How can you call with that? Pathology, that's how.

I got knocked out of a No Limit Multi last night by a player that made three straight awful calls. Actually two of them were awful, one of them was just bad. That was the only one that I won.

I have 4500 in chips, he has 3000. He raises pre-flop to 500, I go all in with AKs. He calls, with J9s. He catches a 9 on the river.

How can you make that call?

Next hand I go all in with my 1500 left an AQ0. He calls with 44 and I win when I spike a Q on the flop.

I guess he thought I was tilting, and he did have me beat, so this wasn't the worst call in the world.

Two hands later I am all in with J10 and a J on the flop. He calls with 84 and a 4 on the board. He rivers an 8 and I am gone.

Again, he might have thought I was on tilt, but I can't give this moron that much credit.

But why do people make these calls? How can someone be THAT fishy?

I think Party Poker fish have a very specific problem. They have a pathological fear of being bluffed. They would rather lose than be bluffed. A re-raise is an absolute INSULT to their MANHOOD. Re-raising them is like making them put on a dress. They will call with NOTHING, just to prove you cannot push them off a pot.

The most important aspect of bluffing is knowing when you've been busted. If you are going to consistently continue the bluff, EVEN WHEN YOU KNOW YOU ARE BEHIND AND THE OPPONENT CANNOT FOLD, you need to switch games. I understand being aggressive is good, and raising to 500 with J9s isn't the worst play in the world. But when someone comes over the top, voluntarily telling you that he has a good hand, maybe even a monster, and you call, you're a fucking dumbass and you need to find another hobby.

If you are afraid of being bluffed, terrified of laying down the best hand, or play because of "pride" and think that someone is insulting you by playing back at you, you can NEVER be a good player until you get over these hangups.