How to Stop the Poker Bully

I know we have all been confronted with the big stack or an agressive player early in a poker tournament that will not stop raising your blinds. It can be unnerving and extremely annoying. Here is a well known play that you can use to put a bully in-check and keep them in line when you are in the blinds.

The Stop and Go play is a great poker strategy to use to stop players from raising your blinds. Typically this play is used when you are short stacked in the later parts of a tournament. However, I like to use this play at any point in the tournament when I feel that someone is trying to push me around and steal my blinds on a regular basis.

Usually, I will not make this play early in a poker tournament with anything less than pocket TT’s. However, in reality, any pocket pair will do. The object is to simply call the raise and then push the rest of your chips in no matter what hits on the flop. Yes, it is a ballsy play and requires nerves of steal when you are not short stacked. However, if you have a good read on your opponent you can take advantage of the situation and send a very clear message to your opponent “My blinds are NOT FOR SALE! BACK OFF!”

Usually one good shot will do it and you have re-established your image at the table as far as your blinds anyway. Use it at your discretion and be sure you know who you are playing against and what they are capable of.

The other way of handling these kinds of players is to simply push pre-flop with any pocket pair of TT’s or better along with hands like AQ, AJ, AT. The same message is sent and most likely you still have the best hand pre-flop.

Now go punch that bully in the eye the next time he trys to steal your blinds!

Deuces,

CIII

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