Six-Handed Aggression In A Micro Stakes Home Game

We play for nickels. We play "Dealer's Choice." And we play to annoy each other.

The majority of us don't have much money, so our poker games are more about fun than about long-term winning, or even skill. In a nickel-ante game, the five or ten dollar buy-in is manageable, and sometimes one player buys another in. It's a tough economy, and we still have a great time, playing the lowest stakes we ever have.

After eight years of regular Saturday night games, we all have a lot of information about our opponents. Everybody knows who bluffs, who is the rock, and who is a pushover. Witnesses abound to the exploits of bluffers, as do the standard details of a bad beat story.

Even so, there is a way to beat this game. I am going to tell you, and I won't change any names.

The games generally start at 6 p.m. and go 'til midnight. So there is plenty of time to pick your spots and even pick your opponent. Generally, our game is six or seven handed, and rarely less than four or more than eight. We have a revolving door of  20 players. By playing position poker, a player in this game can increase power(to bluff), and increase odds of winning.

We play Dealer's Choice, and the games run from 3-card Lowball to 7-card Stud "No Peek," and back to Texas Holdem and Omaha 8 Or Better. Omaha 8, as it is called, is played high and low, and makes for some crazy weird pots. Sometimes, we have more fun in doing something "donkish," and winning, rather than playing well.

Our little game consists of a few tight players, Bob and Paul, and sometimes Harold. Bob is so tight he squeaks. This is a player that is exploitable. Bob is rarely calling without a very strong hand, and therefore is bluffable from most positions. Position in these confrontations, gets more important as the quality of player gets better. As we get to Paul, it is important to remember that even some tight players can do unpredictable things, and Paul has learned to sometimes bet draws, for instance. Adjust accordingly, make good reads, and continue to steal with and without position.

Aggression is the key, and playing a skilled player, is no different. But as we go about, picking on these players becomes a bit trickier. Three-bets(reraises) before any cards are out, get riskier, as does playing out of position after cards are exposed. In Omaha 8, for example, a good high and a low draw is necessary to play from out of position against multiple opponents in a growing pot, or even in a heads-up pot versus a good player. Aggression in Holdem, or even Deuce To 7 Lowball, is good for stealing many small pots, and making good decisions from "up front" can lead to sustained success.

Shawn is one of our better players, and is a math wiz. He even teaches math, at a high-school 25 miles away. Shawn makes efficient and calculated decisions. He understands position, and likes to reraise soft with the benefit of position paired with knowledge that I like to bluff. So I raise back at him often, knowing that I can bet later as well. If we are playing 7 Card Stud, and we get to 6th Street, I may back off, especially if he is smiling...but I pursue this player much like I do the rest, aggressive pretty much nonstop.

This tactic leads to bigger pots when I do in fact, make a hand, and because of the suspicion of my aggression, the calldowns in big pots like these, instill fear in the very thinking of calling next time. It also causes some players to overbet reraise, hoping to steal a bluff reraise from me. The constant aggressive nature of my play has led to a crazy good table. I have the whole table, under my thumb, so to speak.

What are the mechanics, the specs, of the aggressive player's style? Well, in this game, I like to minraise every pot, even when I have aces. The constant, in your face, every hand, like clockwork raise, tends to illicit reraises and suspicion. Bart, a local farmer and a "no-fear" kind of player, hates my raising style, and likes to reraise me and sometimes calls another reraise, putting alot in gambling with say, Q10 and A3 suited preflop in holdem. These spots are nice for the chipstack, especially when we hold big pairs, AK/AQ, QJ suited, and even JJ and 10s, versus this move from Bart-like players.

As we see, in my little game, aggression wins pots against a varying array of players and egos, some bold and stark, some timid and shy. All exploitable.

No matter what, use aggressive, non-stop pressure in short-handed ring games, no matter what the stakes.

Thanks for reading and Good Luck!