Loose Passive Players
The Loose Passive Poker Player - A.K.A. The Calling Station
If you want to profit against the loose passive player, the best thing you can do for your bankroll is to play very tight preflop. This player will not be bluffed. Play strong
starting hands, or preferrably even drawing hands. 70% of the time, this player will have nothing. 30% of the time he will suck out on you. (Seemingly) 100% of the time, he will call you to
the river. When you have a strong pair or some sort of 2 pair, etc. where you want to beat the draw, make this player pay over pot odds to play.
The way to beat this player is long run.
Player will usually call you to the river then:
(A) fold if he didn't catch
(B) bet, raise, or call if your bet is big enough and he's got you beat, or
(C) call a small river bet just to "see what you've got."
Caution: sometimes this player may call a ridiculous bet on the river with bottom pair, an under-pair, or even ace-high, just to see.
This player is often referred to as the "bluff-police." It would be a good idea to either have something in your hand or to have one hell of a read or a tell before committing too many chips.
As stated before, cash in on this player by making them pay to draw. Key to profit is not to ever lose more than you've made from him on the river. River bets should be carefully calculated to be
You can play this player out of position, because the truth of the matter is that you're not going to get alot in the way of reads on this player. He's calling because he has cards, not necessarily because he has a hand. Preflop raising against him should be done to get chips into the pot or to push out other players. Don't ever try to push this guy out (except maybe on the river), 'cuz he ain't going nowhere.
Set this player up throughout the game by switching up your river bluff and bet sizes.
On the flop, bet against his draw with overbets. If you suspect he made his hand, stop betting. This player will telegraph his hand strength, as he is not naturally aggressive. It would probably take one hell of a hand to get him excited about betting. When he leads the betting or raises, a deafening alarm should go off in your head. Do not ignore the alarm. Do not hit snooze. Have a powerhouse hand... or fold and save your chips.
Play the turn using the same strategy as the flop.
Showdown hands should be at least a strong pair. Keep river bet sizes proportionate to hand strength when you expect a call. Small hand = small bet. 2 pair should get a bet worthy of a 2 pair hand. A monster hand or the nuts could allow for much larger bets, but you're not as likely to get a big bet called on the river unless this player at least believes he's got you beat. If he's leading the betting or the raising, then that is a sign that this player is certain he's got you beat. If he's not a complete moron, you may want to be certain, too. Taking the time to re-examine the board may be in order.
Knowing where to find the calling station and how to identify him is just as important has knowing how to beat him. Online poker rooms such as
Doyles Room and
Carbon Poker tend to have a high ratio of loose players. Identifying the loose-passive poker player is easy enough, if you're paying attention to what's going on at your table. The loose-passive player will be playing more hands preflop than anyone else at your table. He will also stay in the hand beyond the flop a greater percentage of the time than the other players. You will also notice that this player will do alot more callinng than betting or raising.
Get out there now,
play some poker, and cash in on the Calling Station. Your bankroll will thank you!