So picture this. You limp in with 7-7, hoping to flop a set. The blinds limp in behind you. You see two over cards on the flop, which make you hesitant to make a bet. But after you check the blinds check behind you. Another over card to your 7s lands on the turn. With three players in the hand, you think that surely someone has to have some piece of that board. You check. The blinds check. The river is a eight. You check. The small blind makes a min bet. The big blind folds. You wonder if the SB could be betting ace high with some ace-rag hand? It's a small bet and you are holding a pair, so you call. The small blind turns over 5-8. You realize that you were ahead all the way to the river and could have, most likely, taken the pot down with a bet on the flop or turn. You probably could have taken it down before the flop. Surely 5-8 gets folded to a pre-flop raise. How many times has this happened to you?
I've seen so many variations on this scenario. The player with 5-8 flops a straight draw. My third seven lands on the turn, but it completes his straight. And again we have to wonder would he even be in the hand if it had been raised pre-flop.
I get it. I would like to see cheap flops too. But not if it means that half of the table is going to see it with me. That's with any hand. That's why I play a tight/aggressive style. I save a lot of chips by not limping into a lot of pots. So not only do I feel like I can afford to raise, when I do play a pot, I'm less likely to get a bunch of callers because of my tight/aggressive image.
I'm not trying to knock anyone else's play. I'm not saying my way is right or anybody else's way is wrong. But I do believe that a little aggression will win you a lot of pots. Everyone claims that they play tight/aggressive poker. I'm just wondering where the aggression is.