If you have a bully at the table in a tournament or No Limit game you’re in luck: he or she may intimidate less confident players but, if you play your cards right, should provide you with an easy payday.
First of all, note that there is a difference between a player that is strategically aggressive – and a bully. When you have the biggest stack at the table, it’s important to remain aggressive. A smart player also varies his or her approach, to keep other players guessing. A bully is someone who is unreasonably aggressive, betting big early and often in an effort to scare off the competition and build a stack with small pots.
If you are confident that you are really facing a bully, there are certain strategies that can help you defeat them.
BAIT THE TRAP: One approach to dealing with a bully requires that you adopt a conservative approach, getting out early if you have a suspect pair, and generally confirming the bully’s suspicions that you can be intimidated. When you do have a really good starting pair or see a strong hand developing, try to get the bully to do the betting. Position is important here and should be factored in. Move in slowly. If you bet big early the bully will probably fold. Let the bully build the pot – like a raccoon moving into the trap, then spring it at the last moment.
FIRE WITH FIRE: The other way to deal with bullies is to bully them. This a technique that works best when you can afford to lose a few large pots, usually after you’ve been at the table a while. If you start out aggressive, and lose a few big pots you may not be able to stick to this strategy for long. So again, begin conservatively and, when you have a reasonably large stack, switch gears and bully that bully around.