The Rock is not an easy opponent to spot because after 30 min at the table, you probably won’t have noticed them at all. They won’t be outspoken and you will rarely see them in a pot. It is good to find this person before getting in a hand with them, because if they surprise you, you will be up against a monster and it will be too late. The Rock will always play premium hands, and I mean PREMIUM. If you see them playing a lot of hands, it is because they caught a rush of cards, not because they like to be in every pot. The Rock will play passively, but will not be afraid to raise with the nuts or second nuts. They play their hand and not much else. I know that sounds extremely boring, but that’s why, those of us who know how to play, don’t play that way.
Now: “How to combat this particular enemy?” you ask. With one simple rule…. The cards run funny for all of us. It can be frustrating playing against a Rock because he will rarely show you the true strength of his hand in his betting pattern. Then when it comes time for the showdown, he has top two and you are screaming “WHY DIDN’T YOU RAISE?!?!”. Try to avoid screaming. It doesn’t look good. The good news is that when this player enters a hand (especially with a raise) you can put them on a small variety of cards (two face cards or a pocket pair). To counteract this, you want to WIDEN your variety of hands (any-two are in play here). This person is very easy to play against after the flop, so stick to calling pre-flop and save your raises for a low flop. Focus on playing the person in the other seat rather than playing your cards, because they will tell you if they missed or hit.
The Rock is someone you want to bluff all night long, if you can make them believe you hold only winners. Don’t show them any of the bluffs or you will risk turning them into a calling station (this can be a good thing sometimes, but it does require you to make some good hands). Feel free to show them the good hands because that is the road we want to lead them down. You do have to concede the fact that when their quality hand connects with the flop, you won’t be able to buy the pot. Let them have it and convince them that their strategy is working. Wait till the flop whiffs and take it down with any kind of raise. Be wary that if this player gets any kind of a card streak, it can be difficult to beat them, but over time your skill will beat their luck.
The Rock is generally new at poker or someone who has not tried to improve their game along the way. For instance, Mrs. Scoop was a big time Rock when I was first teaching her how to play. She would have top pair top kicker or two pair and fold to a decent raise. I would ask her why in the world she would fold and, in true female brilliance, the answer would be:”I don’t know.” As she has progressed and played more hours, she has become a lioness at the table. Be wary not to fall into the stereotypical thought that all women and men over 50 are Rocks. They will prey on this kind of thinking. Verify your reads and once you have them nailed down; work them like a field mule. Stay sharp and you will most definitely scoop a monster.
Join us next time as we discuss “The Calling Station”.
- Kirk “The Scoop” Zimmerman
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When opening in tight games in any position or loose games in late position, your attention should be on getting heads up with a blind or outright stealing the blinds.
