Now that we have figured out how to classify the players, I believe it is important to understand the motivations
and reasons players play the way they do. It is hard to understand this without going outside your comfort zone and experimenting. The best way to understand a particular style of play is to try it yourself and this assignment is going to force you to do that. It takes the play levels to the extreme but hopefully it'll give you a little insight into how these players think and operate. Worst case, you'll have a little fun playing poker and there's never anything wrong with that.
The Assignment
Play 2 NLHE tournaments as a MANIAC.
During this tournament, you are to do the following throughout the ENTIRE tournament until you bust:
Pre-flop:
1) Anytime you are first to act, raise POT (this will be the only time I ever let you use this button). Cards are irrelevant.
2) Anytime there is at least two limpers when it gets to you, raise POT. Cards are irrelevant.
3) Anytime there is a raise in front of you or just one limper and you have one of the following hands, raise POT. Any pair. Any ace. Any two cards ten or above. Any two suited cards, any connected or one gapped cards.
4) If you are ever reraised, move all in with any pair, any ace, any two cards ten or above. Fold all other hands.
5) Any time you are in the SB or BB and there is a first to act raise from the cutoff (one before the button) or the button, reraise pot.
Post-flop:
1) If you are first to act, bet POT. If you are raised, move all in if you have any of the hands outlined in #2.
2) If there is a bet in front of you, and you have one of the following hands, raise POT. Top or middle pair, bottom pair with an inside straight draw or flush draw, any open ended straight draw or 4 flush draw, any made hand (i.e. set, two pair, straight, full house). If you are reraised, move all in.
3) If you are called on the flop, bet all in on the turn, unless your bet was done under #1 and you do not have a hand outlined in #2 (meaning you have no outs).
Play 2 NLHE tournaments as a CALLING STATION.
During this tournament, you are to do the following the ENTIRE tournament until you bust.
Pre-flop:
1) Limp in anytime you have a pair, an ace, any two cards ten or above, any two suited cards, any connected or one gapped cards.
2) If it is raised after you limp or raised before you have acted, call any raise that is less then 5x the BB. If the raise is more then 5x the BB call with any pair and any two cards ten or above.
Post-flop:
1) Check anytime you are first to act.
2) Call any bet if you have any piece of the flop. That would be top pair, bottom pair, middle pair, straight draw (must be open ended or double belly buster, gutshots do not count), flush draw or a made hand. Fold if the hand missed you completely. Call any bet again on the turn if you have any piece of the flop. Call any bet again on the river if you have at least a pair or better (including bottom pair).
3) You are to only raise when you have the nuts on the river (meaning there is NO way your hand can be beat). Every other situation you are to check and call.
Play 2 NLHE tournaments as a ROCK.
During this tournament, you are to do the following the ENTIRE tournament until you bust.
Pre-flop:
1) Fold all hands first to act except any pair or any two cards ten or above. Raise pot with those hands.
2) If there are limpers before you act, fold all hands except 99-AA, AK, AQ. Raise pot with those hands.
3) If there is a raise before you act, fold all hands except JJ-AA, AK. Raise pot with those hands.
Post-flop:
1) If the flop missed you, check and fold.
2) If you have an overpair to the board, bet pot.
3) If you have a made hand (set, straight, flush, etc;), bet pot.
4) Check and fold any draws.
5) Only raise a bet if you have top pair, top kicker or better (i.e. overpair, set). Fold all other hands.
When you have completed the assignment answer the following questions for each category of player along with an overall summary/observation of the assignment and the reason you think I had you do this.
1) What was it like playing a maniac for you? How did you do?
2) What was the reaction of the table to you? How did they play you?
3) Which players were most effective playing against you and what did they do?
4) What did you learn from stepping into the "mind" of a maniac?
One last note about this assignment. It was not meant to teach you how to play like a maniac, calling station, or rock. It was to get you to see how people reacted to this type of play and what the strengths/weaknesses of this type of play were so you could best counter this play yourself. By forcing you to do it to the extreme, it put you in many situations where you could see how people adapted to your play. Hopefully by doing this you'll be more aware of how this player thinks in the future and have a better game plan for how to play against them (for example, don't bluff a calling station but make more value bets with lesser hands than you normally would). Up next, we're going to get into some in depth discussion on when people fold, call, and raise.