This is especially a question for people who have taken courses, especially pokernerve.

Is this statement true or false.

Part of exploiting other players to get ahead is bluffing into lower stack players that u notice fold most of the time to cbets and reraises. Skilled, thinking players do this a lot, do they not? For example I've watched acesup do that plenty on his videos.


The person I suggested this to (a person who plays online for a living) said this just doesnt happen, never assume you are being targeted, you will alway lose your chips playing back at someone you feel is doing this, they could easily just "always" have a good hand, hero calling is dumb. Play your own hand only, if its not good enough just always fold no matter what.

But isn't what I suggested what LAGs (for example) DO? Isn't that the whole point of that style, and just adjusting to your tables play style in general? Isnt that what programs like poker tracker are FOR? Mathematically, if someone plays this way at a way higher rate than they should have the best hand the WHOLE game, stands to reason they might be pushing people around more often than they have the best hand, no?

If you know your opponent is very tight and a good player and you can get them to fold second best hand most of the time, even if yours isn't the nuts, why shouldn't you? I would think this would make you formidable, NOT a fish as responses to my statement indicated.

Now I'm concerned that I'm completely misunderstanding what i've been learning and on the wrong path as I slowly loosen my range with more skill.

Disclaimers: I am not suggesting a person reraises willy nilly or always hero calls just because a person raises "too often". A LAGy strategy requires expert level thinking and hand reading.
And can be "dangerous" and create huge up and down swings as opposed to a tighter style of play.

if your playing tournies you should be taking more risks in a effort to actually win the tourney. that might be playing more speculative hands in a effort to win the antes and blinds preflop or on the flop.

your not getting players folding 99 when you have TT 20BB deep which your stack is going to be around a certain amount of time you play tournies.

I'm referring specifically to targeting specific players that you have reason to believe you CAN make fold most of the time

why are they going to fold most of the time? pure aggression works only if they ain't getting anything.

You wouldnt say it does work on rocks? People who only put their chips in if they have it? That's who I'm talking about.

And I'm not asking whether it works. I'm asking if it's a thing skilled players actually do sometimes.

In cash games chip bullies aren't really a thing because anyone can just reload. The only people that can get bullied by a big stack in a cash game are those that aren't rolled for the stakes they are playing.

You make this point regarding playing LAG: "Isn't that the whole point of that style, and just adjusting to your tables play style in general? "

All players should adjust to the other players, but don't forget that other players adjust to you too. If you are LAG players will adjust by folding less often, where as if you are a nit, players will adjust by folding more often. It's a balancing act where you try to get players to call too much when you have it and fold too much when you don't.

Getting people to fold better hands is a craft that takes experience to learn. It is human nature (particularly in live poker) for people to not want to fold their hand. If you are the type of player that is constantly looking for ways to steal the pot with the 2nd best hand, you are the exact type of player that others will not want to fold against.