Playing the Rush<br>Part II - Defense

My last column discussed ways to play your own rush; now, let's look at the adjustments you should make to another player's rush. You must understand and adapt to the attitudes and styles of both the rusher and the other players.

As I said in the last column, when they think they're on a rush, many people become too confident, loose, and aggressive. In fact, that's what most people regard as "playing the rush." It's one of poker's greatest kicks, and it often works well because the other players react so foolishly.

When someone is on a rush, the entire table can go on tilt. Both the rusher and his opponents share a delusion – the laws of probability have been suspended – and they all may misplay their hands. The rusher pushes too hard, and the others let him run over them. Sometimes a few people decide to "play sheriff" and overplay their own hands on the foolish idea that "his luck has to change."

Your first and most important task is to remember that past hands have absolutely no predictive value. The odds of any player's having the best cards on the next hand are always exactly 1/n, with "n" being the number of players at the table. It does not matter whether someone has won the last 10 pots or hasn't won one all night; the odds against having the best cards on the next hand never change.

That suggestion may seem unnecessary, but it's not. Far too many normally intelligent people play foolishly because of their fear of the rush or the macho desire to play sheriff. In a moment I'll suggest adjustments, but they are relatively minor variations on solid poker strategy. You may think that brilliant plays are the key to success, but they have only a minor impact on your bottom line. Most of your profits come from making those mundane decisions correctly. In fact, if you don't play solid poker, making brilliant adjustments to a player's rush – or to anything else – won't have much impact; you'll lose.

Although a rush does not change the mathematics, it certainly changes the psychology. Since so many people think the odds change and act accordingly, you must remain cool and assess how they are reacting.

Is he overplaying his hands? His body language or words may tell you that he thinks he is on a roll. If he is playing or raising every hand, he is probably overplaying his cards. The odds against his having good cards every hand are just too high. You should also watch the way he looks at his cards; a few people become so confident that they straddle, call, or even raise without looking at their cards, or they have chips in their hands before looking, glance quickly, then bet or raise without thinking.

If someone is clearly overplaying his cards, you should often attack, since he probably has a weaker hand than his betting would suggest. In hold'em, if you have a pair or two big cards that can win without improving, raise or reraise to isolate him. You can bet weaker hands for value, but should rarely bluff, because he will call with trash. You must call on the river with much weaker hands than usual because he will bluff frequently.

Sometimes, it's better to take the opposite approach: Become quite passive; let him bet his trash until the river, then raise him. The choice, of course, depends upon the situation, especially whether the rusher is on your right or left, the number of players behind you, and their reaction to the rush. In general, the aggressive approach works best when you're on the rusher's left and there are no sheriffs behind you, and the passive approach is best when you're on his right. However, the choice between an aggressive or passive approach also depends upon many other factors.

Of course, some players don't react to a rush. They are oblivious and focus only on themselves; in fact, a few of them may not even realize that someone has won several pots in a row or that everyone's style has changed. For them, no adjustments are necessary; just play straightforward, solid poker.

The frightened players: You may see open fear on some faces; their entire manner may become timid and hesitant, and they play hardly any hands. Since they are afraid of the rush, you can expect them to fold their marginal hands and to underplay their good ones. You must therefore give their bets and raises much more respect than usual, but exploit their timidity. For example, be prepared to fold when they attack, but bluff them much more frequently. If they are behind you, it is usually quite simple to isolate the rusher. They are already afraid of him, and they won't want to get caught between you.

The sheriff wannabes: Some people really want to play sheriff. It's a macho thing; they want to show, "Nobody is going to push me around!" Against them, you should make exactly the opposite adjustments. They will gamble more by overplaying marginal hands, reraising to isolate, bluffing frequently, and trying to snap off bluffs. Give much less respect to their bets and raises, because they overplay their hands. With a sheriff behind you, don't try to isolate the rusher unless you have a better hand than usual; they will call with marginal hands. Slow-play your better hands; let them show their machismo by jacking it up. Don't try to bluff them, and bet your marginal hands for value. Their machismo will make them call your bluffs and value bets, even with very weak hands.

Most people get frightened when someone appears to be on a rush, but you should regard it as an opportunity. Since the rusher and most other players are acting foolishly, your EV should increase. Just remember that the odds remain the same, and play solid poker, assess the way the others are overreacting, then make appropriate adjustments. If you do, you'll find that other people's rushes actually put money into your pocket.

If you would like to learn more about yourself and other players, you can order Dr. Schoonmaker's book, The Psychology of Poker.