We are now into a manic phase for Replay members where totally ridiculous raising hands make miraculous flops and hits.
Same as pro poker? i don’t think so. I watch the pro shows regularly and such miracle hits are few and far between. Generally, on a 73% basis, the better hand wins.
Don’t mind me. I just miss earlier days on this site. Perhaps I’ll just take a rest and watch the mayhem for a while.
The Anhaga
There are, admittedly, oodles of folks on the site that will stay for the river despite having a weak hand because they view the chips as “free” and almost worthless. When this is happening, you have a couple of choices. One, using patience and knowledge, await the opportunity to clean them out. Two, move up to a level where the “freeloaders” are less numerous and you’re playing folks that actually know the game and are working to improve their game and have some fun. This where diligent Bank Roll Management (BRM) comes into play and can provide you with games that challenge your skill level and lead to greater knowledge/success in the game. You might ask yourself what your motivation is in playing online Poker. Is it to win chips or is it to better your skill as a player? What are the metrics of your play history? There are plenty of games on RPP that might better fit your skill level and desires than the ones where you’re seeing ridiculous plays that happen to get lucky at the river just because they stuck it out against the “odds”. At the higher levels there is more “real” play. Give it a try.
Best,
Ron
Many years ago, probably before you were born, I studied bridge under the great international player, Mimi Roncarelli at her Vanderbilt Club in Montreal… I did my best and soon had a great deal of success as a house player in the standard, and larger money games…
One day, she came to me and t said, “You think you’re good, now, don’t you?”
I nodded, shyly.
“Let’s see”,she responded. "For the next few months you will play with the rub-e-dubs and learn how to deal with erratic bidders and players.
She was right. I learned.
i apologize for the fact that I I did not include in my calculations the consistent number of players in each hand.
This is a determining factor; both in the lower and higher levels that you suggest.
Since my last statement, I have worked on the problem and have come to a positive solution.
It seems that Mimi was right
The Anhaga. . .
That’s fascinating Anhaga74. I though I was a miracle worker. Especially when it happened to me twice in a row. It doesn’t really change my strategy though. I know that I will lose if I keep doing it. But once in while it is a real rush and it often gets laughs from the players.
Not a problem.
Be well
The Anhaga
As you can see by my recent gains, I have solved the problem.
No, I will not reveal. Find it yourself. lol.
amen brother, seems like most of the new players and some of the older one go all in every hand. They luck out and win a few hands, then they think they are great poker players and continue to play bingo. Very frustrating, but legal. I just sit back drop most of the time but then Bust the bingo. Most people at the table are out to beat the bingos, makes for not a very fun table. This is the best poker site out there, hang in there…Bilderberg
Well said.
I’ve witnessed some ridiculous river catches on RP too… but not at unrealistic rates that make me doubt the impartiality of the RNG. Rather, it’s because of two common poor plays that I’ve recognized and begun to exploit.
To start, people don’t bet nearly aggressively enough when they have strong hands. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen people “trap” aces by flatting preflop, then merely min-bet (or, worse, check-call!) on later streets. If your opponent has a strong draw, like four cards to a flush or straight, those actions give them direct odds or better to catch an unbeatable hand for free/cheap. Bet/raise your strong hands, and either those opponents will fold off their equity, or you’ll get a lot of value in the long run from people who make the second type of poor play.
Worse than the lack of aggression is a willingness to call just about anything, particularly early in a hand. This isn’t just an issue at the lowest stakes either. To provide an example, I’m currently sitting at a 500-1000 ring, the Acropolis of Athens 9, with 7 other players. We’re all ranked above 10000, and about half of the players are ranked better than me, with bankrolls at least 5M chips.
In this hand, I was the only player to fold pre-flop, which I did holding QT offsuit in the Hi-Jack. Chances are that most of the players that called had worse hands than that… but odds are also good that at least one of those players is much, much stronger than me. Those weak players that are going to have to fold on most boards are over-committing their equity, putting in more chips than their chance to win the pot. When they do, I’ll happily be there to scoop up those bloated pots.
The next hand at that same table is another great example. I’m in an early position, UTG+2, facing an UTG flat and UTG+1 fold. I raise it up to 4BB (4000 chips). I get four callers. The flop ends up being perfect for me to continue to bet, about 2/3 pot, with three spades on the board and As in my hand. Most of the field wisely folds, but I manage to get an out-of-position caller. That player finally folded to another bet on the turn (was setting up a river jam with the nuts if another spade rolled off, or a bluff if it didn’t), and the hand ultimately netted me about 30BB. Their willingness to call (likely) weak hands preflop and ultimately fold them cost three players 3-4BB, and a fourth about 17BB.
By playing aggressively when I have equity, and folding when I don’t, it makes it far less likely that my competitors with low equity will end up hitting miracle rivers. Either they’ll fold before they get the chance to see those later streets, or they’ll pay me off on earlier streets and have to fold on bad rivers.
In my opinion, the “lack of aggression” you observed can often be a form of self-defence from the other phenomenon you mentioned, i.e. the willingness of some players “to call just about anything”.
To bet a large amount of chips or even all of them on a good hand at the flop or the turn is very risky, knowing that there will certainly be one or two competitors who will call till the river with a draw, hit it and beat you. So many prefer to make a prudent bet and wait.
Obviously, all depends on the situation and on the players at your table.
Hey Miri, I was thinking the exact same thing when I was reading @WannabeCoder 's post, but then I read your reply, and guess what 
You said what’s on my mind.
I understand the advice, but the contradiction is obvious. Playing good cards aggressively to make other folds sounds like a good plan, but knowing that many players never actually fold no matter what they have, is the main flaw in that plan. Most (if not all) bad beats, come from players who call every bet and every raise, all the way through the river, with absolutely nothing, and hit the miracle on the river. So I don’t actually agree that aggressive play saves the day, as long as you have all the chasers who don’t care how high the risk is, and who end up stealing the hand by unbelievable luck strikes on the river.
nicely said. Fits in with my new technique. Notwithstanding the hoards of bingo players and automatic preflop
raisers.
Good points.
Once again, a good counter. With the bingo-hounder (stays in no matter what), it is often impossible to judge power. However, as coder says, wait for the monster and then play steady.
Regardless, the game is still irritating with with all-inners and hounders. My erstwhile partner used to judge them on position, but I told him they don’t know what that is, He agreed after a while. Just a few days back i saw a hounder hang in until the river with a pair of nines when the board had KKK1010!
Actually, if I was still in that hand at this point–doubtful, but possible–I’d likely call with air, too. Unless my opponent holds the cased K or exactly AA, QQ, or JJ, every caller ties and splits the pot minus the rake.
Actually, I didn’t make it clear. I should have said after the last river bet.
actually TT will do the trick too 
but agree that’s a call with almost any situation
Oops! You’re right, yiaz. I guess it was too obvious for my tired, old brain, lol.
In response to @miri123 and @Maya, I’d actually want players with draws to keep chasing and overcommitting their equity. Most turns/rivers are going to brick off, and with particularly wet rivers that complete flush or straight draws, I can slow down and check/fold to competitive aggression. Alec Torelli had a good “Poker Tips” video yesterday that covered this topic - play your top hands against these players, and go at them aggressively.
Ultimately, there are two ways to win at poker. Either your opponents over-commit their equity, putting in more chips than their chance to win the pot, or you get them to fold off their equity. Is aggression always the correct play? Of course not - pot-controlling checks and slow-playing (particularly out of position!) are often yield the most positive (or least negative) EV. Still, your competitor can neither fold off or over-commit their equity when you don’t put the question to them.