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You are here...Poker Fish – Love or Hate Them?
Poker Fish are wondrous creatures. Any two cards look good to them, and if they can find an excuse to call you down, they will.
The term Poker Fish is used by poker players to describe a bad player, one that will play hands they are statistically going to lose, and carry on playing and chasing cards all the way to the river.
Amongst poker players, it’s is often a heated point of debate as to whether these types of players are good for your bankroll or your worst nightmare.
But really, it shouldn’t be THAT difficult to figure out – Poker fish are MOST DEFINITELY good for your bankroll. They are a godsend, delivered on a silver platter ready to donate their money to you.
The Poker Fish Haters
The players that argue the opposite to this are just confused in my opinion. They suffer a few bad sessions and losses against bad players who have got lucky against them and start to think that loose passive games which are full of fish are BAD for their game. They think that because these fish will play any two cards, will call anything, and cannot be bluffed that they therefore cannot be beat.
“You can’t beat these guys, they call anything!”
While playing live at the casino, or online, I frequently hear people complaining about these loose players. To be honest I don’t pay much attention, because a lot of the time, I’m too busy winning their money while they are distracted and in fact the players that are doing the moaning are some of the biggest fish I play against (they just don’t realise it and I’m not going to spoil their fun!)
“They play every hand, it’s like playing bingo!”
The thing they fail to realize is that those fish are the same ones calling down with absolutely nothing and paying off your top pair. Those same fish are the ones calling to try and hit their Gutshot straight draw when you already hit a flush on the turn and have them beat. They are the one’s building up those pots that you are winning.
“Aces are no good at this table, these fish don’t know when to fold!”
Those same fish are the ones that are going to make you money in the long run, regardless of that time when they sucked out on you by hitting two pair with their 7-3 offsuit to beat your pocket Kings.
Become the Poker Fish’s Best Friend
That giant stack in front of that really good player at the table came from somewhere, and chances are most of it didn’t come from the good players. It came from the poker fish at the table, who is probably seated to his right and kept chasing their terrible hands all the way to the river, donating chips to the good player.
No, he didn’t win every hand against them, but he won way more than his fair share and when he did win, boy did he get paid off by the Fish.
So forget those bad beats, and learn to love the Poker Fish. Don’t berate them; encourage them and make sure they have a fun time. A fish who is having a good time will stick around and gladly donate his money to your bankroll (even if he doesn’t realise he’s doing it). A fish who is being constantly berated and isn’t having fun will soon be off and take his money elsewhere.
Repeat after me – playing against poker fish is profitable, and loose passive games are GREAT for my bankroll!
And really, does it make sense to think that playing against better players would be a good thing? Sure those players aren’t going to suck out on you as much, but they also aren’t going to pay you off half as much either.
You don’t often remember those hands that you got paid off for one or two extra bets, but you certainly remember the bad beats. The key is to not let those bad beats bother you, and to keep on playing good poker.
Believe me, the fish will give back all of the money they may have won from you through poor play, it’s only a matter of time!
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