nutball poker

I have a confession to make. I play poker like a "nutball". This is not someone who sits around and waits for the nuts, but someone who plays LIKE a maniac. Yet, I do so in a mathematically sound way. I don't just shove on every hand, I don't always shove preflop, I don't always on the flop, I don't always on the turn, and I don't always on the river. I also mix in small ball poker concepts to be able to control the potsize and win showdowns to the river.

But most people watching me play would say I play like a nutball, a maniac, etc. GOOD... that is exactly what I want...

I assure you, my approach is very mathematical and based upon game theory. Yet I mostly seek exploitative strategies.

The thing about my approach is you could easily take a more patient approach with much less swings and the probability of you being profitable is much greater, but much smaller potential. You could take somewhere between the two and take an equilibrium strategy WITH a lot of pushes all in that by itself can many times be quite "nutty" and you would probably be very profitable as well. But I am seeking to create more future profitable situations as well as exploit opponents more aggressively with the downside being the risk of an opponent completely flipping their style around and setting a "playing style trap". i.e. they bet draws and bluffs one way and big hands the other and once you go to pounce on them, they anticipate it and flip their strategy around. Or perhaps they play a wide hand range preflop and on flop and fold a lot on the turn only to set up a series of check raise bluffs and aggressive play. If your range is "maximally exploitative" you would probably play every hand that person is in and be aggressive on the flop and turn. But if opponent knows it he can start to play super aggressive back to counter exploit you. With an equilibrium strategy he cannot.

As such, I try to walk the fine line and flip back to an equilibrium strategy.

The next post will get into more mathematical examples.