Mad Man Poker

Hi, I’m Stijn Heyens. I get called the “Mad Man”, because … well, when it comes to poker, I’m a bit off. You’ll see why.

In these articles I’ll try to grant you a look “beyond the madness”, explain some standard –or not so standard- plays I like to make at a poker table, and today I’ll begin with throwing away money.

Yes, you read that right, sometimes I throw away my money, almost literally.

Why? Because it helps setting up an image at the table.

Image is everything at a poker table and willingly or not, you’ll adjust your play to the type of opponent you’re facing at a particular time.

I do not like to adjust my play, at least, not based on the people at my table. If I can make them alter their play based on my style I just took control over the entire table, and in the end that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it !

How do I “stay true to myself”, well first of all, I AM a Mad Man. I play a range of hands that is usually wider than most other players’, though not as wide as the loose aggressive plays of the Scandanavian school of young players coming up at a high pace. I do it because I like to pick up standard pots that nobody else shows any interest in and because I like to scare my table into standard folding any marginal hand that I attack.

And for that I have to throw away money.

Sometimes I call a small to medium small bet on the flop or even on the turn, knowing I’ll lay it down on a next betting round. Sounds insane, but works incredibly well if executed just right. Off course, there are a few things you have to keep in mind before trying this strategy.

First of all, you need a table willing to believe you are the toughest player they’ve ever seen. You basically give away money to give out the signal that they don’t loose you over one marginal bet, sometimes not even 2. If you show on a regular basis that you are not willing to hand over a pot you showed an interest in, other players will be far less likely to bluff, and what’s even better, they will be far less likely to play things like mid-pair, heavy draws or contested hands (2 pair when 4 straightcards are out, the straight with 4 suited cards on the board, …). And that’s when you start playing exactly that. Every draw is worth betting at this point in time, every mid-pair with decent kicker being bet will scare a few opponents, every contested hand will show quite nicely where you are at.

Of course, people will get on to you but that doesn’t matter. If lady luck isn’t shooting you out of the sky you already managed to accumulate enough chips to go into hibernation for a while, merely playing absolutely top hands and only competing in smaller pots. Also, make this very noticeable! They found out what you are doing, so you change gear. It will create the illusion that people have to start all over figuring out what you are doing, while actually you are merely waiting for your next round of this tactic, starting out by bluffing some smaller pots, going to handing out free cash again to show you’re not willing to lay down to any threat and finally taking control of every pot until someone is back on to you.

Secondly you need a stack. The small stack is your ideal target for this strategy. He needs to nurture his stack and will not be willing to play a lot of marginal hands anyway. The other reason why you should do this on a considerable stack is the weak player with a big stack (I believe the type is being called ‘a bank’ because you can easily subtract money from these players). He will be afraid to give away too much of his stack to you when you constantly attack him. The only thing you have to keep in mind when battling the bank is that you first need to find out if he is actually a bank. This means: a player willing to see a flop, but afraid to put his money in the middle when the going gets tough. What you are looking for is the misplay in the other guy. Remember, the big stack should never be afraid to make his table sweat a little when he’s in a pot. Good to keep that in mind for both yourself and your opponents. Why do you need to assess that he is in fact the bank-type ? Two words: Calling Station! The calling station is the nail to your coffin. For him, you need another tactic, might be I’ll talk about this in the future, but actually you would be better off learning to deal with calling stations from more tight players, I generally try to avoid them.

Now that you know who to play, what to play and when to play, you have to learn when to stop.

If a guy is seeing through your strategy, get out ! Don’t leave the table right away, but get away from the tactic. As a good player you should have more tricks up your sleeve anyway.

Oh, and here’s the beauty: How to counter this tactic ?

Well, there is no real counter.

Brave players tend to buy up their stacks, weak players just avoid you or even leave and good players tend to go into the basic strategy of tight aggressive play. That last one is probably your best shot, when facing this tactic. You’ll get paid off on the hands you do play that way.

Then where are the downsides to this tactic ?

Well, you need to be able to bully, literally have balls of steel from time to time, for starters.

Furthermore, this is a strategy you base on a table, not a player. When facing a lot sharks in the water, you tend to be a fish to them playing tag team on your chip stack. Like I said before you need a table where out of 9 people at least 6 players are not willing to attack a pot you show interest in and basically think you are the scariest thing they’ll ever face.

Last but not least, this is a ring game tactic, in tournament play it is virtually useless since chips you lose cost more than chips you win. If you get confused here, I suggest you surf to Full Tilt Poker and read Chris Ferguson’s input on tournament play.

Well, I hope you didn’t get too confused from all the whacky idea’s, try to give them a fitting place in your game and make some winning moves.

For now, I wish you a cookoo good night

The Mad Man