Roy Rounder: Winning Against Players Who Never Fold

*** QUESTION FROM A READER ****

Hello Roy,

First I like to say your information is right on the money. I come across a usual situation a few times when I play 100 dollar buy-in with my friends. I have a few friends that always seem to chase their straights or flushes no matter how bad their odds are. Sometimes they need two cards to complete their hand. I usually bet heavy into these players when I hold top pair or pocket pairs to scare them out but I can't seem to get them to fold. I usually win but sometimes I have two of them chasing their straight or flush and when one hits I get pissed and puts me on tilt. I don't know what to do because I want to protect my hand and not let them play for free.
K.F.
Vancouver, Canada

>>> MY COMMENTS:

The only thing WORSE than a player who never folds is someone who doesn't know how to BEAT a player who never folds...C'mon man, the answer to this is EASY! GO ALL-IN. That's it.If you've got top pair and your friends at the table are chasing a straight or a flush, put them to a decision for all their chips. You said it yourself... you "usually" win. Any time your odds can be described as "USUALLY", then you need to push your entire stack in the middle. Period. If they call, great. You'll "usually" win all their money. If they fold, that's good too, because you still won the hand. Oh yea, and one more thing...Quit being such a baby when you lose. You'll never win ALL THE TIME so just get over it already. Lol.

*** QUESTION FROM A READER ****

Hey man,
I appreciate all the newsletters and the awesome wisdom from your book. There is only one thing that I still have trouble with. I guess some days is just not your day. I was playing a friendly no limit game the other night, and just did not win a hand. Every time I hit a hand, I would get beat by a dumb call draw, since I was short stacked. Is there any way around this?
Thanks again,
R.P.
New Jersey

>>> MY COMMENTS:

Sounds like you caught a bad run of cards. It happens to all of us... so don't worry about it. Your question, however, brings up a VERY INTERESTING point... And that is: Sometimes it's just NOT your day. Oh how true. Once you get a decent amount of poker experience under your belt, you'll notice this phenomenon more and more. Sometimes, no matter what you do, you just won't be "on"...And what most players do when this happens is keep playing... more and more... whether that means spending more money online, re-buying into a tournament, or whatever. What you SHOULD do is just STOP for the night. Period. Don't bet any more money... because you're just going to be throwing it away. Even the best poker players I know fall victim to this once in awhile... and the REASON is simple: Poker players don't like to STOP until they've made money. It's the same way at casinos... People will sit and there and feed the slot machines coin after coin after coin, waiting to WIN before they leave. It's just plain dumb. If you're catching bad cards, and you're not winning any hands, just stop playing. Go home, get a good night's rest, watch a movie, or do whatever... Just DON'T play any more poker for the day. If you took a REALLY bad set of beats, you may even want to take a few days off... or a few WEEKS off. But the point is, when it's not your day, it's not your day. Don't try to "force" it. Don't tell yourself that it's "impossible to keep catching such terrible cards". Trust me, it's possible. So just accept the fact that it's NOT YOUR DAY and stop playing. In terms of money management, this is probably the number one MOST IMPORTANT rule. Follow this adviceand you'll save yourself a lot of headaches (and money) in the future.

*** QUESTION FROM A READER ****

Roy,
Here is a question I would like the answer to. Why would a player go all in before the flop with $2000 or more dollars to win $20,30,40, dollars etc. pot? It don't make sense to me. One game I was dealt pocket AA and there were some bets before the flop, which had one A in it. I waited and someone made a big bet before the turn which I raised and won a BIG pot, did I play this wrong? I hope you can answer this in an email like this one.
Thank You,
N.

>>> MY COMMENTS:

Hmmm... let me get this straight: You won a BIG pot with a monster hand, and you're asking me if you "played it wrong"? Huh? The answer is NO. You didn't play it wrong. Last I checked, winning big pots is the RIGHT thing to do. Now go win some more!

