TAG or LAG ?

A

ahmshere

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Good morning everybody ! I've been always wondering why the players who play a lot of hands have a big castle of chips in front of them everytime... I used to be a TAG type of player but everybody from the table avoided me when I raised ... Beside this, I was making very small profit and sometimes none.. And also those LAG players were so unpredictable ... It is also believed that playing more hands helps you to get experience much faster than being TAG... What do you think , which can be more profitable in the long run TAG style or LAG style ?
 
starting_at_the_bottom

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A good LAG will be more profitable than a good TAG

A bad LAG will lose moe than a bad TAG

To be a good LAG you need to be good at hand reading, this isnt as essential for a TAG as you will usually have the best hand if you are betting. Dont try to be a LAG unless you are a winning TAG, which you are not by the sounds of it.
 
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I think that depends also on the level you play. It's difficult to play the LAG on the micros, because they are calling with everything.
 
rock0001

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A good LAG will be more profitable than a good TAG

A bad LAG will lose moe than a bad TAG

To be a good LAG you need to be good at hand reading, this isnt as essential for a TAG as you will usually have the best hand if you are betting. Dont try to be a LAG unless you are a winning TAG, which you are not by the sounds of it.


this. i try to play LAG most of the time however on a loose table with players calling with almost any hand you should play more tight. also you need to know which players you can exploit with a LAG game and those who will call you with anything, otherwise you are going to lose lots of money with these strategy.
 
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chloebrand

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Sorry guys, had a brain fart, loose aggressive vs tight aggressive. I would almost always say TAG, but it depends on your bank roll. Most loose aggressive players, can afford to take a hit here and there, and primarily try to bluff you out of hands.
 
Mr Sandbag

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Neither. And both. Unless you have some info ahead of time about what the game's lineup will be (like in a home game for instance), you shouldn't really know how you're going to play. Your style in a particular game should be the result of adjustments you've made based on the players at the table and your image.
 
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RegiTime

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I don't think we need to be pigeon holing ourselves as anything.

Just try to play a fluid style that is capable of assessing individual tables an their different dynamics quickly and be capable of making the necessary adjustments before it's too late.

For example, at one table, you may have the weakest player to your direct right, in which case, your stats should resemble LAGgish stats as you should be isolating with a wide range to make the most of this good situation.

At another table, the weakest player might be two seats to your left, which means you're frequently going to be out of position to the weak player and have less isolation opportunities meaning we should be playing a stronger range at all times to alleviate our positional disadvantage when we're in pots with him/her.

I regularly get asked "what vpip/pfr should I be aiming for" and my answer is always the same and very simple. Don't aim for anything in this respect. Just aim to play situations as well as you can and the stats will take care of themselves.
 
Dorugremon

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Good morning everybody ! I've been always wondering why the players who play a lot of hands have a big castle of chips in front of them everytime...

Two words: confirmation bias. These situations stick out, but you forget all the times these fish rebuy and rebuy after they lose and lose. Take a good look at how they're actually playing. Most of the time, they're luck boxing it and sucking out with the worst hands. Look out for good LAGs, these players can "train" their opponents into calling lighter and lighter as their own ranges grow wider, but not so wide as their calling ranges. Don't fall for that.

I used to be a TAG type of player but everybody from the table avoided me when I raised ... Beside this, I was making very small profit and sometimes none..
That's not a TAG, that's a nit. If this is how they play you, then make the most of it and rob them blind, at least until they begin to figure it out. Nothing wrong with picking up dead money.

And also those LAG players were so unpredictable ... It is also believed that playing more hands helps you to get experience much faster than being TAG... What do you think , which can be more profitable in the long run TAG style or LAG style ?
That's just a way to go broke faster. Rather than play more hands, pay attention to what the others are doing while sitting out pots. That's the best time to practice hand reading, look for tells, especially bet sizing tells, and see what they're showing down. See who's calling with lone pairs, who never seems to show up on the river without less than two pair or better, who's nut peddling, how they react to raises. This pays off when you get a hand you like.
 
kasper447

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I think beginners should start with a TAG style. They need to be as aggressive as lags only slightly less. Do not think about the style of the Arab League, until you start to read the hands of opponents at least average. If you're on the turn or river will not be enough to reliably read the opponent's hand, then you're not ready.
 
Karozi615

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A good LAG will be more profitable than a good TAG

A bad LAG will lose moe than a bad TAG

To be a good LAG you need to be good at hand reading, this isnt as essential for a TAG as you will usually have the best hand if you are betting. Dont try to be a LAG unless you are a winning TAG, which you are not by the sounds of it.

100% agree with this. Being a winning LAG basically just means your the most comfortable player postflop in a deep stacked cash game and your prepared to regularly out think your opponents.
 
