Once you’ve mastered the basics needed to win $1-$2 games—that is, playing solidly preflop, refusing to call when you’re beaten, and being able to extract value from your good hands—you need to move on to the next level. Most of these strategies have one thing in common: they all involve your ability to judge the strength of your own hand. However, as you level up and encounter dozens of loose players, all of your knowledge may seem worthless at first.
For example, the concept of knowing how to fold beaten hands depends on a set of assumptions about how your opponent plays hands of certain strengths. He'll bet a flush but check trips, for example. She'll check top pair but bet two pair or better. And so on.
The thing is, there’s nothing that says these assumptions have to be correct. They’re just usually correct for most players at low stakes. Some players can make this pattern very apparent by playing recklessly and carelessly. This is the typical player that people complain about, saying things like, “You never know what he’s got, he could have anything!”
Good players will recognize in your play the assumptions you’re probably making, and use them against you. “When I bet big after the flush card comes, he’ll give me credit and fold,” they might think. Then, perhaps, they’ll start betting more often when the flush card comes.
Considering the assumptions your opponents make is the mindset shift needed to move beyond the simple “how good is my hand” level of thinking. Making this shift will greatly improve your income in higher limit games.
Sharper thinking will make you win more money from loose players
The importance of such thinking becomes very clear in situations where you want to take money from a loose opponent.
How many times have you played at a table where half the players buy in every pot, and you thought, “This table is going to be really good!” Then, 4 hours later, you’ve lost half your buy-in and you’re wondering if it was bad luck or if there’s some part of the puzzle you’re not aware of yet.
This phenomenon is well known, and over the years I have heard many explanations for it. “The fish players are forming a school,” some people say, as if several loose players playing together would protect each other from their own mistakes.
“They play so badly that you can’t beat them,” is another common line to hear. This kind of logic doesn’t hold up to a more detailed analysis of any given game, but it ends up making sense the more frustrated you get.
The point is, if you're only thinking about the strength of your hand, and not about your opponents' hands, making assumptions and thinking about how to exploit them, you're going to do badly against this type of player.
Losing against weak loose players. How?
First, it's hard to make a good hand. It's even harder to make a hand that can comfortably handle 3 or 4 players. So when you're focused solely on your own hand, and not thinking about your opponents, most of the hands you're dealt will seem bad and insufficient.
Second, taking money from loose players is not as easy as it may seem. Many players think that when a really good hand finally comes along, with all this action, he will finally take a lot of chips, maybe even some entire stacks.
However, it's not just one hand that will make you a ton of money. Just because 4 of your opponents each called $25 to see a flop, doesn't mean that even 1 of them will put another $1,000 into the hand when you have something strong, like a full house.
In modern games, in fact, not getting your money back in situations like this is the rule, not the exception. If you just wait for good hands to move, and when they come you don't get good money back, you're not a winning player. It's simple.
How to take advantage of loose players
The most important thing to realize about loose players is that they usually have bad hands. This is the definition of loose, players who play a lot of bad hands before the flop. These hands are bad because they usually still have bad hands after the flop.
So, to take advantage of loose players, you don’t have to wait for great hands. If you sit back and just wait, you’ll see these players take down huge pots with only weak pairs. This is both frustrating and counterproductive.
Instead, try to stay in the hand longer in the early stages. Feel out how your opponent plays and try to figure out how they play when they actually have a good hand. And when that happens, recognize that even these players may be holding premium hands.
However, you should consider stealing a pot or two. Any time you see someone win a pot with J7 on a board like J93A8, that's a sign that you've missed an opportunity to win. Don't let your loose opponents get to cheap showdowns against other loose players.
The turn bet is your best friend. In many pots with this type of player, their betting pattern starts to get noticeably weaker on the turn. For example, let's say someone raised to $25 preflop and 4 players called. The preflop aggressor bets $50 on the flop, a small bet, and 2 players call. Then, however, the aggressor checks the turn.
Even if there are other players on the aggressor's side who have the potential to have good hands, this situation is usually a good opportunity to bet and try to take down the pot with a steal. It won't work every time, but it will work enough if used correctly.
Final Thoughts
Many regular players at stakes like $2-$5 make fundamental mistakes that prevent them from winning and moving up. They see their opponents playing loosely and think the obvious answer is to wait for good hands.
This is not the obvious answer. The way to win in loose games is to become more aggressive on the turn and river, not letting weak hands win the pot.
The goal is not to try to get your opponents to fold big hands. You just want them to fold average and bad ones. Pot by pot you will eventually increase your win rate.
Article translated and adapted from the original: Taking Advantage of Lose Play
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Play like this against Phil Ivey and let's see if you will be successful.
Play from any way