One of the basic laws of any good poker strategy is to never put yourself, or your chip stack, into a high-risk situation. Avoiding challenging players is one good way to stay on track with this goal.
Why put yourself in a situation where a stellar poker strategy isn’t enough to win the majority of the time. The fact is, highly experienced poker players, maniacs and super aggressive players (a.k.a. agros) are using their own sophisticated strategy, and they know very well what they’re doing.
Sure, you could take them on, have a pissing contest in an effort to take their stack, but what’s the point? It may deflate their ego a little bit, but if you end up on the losing end of the stick, you’ll only be more upset that such a frustrating opponent bested you. And honestly, this player has just as much chance of scooping your stack as you do of scooping his, if not more.
It’s usually better to avoid a good player, like they do in the movie Rounders, acclaimed by many as the most realistic movie about poker players ever made.
Spotting a maniac poker player isn’t very hard. They are termed “maniacs” for a reason. They will play any type of hand, from Pocket Aces to T3 off-suit, and they do so with vigor. You simply never know what they’re holding because they mix things up so wildly, betting conservatively one moment, and aggressively the next.
Super agros are also pretty easy to spot. They are much like maniacs but without the incredible range of hands. When they have a good hand, they will play it very aggressively, either scaring everyone else out or taking as many chips as they can along the way. This player will bluff on occasion, but you’ll likely never know it.
This particular poker strategy is best used in cash games. Obviously, it would not do much good in a tournament poker situation, seeing as how you can’t pick and choose your opponents in a tournament.
For tournament play, you’ll simply want to avoid playing hands against the most challenging opponents. When a maniac or extremely aggressive bettor attempts to steal the blinds, let them. Unless you have the nuts, you may easily get outplayed, and at a significant cost no doubt.
In a ring game, specifically at online poker rooms, you can view the statistics of every poker table before you claim a seat.
Statistics alone won’t divulge the exact player types you’ll find at the table, but they will help you to pick a higher potential for more suitable opponents. Once seated, sit back for the first few hands and just observe the other players. Don’t even bother putting chips into the pot unless you’re dealt some immaculate starting hand, like AA or AKs.
If you detect the presence of extremely challenging poker players – maniacs or super agros in particular – don’t waste your time. Depart from the table and keep looking for a poker game with less challenging opponents in the mix.