So, given what we’ve covered so far in this series, how should you adjust your play to most effectively exploit weak-passive players? Well, a major factor in your ability to play a specific range against these fish is stack size. Let’s say a calling station limps in mid position with a 70bb stack and you are on the button. The blinds are, respectively, a winning but overly tight TAG and a LAG with a loose three-betting range. In three different hypothetical hands you are dealt 5-6 suited, T-8 offsuit and 9-7 offsuit. How should you proceed with these hands? Fold, all of them. Against this type of player this short-stacked, you want to flop a strong top pair-type hand, and the presence of a loose-aggressive player to your left means you’re going to get three-bet frequently once he realises what you’re doing. Now, if you both had 200bb it would be a different story. In that case if you didn’t isolate with those hands you would be losing money, given that you have position and would be able to extract a big chunk of chips from your opponent if you flopped any strong two-pair hand or better. The lesson? Your range for isolating a weak-passive player is highly dependent on stack size and position.
Postflop you should generally be playing a really predictable ABC game when heads-up against a calling station, only putting in big bets and raises with super-strong hands. Usually a basic continuation-betting strategy will be more than enough to beat them. Getting involved in complex multi-street plays will only get you into trouble. Attempting to represent a hand or make them fold top pair or better or going for some sort of check-raise on any street (for value or as a bluff) would be a terrible strategy. Just make a strong hand or strong draw and bet, bet, bet (assuming you get there with your draw).
Because this player type won’t be thinking about how balanced your range is or what hands you would be checking, betting and raising, you can play a very straightforward pure value game against this guy when your image is bad (i.e. you’ve been seen bluffing a lot). If somehow you make a big bluff that the calling station calls you must make a note! Do not bluff this guy again any time in the near future, as you will get snap-called so fast your arm will come off. Once a weak-passive player pegs you as a bluffer, especially if he feels he’s being abused, beware, as you will see plenty of ridiculous call-downs and generally horrible play. If you notice that the fish is wobbling/getting fed up that you have some hand strength, control the pot size well (because these guys tilt a lot and are liable to make insane plays when they do snap) and above all value-bet them mercilessly.
Read part I
Read part II