What's your strategy

In a low limit game or tournament where most players don't care about the outcome? How do you approach it?

Meaning, they'll call with subjective hands in bad spots just for the sake of getting it over with. Here's an example:

Pitbull Poker, $0.25 + $0.05 tournament. 32 Entrants. $10 prize pool.

We started with 500 chips. After 7 hands I'm up to 790 on a 6 person table. I'm sitting next to UTG with AQo, blinds are 15/30. UTG raises to 100. So there's already 145 chips in the pot, almost 20% of my stack. Short tank and then I push for the rest of my chips (putting him all-in during the process) and everyone but the UTG raiser folds. He calls and shows A9o. Flop and turn are fine for my hand, split pot opportunities were there, until the river brings a 9. Stack is decimated. I try pushing with Q10o in the BB but get called down by K4o and go out in 21st place.

Did he make a bad call with A9o in that spot? The only two scenarios I can come up with are: 1) he put me on a small pair (8's or lower), OR, 2) he thought I was making a move with any two cards.

I had been moved tables after 4 hands, so this was the 4th hand I had been sitting down, and only the first I played. It's only $0.30 so I'm not bitter, but rather I'd like to know a better strategy to combat these kinds of players. This is about as good of a spot I could have hoped for, yet it didn't go my way. Chalk it up to a bad beat and move on knowing I made the right play? Or am I missing something here?

He probably thought that you were trying to push him off of the hand, because going all in is a pretty big reraise, lol.


In tournaments like this I play very tight until the field narrows down, and only the people that are serious about winning are left. Then I can bring my A game (F game...)!

Pretty big re-raise = less than 600 chips. We started with 500, he was up to almost 600 before he raised just over 3 times the BB (100). The pot was already 1/5 of my stack. Can I afford to toss AQo here? I don't really think so.

ure right its not a hand u can toss starting with such low chips he could be making that move with a vareity of hands

the best way to combat those type of players is with a BIG stick .....most players that call a big bet with that kinda hand are the Ace 'n pray players and it wouldn't matter if you had a pocket K's they are just looking for another Ace...just bad luck he hit a 9 and you got no pair

I think he made a terrible call. Hard for me to think that when he raised to 100 he had it in mind to call if raised all in. Some like to play the Ace rag. I still consider A,9o a mediocre hand. Calling a huge raise with that.. can't see it.. but I guess if your hooked on Aces... you will live or die with it. You played it the way you felt it... don't change that. It's online poker.. ya can't see em... watch em... or study em... play what you play best and go with it.

Small buy ins are often like FreeRolls at times.

They are not risking much.
They have no time invested so early on. "Lets put a Bad Beat on someone"
PreFlop All in is often met with. "sure why not" "All in"

Early in a tournament they will often call you down with ATC.
I think he may have put you on a small pocket pair and thought. "why not"

Gota Love those kinda players.

Arrrrrrrrrg ..........