How To Play Against A Loose Online Player

You run into them at nearly every table: the loose player. More often than not they are responsible for some of the worst beats you'll ever get. But playing against these maniacs correctly can get you your best profits.

There are many different people playing poker and those online poker players cover a wide range of skill levels. From professional players to complete novices, the kind of players you're likely to encounter while playing in an online poker room is immense. To be a better player, you need to know what to do with each type. For this article, we'll focus on some of the most aggravating, yet potentially profitable players: those who play loose.

Loose players, in general, are those who play bad starting hands or stay in a pot with marginal hands. Though there are a lot of different kinds of loose players, we'll focus on 2 of the most common and show you how to deal with them. If you encounter these players online, you have to understand the differences in their play styles. If you mistakenly use the wrong strategy against the wrong player, you could be in for a bad surprise.

TYPE #1: THE CALLING STATION.

Of all the online players, this is the best one to play against. These are the players who will play any two cards and are willing to pay to see the next card in hopes they make their hand. These are the gamblers, the people who come to the table and think “But I can still make 2-pair if I get another card.” They have little knowledge of the numbers, have no idea what position is, and couldn't spot a tell if someone wrote it in neon.

A calling station will usually be in on most flops. Unless the bet is very high, they are willing to put more money into the pot in hopes of seeing the next card. Because of this, calling stations are the best players to play against because you can win money steadily from them. The only problem with a calling station is that they tend to suck out more often. (Because they play more hands.)

The way to play a calling station is by using a 2-fold strategy.

Recognize the differences between their bets and their calls. If a calling station has been limping-in all day, and then they suddenly raise the pot, there's a good chance they hit their hand, and hit it big. If you don't have a very strong hand, or even the nuts, you'll probably want to fold.

When you are playing against a calling station, realize they will basically call anything that isn't too big. When you make your hand, all you have to do is offer a marginal bet and they will call it. With a strong hand, you can bet at every opportunity, stringing the calling station along until the showdown. Learning how to play against the calling station is one of the best tools you can learn in online poker. It's like going to the ATM.

TYPE 2: THE SUPER-AGGRO:

These players are the ones who always bet, and bet big. They shoot at pots like a gunslinger in the wild-west, and they can be very dangerous. However, their betting gets money into the pot, and that's good for you. Learning how to handle these maniacs is key, as they're always present online.

Understand that these players live and die by intimidation. They bet with bad hands, bet with mediocre hands, and bet with strong hands. Their goal is to steal enough pots to cover their big showdowns and make money by getting others to fold. Anytime you have any kind of strength, you can usually play against the Aggro. Just understand that they bet the same way with weak hands as they do with strong ones.

When an Aggro bets at you and you are sitting on a made hand, this is the time to bring them down. String the Aggro along for the first betting round or 2. When you are confident in your hand, drop the hammer on the Aggro by betting big. Really big. They'll either call it (usually) or fold it. Either way, you've told the Aggro that you're not afraid to push them around, and the next time you face them you can do the same thing. It's better if you make it to a showdown and reveal your dominant hand, but if your hand is strong, you are generally safe against the Aggro.