Time To Reread Harrington On Holdem

I'm going to be reading his two books again over the next five days and posting some stuff from the book such as some plays, tips, and other things I learned from his books. I may be spending too much time reading a new book every month and not concentrating my reading efforts of the 4 or 5 books that I should be mastering instead.

I can be labeled as a tight aggressive player who can mix up his game as needed. Part Of my problem is I get a little too timid or too aggressive when I have a great hand or pretty good hand. This enables the tight aggresive's most feared player the loose hyper-aggressive player to get the best of him on many occasions. Problems 2-1 thru 2-8 of Harrington's Book Volume 1 have good examples of how to play and not play some hands against the super aggressive player. In example 2-4 you have KQ in the BB and the SAG/LAG opens for a raise. You could reraise him right there and maybe take the pot or check the flop of 532 hoping he'll bet out and you come over the top of him. The flop may have very well missed him also and you take the pot down. My problem is I usually just call the preflop bet and check and fold when they bet after the flop too much. I can't always use the check raise or reraise but I find I play too timid or worse on occasion reraise all in with no hand, although I have outs and he'll flip over pocket sixes having me beat and a gutshot draw to boot and I'm gone from the SNG out of the money.

Many players tend to tighten up their game when they find themselves in a pot with players who are known to push people around. Your goal against players like that is to play fewer pots, but to play them more aggressively than usual Harrington says on page 74.

Example 2-5 shows how playing passively and as a result gave free cards to an opponent drawing at a flush.

Example 2-6 shows how when you do play some cards you must play them decisively otherwise the loose players will wear you down.

Against super-aggressive players you want to settle the hand quickly, win or lose. Reraising them before the flop. Preflop if SAG/LAG player raises and you look down and find AQ you should reraise usually. If you just call and see a flop, and it's 965 you should bet out to possibly take down the pot or at least see where you're at. If you check and he bets do you really know if your hand is good ? Harrington says that if you check and the SAG checks you should usually be very suspicious. You both check the turn and you check the river and he bets out 1/4 of the pot. It's usually right to call as a small bet on the end might be interpreted as a pot steal attempt. Your passive play cost you the pot as you call his small river bet and he shows A8, he caught his 8 on the turn because you played it too passively and gave him a free card and the pot.

Hand 2-8 shows how calling their preflop bet with KQ in the BB and hitting a flop of K92 and checking with the intent of reraising is an optimal play against the SAG (super-aggressive) player. Harrington calls this play "The Hammer".