Bad Limit Holdem Poker Players: Two Types and How to Beat Them

As I've played limit holdem for over 100,000 hands, I've found that there are basically two types of bad players. Not every bad player will fit in these two categories, but most of them will.

Calling Station

The first type is the calling station. You'll find these players mostly in the small stakes.

They get their name from their favorite action - calling. They don't raise very much. And frankly, many of them don't fold unless they have a really bad hand. They just love to call.

They will call with good hands and mediocre hands. They will call raises and reraises. They will call the raise of a player who hasn't played a hand in an hour.

Against calling stations, I will bet my good hands on every street. Even if the river is a scary card, I will bet top pair.

For example, if I have Ace-Jack offsuit and the board is A - 7 - 4 - 5 - 6 with three spades, I will still bet the river. On this board, calling stations will often call with hands like Ace-9, 9-7, and Jack-6.

Also, I will bet my marginal hands like middle pair strong kicker.

For instance, if I have King-9, I will bet the flop, the turn, and the river on this board: 10 - 9 - 2 - 7 - 3. The only card that will slow me down is an Ace. Calling stations love their Aces. They'll usually play any two cards as long as one of them is an Ace.

Beware whenever a calling station bets or raises. This usually means they have a strong hand or the board improved their hand.

For example, you raise with pocket rockets, or Ace-Ace, and get called by a calling station. The flop is 4 - 4 - 3. You bet and he raises. You should fold because he probably has a 4.

Or he limps preflop and you raise with King-Queen. The flop shows King - 8 - 3. He checks, you bet, and he calls. The turn is an Ace. He bets. You should fold, because he probably just made a higher pair than you.

Maniac

The second type of bad player is the maniac. Maniacs can be found in both small and high stakes. There are more of them in the high stakes.

Maniacs are characterized by their relentless aggression. They love to bet, raise, and reraise.

They will bet and raise good hands and mediocre hands. They will bluff whenever scary cards show up on the board.

Against maniacs, I like to call all the way to the river with my marginal hands. Even bottom pair can be a winner against these guys.

I remember a hand my friend played against a maniac. The maniac raised preflop and bet every street. The board was King - Jack - 6 - 2 - 10. My friend had Ace-6. He called every bet except the river bet. On the river, he folded. The maniac won the pot and turned over Queen-5!

If you have a good hand (top pair or better), raise and reraise the maniac. Sometimes he will get lucky and put a bad beat on you. Don't tilt and get mad when that happens. You'll make a lot of money against him whenever your good hands hold up.