Raising near the button.

[mindgame]

My style when I'm sitting near the bottom is almost NEVER to limp in. If no one's called I'll come in with a raise on just about any playable hand (group 6 or better if you read Sklansky). If a few have limped in ahead of me I will come in with a raise if I'm playing at all--I don't want a hand against 4 or 5 players that's not good enough to raise with. If there's been a raise I also want a hand that's worth a re-raise or pair I can flop a set and win with.

Now, here' my question. The other day I'm doing this...playing VERY aggressively from the button or 1 or 2 seats off. There was one tough, tight old coot who starts to take it personally and begins to F* with me. Everytime I raised and he was in the blind he'd re-raise, then bet the flop. This really DID mess with me, because here was a guy who only played about 1 hand in a 12 or 18.

Most of the time I'd raised with a group 4, 5, or 6 hand because I was behind one or two limpers--but these are not hands worth a re-raise. When he saw I didn't re-raise, he pushed that bet out on the flop. Really nailed my ass to the wall, because almost every time he did that we were heads up--our two raises having driven out the limpers--and I'd missed the flop.

So the guy has managed to isolate ME when I'm really in position to isolate him--maybe this is all in my head, but I'm the one feeling the damn pressure. The first time he pulled this it worked pefectly...I just tossed my hand, figuring him for a real hand...which he may well have had. But he kept doing it...I'd call, see the turn, then bail on the big turn bet when he shoved that bet in my face and I still had nothing. Seemed I could NEVER catch.

No I KNOW I was playing this wrong. He's in the blind and he's playing random hands...he can't hit them all. And I'm at least playing hands with SOME value. So I'm guessing I should have just kept shoving the raises back at him until we one of us ended up busting the other...and since my hands are better starters (theoretically) and I've got position, I should have been doing the busting...But at $10/20, if the guy hits two hands in a row, I'm going to be out about 4 or 5 hundred bucks.

Any advice????

[Dave B]

I ran into this a few weeks ago at a live 6/12. One guy may limp in, but if you 2 bet he would ALWAYS 3 bet. There was one dude who constantly pushed back, they would reraise each other w/ nothing, force everyone else out of the pot and one would win w/ Q high. That guy that always challenged him lost $500 real quick.

I found myself losening up on my starting hands a bit-which I didnt like. I did well when I didnt push back, but just called to the river, then start pushing my strong hands. I won a bit on the table, and think that I took a little from this guy. But what he did was respected my raises and gave me some small pots, then he took me to the cleaners on some big ones. One he had quad 4s and I had the top 2 pair. Another I mucked KK after capping preflop w/ him and another caller. A x x was flopped and he raised me off the pot. I was more worried about the other guy calling then the guy raising. A pair of 5s or 4s won the hand.

So I dont have much advice. I think that you need to stay in hands, even by calling to the river (which I hate to do-talk about showing weakness). And if you do hit, let him through some chips in before firing back strong.

It was a good lesson watching him play this way. Unlike your case-it wasnt against me but against everyone, on almost everyhand. His stack would swing from $300 to $1000 every 10 hands, but he left up for the night.

[ORGrinder]

why not tighten up in that situation. mix it up a bit to trip him up... folding a hand or two after calling a raise... but i'm not sure that loosening up your starting hand wagers is the best way to go.

now... i'm NO expert at all... and a 10/20, in general, isn't really a low limit game anymore (depending on the type of player)... but i think in that situation i'd tighten up my starting hands so that i knew i could punish this individual for the re-raise in the blind.

just a thought though.

[nicthestick]

Tough situation. If you are in a readable pattern, a good player will push you back. The only thing to do, I think, is to change it up, and tighten up against this guy for an hour. Dont raise the blinds unless you have a group one or two hand, and then welcome the reraise. As you know, in limit holdem, it is about saving bets as much as winning a big pot. Give the old guy credit for getting a "read" on you, and use it to get paid.

[mindgame]

I don't mind giving him credit...I just didn't like giving him money!