How to Take Advantage of Bad Poker Players

The increase of poker popularity has led to a flood of fish that are just waiting for you to take their money.  Seriously.  These fish are untalented, undisciplined, and lack the fundamental skills to succeed in Texas Hold’em. These players think that since they have seen a few episodes of the World Poker Tour, they are poker pros.  If you want to make money playing Texas Hold’em, you need to learn to take all the money from these novices before they give it to someone else.

There are many ways that you can bankrupt the bad players at your table. These methods are tested and proven and can give you an advantage over everyone else at the table.  These methods include:

1. Fake Weakness

It seems that everyone over-estimates their own poker ability. Bad players usually think they are one of the best players at any given table.  This false sense of ability will lead bad players to attempt to buy virtually every pot.  This over-aggression makes weak players especially vulnerable to check-raises and slow playing good cards.  When you have the nuts, don`t lead out with a big bet (like you should against a good player), instead slow play the hand and let the novice try to buy the pot.

2. Destroy Their Game Plan

 Usually a novice's plan will depend on his ability to bluff effectively. If you are able to remove a significant section of their stack, you will destroy their game plan and put yourself on the fast track to the chip lead.

3. Show No Respect for Weak Bets

A bad player will fear losing all their chips on a mediocre hand. This means they will often make small bets on the turn and river.  Show zero respect for these bets. Making a large raise over these weak bets will often scare away bad players leaving you with the pot.

4. Face Bad Players "Heads Up"

Since good players and bad players require different strategies, try to force other players out of hand before clashing with a weak player.  Eliminating other players will reduce the amount of possibilities you have to consider. This will allow you to focus more on how to scare away weak players.

5. Always Have a Decent Hand

Even if you play your hand flawlessly, a bad player may call all your bets with nothing but an Ace high.  This is very frustrating, but very common.  In fact, I know many poker professionals who will not play against novices because they are so difficult to bluff.  So, before you enter into a high-cost hand with a bad player, make sure that you have at least a decent hand and you are confident that they don't have anything better.  These are just a few of the quick, simple ways to take advantage of bad poker players.