Passive Play Vs. Opportunistic Attack

Every individual you will face at the poker table will be bound by a series of actions that essentially defines his style. Many of us are familiar with labels such as "tight-passive" or "maniac," and we have a basic understanding of how each of those players plays. But I don't believe that is enough information to effectively play against such people. In order to maximize your profits, you need to understand what these players will tend to do, given the situation.

For example, a tight-passive player tends toward calling rather than raising unless he holds a great hand. He will tend to flat-call if he flops a set and wait to see if the turn brings a flush card or completes a straight draw before raising. This player is predominantly ruled by fear, but that fear runs in both directions. In other words, he may fear being beaten, but he also fears throwing away a winner. His passiveness, then, is a perfect mechanism to minimize his risk and therefore control the fear.

Given the above tendencies, you should limit your own tendency to bluff many of these tight-passive players if you find yourself heads up. Against two or three callers, they will easily release second pair or even top pair if a straight or flush seems likely. But they will also tend to call you down with top pair when a fourth flush card hits the river and they don't hold any of that suit.

Tight-passive players don't recognize how their own actions can significantly influence the outcome of a hand in their favor. Good players do. And even if they do recognize the potential, they lack the courage and timing to execute the necessary play. Their internal attitude is dominated by the feeling they can only hope to get lucky and not create winning situations.

As an example, the following play will demonstrate what I mean by courage and timing necessary to influence a hand in your favor.

I was in the big blind with pocket eights. Seeing six limpers already in, I tapped. The flop was dreadful for my hand, coming down Q-J-10 triple-suited. If anyone bet, I was gone. Surprisingly, all seven players checked! At this point there was no card that could fall that would give me a warm feeling inside. Even if I made the straight with a 9 on the turn, I would likely muck. Then, a second 10 fell on the turn, and I perked up. It sure was a scary board, wouldn't you say?

Everyone checked to the button, who bet. Through observation, I had determined him to be the prime candidate to go for a steal. That coupled with the very tight image I had cultivated up to this point and my prime position meant I had an excellent opportunity to bluff. I raised, and they all fell like dominos, except for one big-time calling station. Even the button, who clearly did have a strong hand, eventually mucked reluctantly. I was left heads up with a guy I was certain was on a draw. The river ragged off and I bet. My opponent released his cards immediately, and I took down the pot containing 15 bets.

The reason to take the risk and bluff is simply because it represents an opportunity. The main factors that will determine success are your image at the moment in question and the response your action provokes. If someone did have the straight, especially the low end, he would likely be inclined to check it down, fearing a higher straight or a full house.

You must recognize the opportunity and overcome the fear as an intuitive reaction. There won't be time for fumbling. What makes you, a good player, so difficult to play against is that you transcend being readable because your own tendencies are not obvious. You are understanding and creating situations, and are not simply bound by a predictable set of recurring actions.

In the above hand, I overheard the button say he had flopped two pair, queens and jacks, and was schooled enough not to pay for what he perceived to be a long shot. Getting back to the main point of this column, the tight-passive player will not tend toward plays of this nature. Therefore, when you face a raise such as the one I made here against him, you can muck your two counterfeited pair unless you're getting the 11-1 or so odds to justify continuing.

In most confrontations against these passive calling types, you must make them pay for being weak. You must bet with strong hands and not miss bets on the river because any old scare card falls. It kills me how often people will instantly shut down unnecessarily out of fear. By having the courage to bet your top pair, good kicker heads up on the end when the third club falls, you communicate a message to everyone at the table, which is, "Against me, you're going to have to pay." This will tend to lead to people wanting to avoid going up against you. In California middle-limit games, that is a valuable status to have. In the land of the constant drawout, being feared and avoided is critical to your success.