while everyone else gets to play. They didn’t show up to the cardroom to watch others play poker. They came to play!
They Show Down Weird Hands On The River
I remember one time seeing a player limp 9-3 suited on the button. They won on the river when their nine turned out to be good.
Obviously, that’s not the kind of hand you would normally see an experienced player play. In fact, this player was often more disciplined, but on this particular day he was playing weaker. He was tired or on tilt.
When I saw that, I didn’t say a word. I didn’t want anybody who was on their cell phone to know what I saw. You should never comment on what someone else is playing and what you’re thinking about it. Keep your strategies to yourself so you can maintain the element of surprise. Don’t let the other players at the table have your information.
Once you see some goofball hand get played, especially if it was played in a passive fashion, then you know this is a player who is looking to gamble today. You now have an opportunity to take all of their chips.
Value Bet Viciously
Once you know you have someone who hates folding in any situation, it’s time to strike. They’re not likely to want to fold weak top pairs, second pairs, or even some third pairs. Start value betting viciously, especially if they called you out of the big blind.
Weak players struggle to fold to small bets especially. They feel stupid if they fold to a small bet and it turns out you had a bluff. They always think to themselves, “if I had just called one more bet, I would have won that huge pot!”
Since you know they are there to gamble on that particular day, you know one more bet won’t hurt them much. However, missing the chance to win a huge pot will wound them deeply, because they love to gamble. Take advantage of their weakness.
Whenever you are on the fence, bet. Bet until you’re accidentally value betting some second-best hands. You will be stunned by what these players call down with.
These players struggle to turn their hands into a bluff, so if they raise you on the turn or river, they most likely hit a huge hand. They don’t even know what turning a hand into a bluff means, so you shouldn’t put them on that play. If they’re tilted, that is a completely different issue, but if the guy or gal is still slinging chips in hoping for the best, trust them when they raise you on the turn or the river.
Make Frequent Small Three-Bets Against Them
Many of these players will raise with anything preflop. They raise instead of limp because they’ve learned if they limp in some jerk will try to raise them off their hand. If they raise instead most people will just call them and take a flop with them.
You have to be the player that three-bets them constantly with anything you believe is better than their range. If they’re opening 7-4 suited from the hijack, then you need to start three-betting K-10 offsuit for value. It feels awkward at first. People will comment on what an overly-aggressive ass you’re being at the table, but you can’t let that influence you.
These players are getting out of line with too many hands. You want to isolate them and start extracting every chip you can. If you start taking flops with them and letting other players in, you’ll be giving the players behind you an opportunity to take your chips. You do not want that. This player is yours to exploit. You have position and you saw them first. Take the fight to them!
Once They’re Annoyed With You, Bet Bigger
Weak players will wear their frustration on their sleeve. They will start folding more disgustedly. They’ll mention how lucky you are. They’ll talk about how good you’re running.
Once this starts happening, that’s your cue to bet bigger. Were you betting 30-50% of the pot with good second pairs and top pairs earlier? Now you want to bet 60-100% of the pot. Their annoyance will often get the better of them. They will have a hard time folding to you. They will say something along the lines of, “you can’t have it every time!”
If you’re fairly sure they have top pair, you can bet even bigger. Weak players HATE folding top pair. They feel like they are owed a huge pot when they flop top pair.
If the board comes A-2-4 for example and you have A-K, bet bigger if your weak opponent calls you on the flop. Their most likely hand is some weaker Ace. They will not want to fold to you with this Ace even if you bet the size of the pot. They’re just too tilted with you and they’re unwilling to accept their precious top pair might not be the best hand.
Conclusion
Spotting weak players who refuse to fold preflop or on the flop and show down strange hands on the river presents a huge opportunity to exploit their mistakes. By value betting aggressively, using small three-bets, and increasing your bet sizes once they get annoyed, you can consistently capitalize on their weaknesses and boost your winnings. ♠
Learn how to play A-K when it misses the flop!
Alexander Fitzgerald is a professional poker player and bestselling author who currently lives in Denver, Colorado. He is a WPT and EPT final tablist, and has WCOOP and SCOOP wins online. His most recent win was the $250,000 Guaranteed on ACR Poker. He currently enjoys blasting bums away in Ignition tournaments while he listens to death metal. Free training packages of his are provided to new newsletter subscribers who sign up at PokerHeadRush.com
