Let's say we know that our opponent has experienced a hot tilt, and he wants to play a high-variance game. What tactics could we use against him? Should we just play our style and let him deal with his own mess, or should we try to start min-raising and force him to play in a low-variance environment?
First, we need to consider an important question. Why did your opponent tilt? If you can find the reason for the tilt, you can take full advantage of the situation. It's important to understand that even when tilted, your opponent still thinks somewhat rationally. He still plays according to his values, but now his values have changed. Thoughtful play and the desire to achieve the highest possible +EV are now replaced by the desire to increase variance and achieve the maximum number of wins or at least vent his anger. You need to ask yourself: “What are my opponent's values right now?” And once you figure them out, you need to give him the opportunity to achieve those values.
What does this mean? It's the simplest thing in the world. When you play against someone who has tilted, that someone starts to scatter in all directions and eventually leaves the table. You might not even notice it or think, what's the difference, but there is a difference. It's a missed opportunity. When an opponent tilts, you want him to continue playing with you in that state. And to achieve that, you need to understand how and why he tilts and how to keep him that way.
For example, you know that the opponent wants to maximize variance, his tilt is hot, so he 3-bets 50% and it shows that he bets the pot or check-folds on the flops. So the opponent's goal is to maximize variance. Most players, adapting to the situation, would start min-raising if he keeps 3-betting into min-raises. Such actions create deeper SPR (stack-to-pot ratios) post-flop, and people think these will be the main advantages of this situation. And that's a big mistake because a tilted opponent will quickly leave the table if you start doing that. But because they are usually not sure if the opponent really left because of that or if he would have left anyway, most players will miss the opportunity to outplay the tilted player and think they did everything right.
A wise player knows that you need to give the tilter what he wants. The moment you play with a tilted player, you create a symbiotic relationship with him. Now you exchange values. You give him what he wants (variance, a chance to break even, a journey to breaking even), and he gives you what you want – EV. Ultimately, he doesn't even need to tilt against you. He can go play at another table and tilt there, go play roulette, or just punch a wall. If that's what your opponent wants, your job is to be all those things – his roulette table, his punching wall, or anything else he wants. If you fulfill his wishes, he will continue playing with you.
What does this look like in practice? If the opponent wants to maximize variance by 3-betting you 50%, let the variance increase. Narrow your openings, play bigger pots, and increase the pace of the game. Instead of min-raising 95% from the button, make a normal 3x raise 75%, expand your 4-betting range, and play faster. This will make the opponent think the game is moving forward and that he can achieve the variance he desires faster. When the game speeds up, the increased number of folds no longer bothers the opponent. Playing this way, there is a high chance that the opponent will continue playing, and if he does leave, you will know you did everything you could.
Remember, if a player has chosen a suboptimal strategy, there is more than one way to exploit him. Your chosen method should initially be measured by whether it fulfills the tilted opponent's wishes and only then by how much value it gives you. You definitely don't want to choose the most banal tilt “feeding” strategy. Agree, it would be foolish to 5x raise every time from the button just because the opponent wants more variance. However, the essence remains that you need to give the tilter what he wants. The customer is always right.
