More Tourney Play: Targeting Specific Players

**Jason75** · 04-13-2006

As I've heard Dan Harrington quoted (anyone see him on the WPT event the other night? Loved watching him play), "at any given table there will always be at least one player out of his element".

What Dan is talking about is targeting those players who are beyond their skill level. It's something I've begun to develop more and more, but also something I'm looking at getting better at.

I've gotten into the habit of trying very hard to get into hands with weak-tight players who I think I can push off hands when I'm in position. I have even begun experimenting with coming in with absolute crap hands, making min raises, and just getting into the habit of firing bets (continuation or otherwise) at just about every pot.

Of course, I try and target the maniacs as well, but that often seems to be more about luck (hitting my set, picking up AA when manaic raises, etc.) than skill.

Do you specifically target certain types of opposing players? How do you go after them?

**tightagressive** · 04-14-2006

its not that im out to be in pots with certain players. but for each type of player, there are easy ways to take their money.
-for instance if i have a weak tight player in my blind, i will raise with alot more hands than i normally would. i will now be able to steal alot of blinds, and if he calls alot of small pots on the flop if i know this type of player is going to check fold alot. i like these players and i think this is who i would "target" most because i think they are the easiest to play against.
-against a loose player, i will simply just wait for solid cards to play. once i get a great hand, i might take a small risk, maybe limp with AA on a maniacs button, hoping to get the opportunity to get all in preflop. (which ends up happeneing a fantastic ammount of the time) i dont target the loose stacks or go out of my way to play with them, because i dont want to get in some silly raise war with nothing. i do that once i have a hand.
but like you said you just hope to get lucky and pick up a big hand against these maniacs and let them do the work for you.

**PJ of TheGame** · 04-14-2006

I don't attack weak players so much as avoid strong ones. If someone I respect is in a pot and it's a close decision, I don't enter the pot.

I have played some idiots that I would iso raise with stuff like AJo, but they don't keep their money long enough to really be a "strategy"

**Irexes** · 04-14-2006

This is the cornerstone of my MTT game (SnG is more formulaic). I look the the maniacs or the passives and play off them accordingly. The passives provide a nice steady income stream of smallish pots won with continuation bets and the maniacs provide the double ups by calling allins with AT or 66.

There's ways to manoeuvere the chips from the nuts more gracefully postflop, but essentially as soon as the maniac presents himself I'm looking for the chance to get all in preflop with the better hand. What constitutes the better hand depends ont the maniac but if I can isolate them preflop I will play AA-TT AK-AQ completely differently than I would against a "normal" player.

I've certainly stalked people for 2 hours or more waiting for the right opening in tournies and if you are lucky and they keep rebuilding their stack you can do it several times.

**Fishodeath** · 04-15-2006

little off topic, but which WPT was harrington on? I've never seen him in a televised event, itd be interesting see how he applies his strategies.

**Trons** · 04-15-2006

I'm actually with PJ on this one. I don't seek out weak players as much as avoid strong ones. In SnGs (which is mostly what I play) this usually isn't too much of a problem because about the time you're finding out who's who, your M is low (or theirs is) and they (or you) change up because of shrinking stack size in relation to blinds.

I've been working with a stratagy on SnG's, but that's a different topic and I want to play with it some more before I decide whether I've been lucky (only used it on a couple so far) or it's a viable stratagy...

**KRE8R** · 04-15-2006

Originally Posted by Fishodeath

little off topic, but which WPT was harrington on? I've never seen him in a televised event, itd be interesting see how he applies his strategies.

Its kind of funny, I saw him make a move that his books wound not prescribe. Of course I was not at the table at the time, so the conditions may have led him to make that decision. Otherwise he followed his way of playing perfectly! He is truly a master of poker.

**KRE8R** · 04-15-2006

Originally Posted by PJ of TheGame

I don't attack weak players so much as avoid strong ones. If someone I respect is in a pot and it's a close decision, I don't enter the pot.

I have played some idiots that I would iso raise with stuff like AJo, but they don't keep their money long enough to really be a "strategy"

Its funny. I never realized how I do the same thing. I actually alter my starting hand requirements depending on how a person plays...

**Fishodeath** · 04-15-2006

Originally Posted by KRE8R

Its kind of funny, I saw him make a move that his books wound not prescribe. Of course I was not at the table at the time, so the conditions may have led him to make that decision. Otherwise he followed his way of playing perfectly! He is truly a master of poker.

I'm sure, I'd like to see him in action... so which WPT was it......?!?!? :P

**KRE8R** · 04-15-2006

Originally Posted by Fishodeath

I'm sure, I'd like to see him in action... so which WPT was it......?!?!? :P

It was the Doyle Brunson tourney on WPT. Cant remember what its called exactly...was a good one though. Hated what happened at the end though...

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