We've
been talking lately about how to induce mistakes in your opponents. But what
you should always do, at the same time, is look for the mistakes that players
make already, and simply exploit them. It's a case of spotting
patterns.
For example, a mistake I make in cash games is to see too many
flops. I used to win more money when I played tighter before the flop, but now
I get bored easily and don't want to be left out. That's a sign of my cash game
style being damaged by "exciting" tournament action. Don't get me wrong: I'll
be finishing the year in profit on the cash games (barring some kind of
disaster in the next few days), but not as much as I should. Why? Because I
have bled off money by seeing the flop with pretty much any two cards, then
passing more often than I hit the flop or can be bothered to bluff.
If you're up against a player like me, who
calls before the flop and then passes more often than not, you should make your
pre-flop raises bigger. Simple as that. Get the money while you can! Thanks to
this strategy, my old nemesis Freddie will be buying his wife a nice Christmas
present with my money.
But if your opponents keep calling throughout the
streets, make your pre-flop raises smaller. Against a real "calling station",
there's no hurry to get the money in. You can't bluff them anyway, so build the
pots gently until your hand is good, then raise the price.
In summary:
look out for whether opponents fold most frequently on the flop, turn, river or
never, and price your bets accordingly. If they turn out to fold most
frequently before the flop, they're no value and you should look for a better
game.
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