I just want to note that there are almost no case where it's wrong to play aggresive. But. Lets say you were in an early position, then just limp in with aces. Trust me, you'll get raised. Most people wants to be the one aggresive.
That's one of the reasons they bet, they want respect. They try to get respect early so they can play small pot poker and pick up pots.
When you limp in in an early position and you get raised, you simply put all your money in the middle.
Now two things can happen:
You pick up a pretty nice pot AND, most of all, you get respect. The other case is that he simply is a sucker who calls you with 10-10, J-J or something like that, and then you double up early and will be in a good position to win the tournament.
See, you really don't care if he calls or not. I acctually prefer him to fold.
You'll pick up pots worth way more than your simple double up. The problem is thought that when you get down to heads-up you'll have problems being the aggressor since your opponent will know your style well.
Then just simply change your style and play passive. Really passive. Check-raise whenever possible, even if you don't have a hand. If he plays back on you, you should consider moving-in even if all you got is a draw to a straight or a flush.
Pott odds really don't matter if you can get respect. (Note that if you get in an early check-raise on your opponent you can pick up pots like crazy when your down to heads-up, and he will be afraid to bet you when you check).  |