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It doesn't really matter. If you play the optimal style against the other players at the tables styles you will come out of it better. If you are at a mostly loose table then play tighter. If you're at a really tight table play looser. Then on top of this look for opportunities when you get to play with only tight players at a loose table etc....Playing either TAG or LAG all the time only makes you transparent to anyone who's paying attention
 
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Google your question to get a unbiased opinion.See what strategy is currently favoured. poker sites are inundated with preferred stratagy's. most importantly play the game you are most comfortable with and slowly adjust when you feel you understand the strategy you would like to employ and the goals you are aiming for. The best strategy for you is the one you are most comfortable and confident with. Everybody has to learn long term losing strategy's before they can implement winning stratagy's. good luck
 
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Good morning everybody ! I've been always wondering why the players who play a lot of hands have a big castle of chips in front of them everytime... I used to be a TAG type of player but everybody from the table avoided me when I raised ... Beside this, I was making very small profit and sometimes none.. And also those LAG players were so unpredictable ... It is also believed that playing more hands helps you to get experience much faster than being TAG... What do you think , which can be more profitable in the long run TAG style or LAG style ?

Playing LAG can be very profitable. I personally have gone back and forth on styles. If you have a lot of experience and good hand reading and villian reading skills it can be very profitable but keep in mind even a good LAG will run into some crazy variance. I personally prefer playing TAG but will make adjustments based on the table dynamics (stack sizes, position vs different villian types and of course taking advantage of places I can exploit them.)
 
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As a poker player, you should be able to take what the tables gives to you.

If it gives a loose passive field, ABC TAG is the best, imo. Value bet TPTK three streets, don't ever play out of position unless you have strong showdown value, charges drawing players and generally avoid hands marginal situations.

On a tight passive field, I mix up on Sit and Go's - loose late position, tight early position, harassing the blinds, donk betting a lot. Six max cash games i go LAG all the way. Betting is a massive number of times +EV against a tight passive field 6-max.

When you are facing more aggressive fields, it's safe to say two things: 1 - you'll become a losing player if you aren't able to understand most of the things needed to be a good LAG (capable of analysing situations, making proper use of position, forward thinking, put people on hands and ranges); 2 - You still should play TAG until you have strong image and information against the people you are playing, you'll loose up then and then worry about winning money intead of not losing.
 
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shanebob123

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I prefer a strong Tag when shortstacked and and lag when im up 50 or more big blinds.
 
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TAG is safer for beginners and works well vs callers - your card advantages are substantial vs weak ranges. LAG is much more difficult, and is more profitable in a fold rich environment.
 
Lostmyhouse

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It all depends on the table. Like Phil Ivey says.
 
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Wouldn't say I'm anywhere near an expert, but if you're aware of your table image, you can switch up the way you play depending on the way people view you (e.g. loosen up occasionally in late position if you're worried about predictability). That way you can be more unpredictable even if you're playing quite a TAG style. It has been mentioned earlier in the thread, but its not just LAG or TAG in a black and white sense, it's a spectrum.
 
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This thread is pretty old - but whatever it was already bumped so.


TAG: If you're playing tight aggressive you will naturally have better hands when you hit since you have better cards to begin with. You do make yourself easier to read for the most part, but not by as much as you would think unless you're playing old man poker. The big downside is that you'll probably not be able to get as much value for big hands as a LAG player since everyone should be aware that you're tighter and probably have it on boards where they have 3rd nuts or something.


LAG: You'll have a lot of room to "play poker" and get people to call you looser. You'll be able to go for draws a bit more aggressively without raising a ton of suspicion.

Obviously one play style will be a bit better against different opponents. Usually "tight is right" in tournaments and full ring where LAG will be a bit better on 6 max or sngs, at least in my opinion.
 
deceptionist99

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I say thinking in terms of being a lag or tag is just terrible. I'm a predator I will play against my opponents strategy and adjust accordingly, though playing tight until I've picked up some reads is optimal.
 
crazyforchips

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TAG ftw. But you need to mix it up so people cant know for sure what you hold.
 
limpnfold88

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in a full ring cash game against bad players, TAG is always more profitable, since bad players never fold. In a game with a lot of good players, LAG might be the better option.
 
crazyforchips

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Oh and btw, use HUDs guys when you play the cash games. Actually, use a HUD whenever you play online poker. It helps you identify what kind of opponents you are facing and it helps you keep track of your bad plays, ROI, and what not. It is a worthwhile investment. I got Holdem Manager 2 with the leak buster plugin thingy (before anyone asks) and I buy hand histories from hhsmithy.com every month to help me be on top of my game! If you wanna do all this long term, you got get serious.
 
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