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  We have all been there, everyone at the table has folded except one stubborn player who seems to be approaching the hand in much the same manner that William Wallace approached York. Formal etiquette and most state laws won't allow you to beat him silly with the pimento loaf, so what do you do in this shorthanded situation?



  Let's imagine a scenario where you are in the late position and he must act first. Most people's first instinct is to call the bet. This keeps you in the hand, and from a certain perspective that is good, but it is a wishy washy response to your opponent's aggression.



  Calling is a fairly common mistake, and it is basically a way of surrendering to the idea that you will both be around at the river. The smarter play is to raise if you have anything that resembles confidence in your cards (or if you have determined that your opponent lacks nerve), or fold and cut your losses.



  There are a few reasons that raising is a good idea. First of all, the only sort of person who likes a player raising them from the late position is probably also the sort that enjoys electrodes attached to very sensitive places. Most people are very uncomfortable with an aggressive player who gets the opportunity to respond to their actions. By raising in this situation, you keep pressure on your opponent. Pressure can create a diamond, but usually it just crushes an object.



  If your opponent has the sort of brain that can calculate pot odds, your unexpected raise may knock the math out of kilter for them, and they may fold based on nothing more than arithmetic. Pot odds are a great thing that can be used both as a carrot and a stick.



  A peripheral benefit of this act is that you are testing your opponent. Information is a valuable commodity, even if it costs you the pot. What you learn about your opponent may mean more pots in the future.