To start off this post, let’s define what a table bully is. A table bully is someone who players an extremely aggressive maniac style online poker game and accumulates chips through sheer aggression. The typical table bully doesn’t like to showdown many hands. Instead, they put extreme pressure on their opponents often forcing them to lay down the best hand and when the table bully does get lucky and make the best hand they are often paid off because their opponents don’t think they can possibly have a big hand that often. Which of course they don’t, but they always seem to make the hand at the worst possible time.
Table bullies usually win all of their chips off of tight-aggressive players who only like to put chips into the pot when they know they are ahead, or passive players who are just too afraid to play a big pot. These bullies are often very good poker online players, but in this post, we will explore ways to use their aggression to your advantage.
Wait for a strong hand
To beat table bullies you should wait for a strong best online poker hand, let the bully take control of the hand and then re-raise him for a big pot. Of course, the big pre-flop hands such as pocket aces or kings don’t always come. For this reason, it is also smart to see cheap flops against the bully with hands that can improve, such as big aces, suited connectors or even small pockets.
If you happen to improve on the flop against the table bully you will often be able to take down a large pot. Table bullies love to be in control of the pot and even though they are very aggressive they will often fold if you bet out at them early. Instead, you should show a little weakness and let the table bully take control when you have made a strong hand.
Table bullies love to bluff
Table bullies will bet and raise at any signs of weakness from their opponents. This is what you are banking on. Once the table bullies bets, you should raise because the worst thing you want to have happened is the bully to draw out on you. Table bullies are also often very proud individuals who love to do the bluffing but hate to get bluffed themselves. For this reason, the bullies will often come back over the top of your raise and give you an even bigger pot.
You just have to hope that you make a strong hand on the poker games online flop and let the bully take control of the hand. It might take you a few flops to finally make a hand against the bully, but if you play that one hand right it will more than makeup for the other pre-flop calls you made.
Happy playing!
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