In poker, there are different ways to describe the players. Some are called sharks, others are fishes, and from time to time, you'll encounter a sticky player as well. Who are those sticky players? And how should poker pros handle them? This is what we're here to answer.
Sticky players are those who are not ready to fold or let go of the hand they have. We're talking about players who passively call raises - even if their hand isn't strong - if they feel they have the slightest chance to win.
Not surprisingly, there are a lot of sticky players out there. After all, online venues allow people from all walks of life to play the game, no matter how good they are at poker. Therefore, a lot of inexperienced players find themselves sitting at the same tables as pros.
And what do amateurs tend to do? They mimic their opponents. They hold on to the false hope that they might have the winning hand, no matter the odds. And for a poker pro, that means he won't be able to bluff his way to a win or end the round as quickly as possible.
However, newbies are not the only ones who get to call themselves sticky players. Even experienced gamblers, who play poker online regularly, might fall under this category occasionally. That can be explained by the fact that the stakes at online poker games are rather low. Therefore, players don't feel they're risking much when they stick to their mediocre hand.
Different Dealing Strategies
And since there are so many sticky players gracing the poker tables, learning how to deal with them is crucial to your success. So, what can you do?
Sometimes, the best solution is to ignore them. Don't build your strategy around their actions, and just let them be. At the end of the day, they will probably lose, and you will be the one taking their money.
But, if you don't want to overlook their presence at the table, you can try to clean them out ASAP. Since those players often use your actions as their cue to call or raise, you can pretend to have a weak hand.
If you have a strong hand and you're almost sure your opponent doesn't, don't be the first to raise. Let the sticky player believe he has the upper hand, encouraging him to go all in. When you do that, the pot's value will grow before you reveal your hand, possibly taking your opponent out of the equation.
In Conclusion
There are two possible ways of dealing with a sticky player: ignoring them or tricking them into losing all their money. Which approach do you prefer to take?