Going heads up against a calling station

While waiting for the Donkhard FT freeroll to begin, I thought I would ask a question about what everyone's thoughts were about how you would play heads up against a calling station. Of course when it comes to heads up play, you've got to be aggressive, but would anything change (with respect to your play) if you're going up against someone who'll try to see most flops even with your aggressive raises?

Instead of raising 3 to 3.5 times the big blind, would you raise more?

Heads up against a calling station? Sweet music to my ears.

Although I play all forms of poker, if someone where to ask what my specialty is, I would have to say Hold 'em Ring Games. Typically when I'm in a ring game, I'm looking for an opportunity to isolate the calling station heads up. Now if everyone were to leave the two of us alone, I would have a field day.

Against a calling station, I would advise toning down the aggression. The calling station is going to take your chips every time you don't have a hand. The basic strategy that would work best in this situation is to bet aggressively when you've got it, check and fold when you don't.

While that basic strategy would work to perfection against, say, a computer programmed to be a calling station, or someone who was mentally challenged, we all know that we've got to mix it up against any human being capable of remembering anything. Although calling stations often play like they are, usually they're not actually retarded. If you play too straightforward, too often they'll pick up on the pattern and batter you with it.

Usually when I begin a heads-up game, I will start off very passive and call quite a bit with marginal hands. My reason for doing so is two-fold. One, I get to see what they're playing and how they play it. Two, I create an image that many players will buy into and really believe. This can create opportunities to allow a player to make the mistake of thinking I'm calling with a marginal hand when my hand is in fact strong. Or I can switch gears at an opportune moment (when he's pot committed, when my hand is strong, or to pull off a bluff) and make his head spin.

When I said earlier to tone down the aggression, keep in mind that I did not advise to turn it off. Aggressive poker is winning poker, bottom line. There's no better way to gain information in a hand than by betting or raising. Often betting or raising will cause an opponent to fold, even though they had you beat. The advantages to aggressive poker are to weighted to heavily to ignore. Betting or raising a true calling station is not going to get him to fold, but it should still be used for the information factor. Play aggressively, but be more selective with your spots where you choose to be aggressive. In a heads-up tourney, you can use the opening stages, while the blinds are cheap, to gather reads from your opponent.

Bet and raise various amounts in different situations to find out how he plays:

• Over bet a pot to see if he'll call. This will be useful to get you paid off big when you have a big hand

• Throw out different value bets to determine this "calling stations" limits on how much he's willing to pay you off

• Value bet marginal hands. Quite often his hand will be weaker than your weak hand.

• Mix it up. Bet when you've got a hand, and bet sometimes when you don't. Show him that you do get caught bluffing. He's more likely to pay you off when you're not

Just take care not to try to push this player off a pot, as it's not likely to work. Use aggression to gain information or chips. If you're not getting info or adding to your stack, then go ahead and play passively and save your chips. Patience and some well timed aggression will move the calling station's chipstack to your side of the table.

I never EVER play passive to calling stations, they play a-4o and k-6s and stuff, i dont need to call them down to find it out... What I do is simple. I do not bluff. And I milk them for all I can when I have strong hands. Since they're not strong bettors and you are, the hands you win should yield more chips or cash than the hands they win...my Marginal hands I play about the same way as strong hands, with one difference, if I am last to act on river and the board looks kind of nasty, I simply check it down.. just because they play ridiculous hands doesn't mean they can't find the nuts...

Thanks guys - its good to get your thoughts. I think in general, I have a tougher time dealing with calling stations in late tourney situations so its definitely a part of my game that I need to improve. Another aspect of the game that I need to work on (again, late in games) is my patience, especially against persistent callers.