*** QUESTION FROM A READER ****

Roy,
How am I supposed to handle a player that consistently out draws me? I have been all in for some huge pots and the same guy, whom is my friend, keeps out drawing me. I have been ran down with trip aces, trip kings, and a better full house than mine on the river. Am I supposed to fold these hands? I am feeling really frustrated because I feel like I am playing the hands correctly. I remember the bad-beat article you sent me, and I have tried different ways to approach. I have made big bets to get the limpers and such out, but nothing seems to work. I am favored about 9 to 1 when this crap happens. Do I wait for the odds to hit or is there another way I can pull off these big hands?
C.

>>> MY COMMENTS:

Oh jeeze. Here we go again...Ok man... first off, take a deep breath. What your question says to me is that you're being very EMOTIONAL about your poker game. You wrote things like, "I am feeling very
frustrated" and "I feel like I am playing correctly". STOP THAT. The first step for you to start winning more poker to stop FEELING so much and start THINKING more. Got it? Secondly, you wrote: "Am I supposed to fold these hands?" And my answer is: ONLY WHEN YOU'RE AT THE SAME TABLE AS ME.
If you start folding full houses and trip kings, just because you're scared someone is going to out draw you on the river, you should probably QUIT POKER and start playing MONOPOLY instead. Or maybe checkers... because that requires even LESS INTELLIGENCE. I'm serious. I hate to break it to you, but your FRIEND is not the luckiest person in the world. And he's not always going to keep out drawing you.
Follow these three steps and I can promise you things will get better:
1. Stop FEELING so much and start THINKING...
2. When you have a big hand against this FRIEND of yours, go all-in and put him to a decision for all
his chips...If your odds are 9:1 on this "crap" and he CALLS your all-in bet, you're in good shape. Trust me.
3. Don't play big hands when there's a BIGGER hand out there that can easily beat you. If your friend goes all in when there are three or four clubs out on the board, you should FOLD your trips...
I know, I know, it's tough to fold trips. But he's probably got the flush. So just muck it and live to see another day. If those three steps don't work, go play checkers.

*** QUESTION FROM A READER ****

We play Texas Holdem once a week. There is always one player (the same one every week) that bets crazy. No matter what they have they raise the pot $40, $80 and sometimes all in. I always fold because if I call the pot gets raised until I finally fold. What should I do?
J.
California

>>> MY COMMENTS:

Great question.

Playing against ultra-aggressive players can be quite difficult, which is part of the reason why I advocate adopting an aggressive style of play. When you're at the table with someone who plays this way, the key is to TIGHTEN UP UNTIL YOU CATCH A GOOD HAND. Then strike. For instance, don't limp-in (call the blinds) before the flop against this player. Instead, you should either FOLD (when you don't have a good hand) or RAISE (when you do have a good hand). Don't call. The only way you'll beat this player is to take a stand and COME BACK OVER THE TOP OF HIM. Put HIM on the defensive...And if he is playing so loose that he re-raises you when you have a good hand, then simply go all-in and wipe him out. Ultra-aggressive players aren't magically getting fantastic cards every time. Instead, they're simply playing more hands and BLUFFING a lot more. The trick is to sit back, wait for the good hands, and then play right back at him. Don't FEAR his style... Just realize that he's making it EASY for you to take all his chips as soon as you refuse to let him push you around. Let me know how it goes for you.

*** QUESTION FROM A READER ****

Roy,
I wanted to thank you for your on-line tips. With your help I have become one of the most feared players in the tournaments that I enter. I have won $28000 since April 1st including 4 first place finishes totaling over $20000. While it was me that played the hands, I can see your influence in my game. I look forward to your next post.
C.

>>> MY COMMENTS:

Nice! Thanks for keeping me updated on your success. I always appreciate hearing stories like yours. And of course, I always appreciate ROYALTY CHECKS, so feel free to send me some of that $28,000 you just won... LOL. Just kidding. The really great thing about poker is that you REALLY CAN win a ton of money at it... whether that means playing online, in tournaments, in the casinos, or even just in home games. Especially since there are a lot of "fish" out there who are just getting started and don't quite "get it" when it comes to strategy...Which means that if you don't already own my "No Limit Holdem Secrets" poker course, NOW is the time.

Your Friend,
Roy Rounder

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