I've noticed that some low-stakes players almost never bluff when they make a big river raise. Against those players I find myself wanting to fold much more often than I normally would. At the same time, I don't want to become the guy who folds everything whenever someone puts pressure on me. How do you identify when a player is genuinely passive enough to make very large folds?
Are they calling calling calling you and THEN betting the river, or is this a checked streets deal?
If they call flop and turn and then bet the river, check the river card to see if any draws complete. If so, that's probably what they have.
If it's just a river stab out of nowhere it could be a bluff or they may have hit the river for 3rd pair or whatever.
If they call flop and turn and then bet the river, check the river card to see if any draws complete. If so, that's probably what they have.
If it's just a river stab out of nowhere it could be a bluff or they may have hit the river for 3rd pair or whatever.
Playing against very passive players
My approach in general is to try and be aggressive in most spots no matter the type of opponent, but I do adjust after I'm confident what type of opponent I'm playing against and if it's very passive players (calling stations) - I switch to way more value betting and pretty much no bluffs... also, in your example, because this type of player rarely bluffs on the river (especially if it's a check/raise), I'm also folding most of the time - IMO it's a mistake many players make when playing against passive players * they assume this players are 'never' strong - well, they can wake-up with the nuts from time to time, the good thing is that they usually give you easy signs when this happens and the check/raise is definitely one of them...
My approach in general is to try and be aggressive in most spots no matter the type of opponent, but I do adjust after I'm confident what type of opponent I'm playing against and if it's very passive players (calling stations) - I switch to way more value betting and pretty much no bluffs... also, in your example, because this type of player rarely bluffs on the river (especially if it's a check/raise), I'm also folding most of the time - IMO it's a mistake many players make when playing against passive players * they assume this players are 'never' strong - well, they can wake-up with the nuts from time to time, the good thing is that they usually give you easy signs when this happens and the check/raise is definitely one of them...
If you have a hud look at there River Aggression and WTSD% (Went to Showdown %) and W$SD% (Won $ at Showdown %). Another stat to look at in conjunction with the previous stats is River Cbet - this will show you if they tripple barrel bluff a lot or only bet the river when they have it.
If you dont have a hud watch hands and take notes.
If you dont have a hud watch hands and take notes.
