Exploiting Regulars in Online Cash Games

Bloggers / Matthew Pitt / 08 April 2009 / Leave a Comment

One of the first things you should do when you sit down at an online cash game is to try an identify and categorise the players you will be playing against. You need to recognise which opponents are ultra tight or "nits", who are the very weak players, or "fish" but most importantly, which players are multi-tabling regulars.

The nits and fish will become apparent quickly due to their extreme playing styles but it can be difficult to spot the regulars as they blend into the action somewhat. The quickest way to find if a player is a regular is to look them up in the "find a player" feature and see if they are playing on multiple tables.

Many players advocate staying away from the regulars and instead concentrate on the weak players to earn their money. What they fail to realise is the fish will always be there to donate their stacks to you, the nits will never give you any action but the vast majority of multi-tabling regulars are more than exploitable.

It is safe to assume that if a player is playing four or more tables at NL50 or above, they will be using tracking software and heads-up displays (HUDs), will have read most of the recent poker strategy books, will be part of forums to discuss poker and maybe even part of training sites. In short, they will be knowledgeable players.

In poker, like in many walks of life, knowledge is power but knowing how to use the knowledge properly is more powerful still. If you know a player is one of the regulars, they are more than likely playing with set starting hand requirements and will often want straight forward decisions post-flop, especially if they are playing a lot of tables.

You should also be aware that they will probably have stats and notes on how you play and as a result you need to think outside of the box when up against regulars. They will expect you to act in a certain way so basically do not!

Instead of re-raising preflop with AA or KK, consider flat calling, if you usually check-call your draws try raising them instead. Likewise, if you normally make a pot-sized bet only make a half-pot-sized bet or even min-raise the regular player whether you have a big hand or nothing at all.
Regulars like to see regular occurrences at the tables so they can act in their regular way. By making, what some would count as, unorthodox plays against players you know are aware of your usual style, you can really throw a spanner into the works and take down more than your fair share of pots, often uncontested.

Whilst I do not advocate sitting down at a table of well-known, solid, winning regulars, I do think that you should not fear them as much as many do, instead take them on and take them out of their comfort zone.