Playing Loose Players
Playing poker with loose players presents an excellent opportunity for those who have the patience and discipline to apply a tight poker strategy. Playing loose players is generally considered the easiest way to cash in during a poker game.
Loose poker players are frivolous, not just with their hand selection, but often with their chip stack as well. There are two types of loose poker players you may find yourself contending with – loose/passive and loose/aggressive.
Playing Loose/Aggressive Players
Loose/Aggressive poker players are the easiest to eliminate from a tournament, or win big on from a ring game. These players love to see the flop, even with marginal holdings, and will bet aggressively to scare others away from the pot.
When playing loose players like these, you must be careful not to get sucked into a losing hand, since they are often betting on nothing more than a draw. Don’t be surprised if they hit that draw, either. Loose players rely on luck more than skill, and if luck didn’t work for them, they wouldn’t play a loose game to begin with.
Because they bet so aggressively, it can be hard to judge whether they are bluffing or not. Don’t worry about trying to figure out that part, just worry about taking them down when the cards fall in your favor. Wait for the perfect moment – the premium starting hand – and run with it. You’ll claim their stack easily if you can just be patient enough to do so.
Playing Loose/Passive Players
Loose/Passive poker players are those who love to move onto the flop, but are more conservative with their chip stack than aggressive bettors. These guys will see a flop so long as it is affordable to do so. They will continue with a draw hand, again, if it’s not too expensive.
Like loose/aggressive players, you have to be careful that these player types don’t hit that lucky draw. Unlike loose/aggressive players, you can ensure they fold by simply placing a large bet. If they are on a draw, they will fold it. If they actually have a good hand, then you have to be careful.
You want to play a very tight game, conserving your chips for that premium starting hand. When you finally get the monster you’ve been waiting for, be careful not to scare them away from the pot. Remember, they are conservative bettors and will only continue investing if they think it’s affordable. Towards the end, once they’ve made a hefty enough investment to discourage them from folding, then raise and take them for all you can.
Playing Loose Players in Tournaments
Contending with loose players in tournament play is a bit different. These are the players who are willing to push all-in right out of the gate, simply hoping to double up or save the rest of their time for something else.
You want to avoid taking on a loose player during tournament play unless you have a monster hand to back it up. If they push all-in, and hit that lucky draw, you’ll be the one sitting on the sidelines wondering what just happened.
Stay tight, very conservative, and wait for the right opportunity. You should have no trouble outlasting most of the loose players whose bad decisions get them quickly eliminated by each other.
