Online Poker Forum - Are these players good, or wild?

Omega Operative · Posted: Sat Oct 03, 2009 12:21 am Post subject: Are these players good, or wild?

I have been playing a lot more 1-.25 SnG and some 18 or 27 MTTs with limited success. I'm super tight, especially in the beginning only playing premium hands, and can usually make it to bubble by just surviving. Usually out of about 50 hands, I will see about 5 or 6 and win about 2 or 3 of those. Just enough to give me chips to last to the bubble. But usually I'm on the short stack by then.

Anyways, it seems that when I play there are a lot of wild players who are going all in A LOT. But the thing is, these guys always seem to make it past the bubble. And when they get called, they usually have like 89suited, and catch draw. It's uncanny. Maybe they are taking advantage of the tight players (like myself) at the table or are just really lucky. But I have seen so many of the kinda plays, and seem them all get past the bubble, it got me thinking that there might be some order to this chaos.

I mean, sometime right off the bat, first round of the tournys, these guys go all in. It seems like every 5 to 8 hands, these guys will go all in, and maybe get called 20% of the time. I would usually just think these guys are wild players, but they are the ones that seem to be winning!!

The only good thing is when there are like 3 of the guys at the table, I just stay out of there way and let them knock each other out, and just sneak in past the bubble.

Any thoughts?

lovebeefstew · Posted: Sat Oct 03, 2009 3:21 am Post subject:

Firstly, the rake is shafting you on these games. I would strongly suggest moving up to at least the $2.25 level. 25% rake in the $1.25's is just awful.

Secondly, no they are very likely not good players. But in the same context, you are likely in the same category too but just on the other side of the scale. What you must realise to beat these games, is that the majority of these players are extremely weak and will call light so often. When you do get a monster, you should not be afraid of getting your chips in the middle even if it is a huge overbet. Seems to me you are likely play TOO tight and thus missing some seriously +EV opportunities. You're probably not calling their overbet shoves light enough either. It's one thing adhering to the general rule of 'play tight early on' in sng's etc. But this doesn't mean you should pass up opportunities that are extremely +EV just because you think you should be playing tighter.

Don't be afraid to see a few cheap flops early on IN POSITION either. Against players that are this weak postflop, position is vital and you almost always get paid when you hit a big hand playing IP.

Omega Operative · Posted: Sat Oct 03, 2009 3:45 am Post subject:

Some how this got posted twice. Can't find how to delete one, or combine them.....

uconnrounder · Two Pair Joined: 13 Jul 2008 Posts: 71

The players who are playing wild early on are likely very bad and are not winning players. However, as you near the bubble and the blinds become a more significant portion of your chip stack, you need to become more aggressive. Fold equity is the name of the game as you near the bubble, and that often means pushing hands that are far from premium with the sole objective of collecting the blinds.

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