How to Beat a Calling Station in Poker
Loose Passive (Fish)You beat a calling station by value betting relentlessly and bluffing rarely, because they call small bets with any pair but let weak pairs go when the bet gets big.
A calling station, also called a loose passive or a fish, is the most profitable opponent in poker. They limp and call their way into too many pots and then refuse to let go once they get there. The mistake most players make is trying to outplay them. You do not need to. You just need to bet your good hands at a size they will call, and save your bluffs for big bets.
This opponent's stats
Stats are measured from Poker Shark's opponent of each type: 20,000 simulated hands at 100 big blinds against GTO opponents. The Regular is measured at 200 big blinds, the depth of the levels it leads. Fold to 3-bet for the Loose Passive and Tight Passive comes from 80,000 and 120,000 hands, because they rarely face one. AF counts postflop bets and raises per call. In the Arena each opponent is dealt hands it wants to play, so it will look looser there. The Adaptive's numbers are from before it has any of your hands, and its preflop play stays the same after. A type describes a tendency, not the player at your table on any given night.
Why a calling station is so beatable
Bluffing works by making someone fold, and against small bets a calling station almost never does: any pair calls a bet of 40% of the pot or less. At the same time, they pay off your strong hands street after street with pairs and draws a thinking player would release. Their one give is size. Bets over 70% of the pot fold every weak pair.
The one adjustment: value bet, do not bluff
Bet your good hands for value on every street and keep bluffs rare. Then bet thinner than you normally would. Top pair with a weak kicker, or even second pair, becomes a three-street value hand here, because worse pairs call bets of 40% of the pot or less about nine times in ten. The goal is to build the biggest pot you can while you hold the better hand.
How to size against a calling station
Size your value bets to the hand you want to get paid by. Top pair and better call almost any flop or turn bet and most pot-size river bets, so bet big when you beat top pair. Weaker pairs call small bets nine times in ten but fold to anything over 70% of the pot, so keep thin value bets small. Do not slow-play to trap them. They are already trapped.
Mistakes that cost you money against a calling station
The two big leaks are bluffing and getting frustrated. When a station sucks out on you, the answer is to keep value betting, not to start firing small bluffs to win it back. Small bluffs only feed them. The other mistake is checking back hands that are still ahead. If you have any pair worth value, bet it, because checking gives up the money they were ready to pay you.
What they will do
- Call small bets on every street with any pair or draw
- Call down with middle pair against bets up to 70% of the pot
- Bet a third of the pot on the river with a missed draw
What they will not do
- Bluff-raise the river
- Fold top pair to a normal-size bet
- Three-bet anything weaker than TT or AQ
Quick tip: If you are not sure whether to value bet against a calling station, bet small. Worse pairs call small bets far more often than you think.
What to practice
Calls small bets too often and holds on to weak pairs against them. Practice getting more value from strong hands.
Practice beating the calling station for real.
Play this exact player type in the arena and drill the adjustment until it is automatic.
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Frequently asked questions
How do you beat a calling station in poker? +
Value bet relentlessly and bluff rarely. A calling station calls bets of 40% of the pot or less with any pair, so thin value bets win and small bluffs lose. Bet big when you beat top pair, and if you bluff, bet over 70% of the pot, the size that folds their weak pairs.
What stats show a calling station? +
A high VPIP with a low PFR. Poker Shark's Loose Passive plays 42% of hands and open-raises about 11% of hands when the pot is folded to it. Its aggression factor is higher than you might expect, because it bets its made hands and missed draws when checked to, but it raises only about 5% of the bets it faces. It folds only about a quarter of the time to a continuation bet of 40% of the pot or less.