Mental Factors in Poker: Dealing With Bullies

Mental Factors and Tilt, Observing Opponents
August 7 2008

One thing you always have to remember about bullies at the poker table is that just like in real life, they feed on weakness. If you’re an aggressive player you likely won’t have to worry about dealing with bullies because by nature your aggressive style should keep them from going after you. However, what if you have trouble getting and staying aggressive at the poker table? The easy answer is to be aggressive, but of course it’s not always quite that simple.

One great way to get back at a bully is to use their intimidation tactics against them. Unfortunately, this isn’t always easy to do and can hurt you if things don’t go your way. What we’re talking about is slow-playing your big hands when you’re matched against a bully. Of course, to slow-play, first you have to catch a big hand and then hope the board plays well for a slow play. Slow-playing a bully who bets aggressively and very large can be a great way to trap them and take a ton of chips off them, but like all slow-playing it can backfire and hurt you instead if used at the wrong time.

Before automatically slow-playing against a bully, remember this: Since a bully will be constantly dumping chips into the pot, you must get as much value out of your cards when you can, because if you lose a pot that goes to the showdown to a bully you’ve likely lost a ton. That being said, don’t be afraid to go after good drawing hands when the odds are in your favor. Remember, if you hit a draw against a bully it can be a huge moneymaker.

Don’t be afraid to call with connectors, suited connectors or high suited cards in good position, and also when you think your opponent is being too aggressive with not-so-good cards. Playing and winning against a bully takes patience, timing and the ability to keep from losing your head after enduring large bet after large bet.
 

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