Is tight-aggressive the best way forward?

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samijo

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I havebeen playing poker for about a year. I was told that tight-agressive is the best strategy to use to play poker. How much truth is there in that? Anyone with any input on this? :(
 
Rounder13

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Its a good style to play. You also want to be able to change and be loose-aggressive if your table is tight. It all will really depend on the people you are playing.
 
tomh7795

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Its a good style to play. You also want to be able to change and be loose-aggressive if your table is tight. It all will really depend on the people you are playing.

+1.
 
three3y3

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seems to me at full tilt the most profitable style is comlete retardation/luckbox...
 
dj11

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seems to me at full tilt the most profitable style is comlete retardation/luckbox...


+1, +1, +1 lolol

TAG is the basis for a decent to good game, but LAG is necessary at times.
 
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Grinder101

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The more people you're playing with, the tighter you'll have to be. Then again the weaker and tighter the people you're playing with, the looser you can be.
 
Elie_Yammine

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that being said, play tight aggressive when your table is loose agressive, and loose aggressive when your table is tight...
 
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wetyeti

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I've found that learn a TAG style will greatly benefit a newish players game. I've been focusing on TAG for about a year now and have just begun to recognize when and how to open up to a LAG and stay profitable. Of course, being a good enough player to float between styles is the ultimate play style though. You might want to concentrate on a TAG style for awhile until you get confident and then try changing it up.
Just my little blind.
 
Poker Orifice

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seems to me at full tilt the most profitable style is comlete retardation/luckbox...

finally... an explanation.

Haven't found any success with that style myself, but have only tried it on rare occassions & not on Fulltilt... 'yet'.
 
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Skaplun

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play style should vary based on table you are playing on AFTER you've learned how to play ABC poker and a solid TAG style.
 
clover

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This playing style is what works the best for me, and what I feel the most comfortable with. Being a female poker player, I run into a lot of players (both men and women, surprisingly enough) that will play super-aggressive when playing against me, and this style seems to benefit me the most because of that fact. I play 1/2, and many times other players will try to bluff me off of a relatively medium sized pot by making a large bet. So by slow playing my hands, then coming over the top, works extremely well in these scenarios.

Overall, it really just depends on what you're most comfortable with. I would say each style has their own benefits to them, with the exception of being too tight.
 
Dreams of Tragedy

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yes...yes....and yes when i play MTT I only play about 12% of the time untill get close to the end where there about 3 people , then I play alittle bit more about 20% of the time...I been told i been way to tight at 12% but if it works ....it works
 
et1961

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seminar with Phil Gordon

I recently had the privalege of attending a seminar given by Phil Gordon. He definitely hold on tightly to the tight aggressive style. However, I don't aggree with everything he said. He is dead set against limping in on a hand. He claims that he will never do that. In most cases I aggree with him, but I feel that limping into a pot is the best play in a very select situations. What's your opinion? Do you aggree with Phil?
 
NoWuckingFurries

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I recently had the privalege of attending a seminar given by Phil Gordon. He definitely hold on tightly to the tight aggressive style. However, I don't aggree with everything he said. He is dead set against limping in on a hand. He claims that he will never do that. In most cases I aggree with him, but I feel that limping into a pot is the best play in a very select situations. What's your opinion? Do you aggree with Phil?
I was playing in the Hubble freeroll last night and people were playing ATC, then somebody limped with a pair of aces and took about four people out of the tournament that went all-in with nothing. He was really criticised for limping in with a pair of aces, but actually I thought it was a very effective strategy in that situation, and have subsequently used it myself at tables where people are willing to play any old rubbish.
 
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tight aggressive is more of a foundation, There are different ways to profit in different situations. Straight forward poker (tight aggressive, no tricky plays or check raises) is a good way to start. Play good hands and play the odds. But in order to reach you will need to be able to play loose aggressive (which involves a lot more hard decision) and hard decisions is where you f up and lose money.... I dont think loose aggressive should be used as a foundation or basic style...meaning when you first sit down at a table and have no idea how anyone plays i dont think loose agressive is the way to go... i thihnk it should be used more to exploite people... and you cant to that until you know how they play, and what type, what hands they will call with, and what situations they will fold
 
Tygran

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Yeah what Billy said...

basically everyone who wants to take poker seriously needs to understand a good, solid, fundamental TAG approach to the game.

If you ever want to be a good LAG... you need to know how to think like a TAG... You can be at least a decent TAG without fully understanding a LAG thought process.
 
jazzaxe

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The biggest benefit of TAG is the image you present to the other players. You can pull off a big bluff once in a while when the other players figure you for the nuts. Switching gears really does pay. Whether you are tight or loose, you still have to be aggressive. A lot of players fold too much and the aggro player can take pots without the better hand.
 
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well of course everything is a matter of adaptation, so it really depends, if your table is very tight, you can loose up a little bit, but if they're extremely agressive, tighten up is a pretty good idea, you have to feel what style is more likely yours and how the table are playing
 
c9h13no3

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Go on PTR, almost all the biggest winners are tight preflop. There are spots where playing laggy is optimal, but for the most part, tight is right (by far).
 
djkismet

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ive def. learned the benefits of TAG but will lag when everyone else is tight. in regards to the phil gordon topic brought up i highly agree w/ not limping but will on occasion if it seems like the best play in that situation but i do usually not limp and usually stick to the 3 bet theory too to disguise my hand
 
Mortis

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It's best to switch your game up a couple of times during a tournament to throw off opponents. If you continously play tight-aggressive.. people will learn your game, and know when to fold.. thus, giving you a good chance to blind out.

Tight-aggressive is the best way to win pots, and imo, best for cash games.. but for a tournament... switch it up a few times.
 
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samijo

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Thank you everyone for yr input. I have learnt alot from them! I do agree with full tilt being unfair or somewhat rigged. it's a shame because it's the best presented in my opinion. Also i agree with the lady above (Clover) who expressed that women are treated differently by male players on the table a lot of the time. As a woman i have noticed that. That too is such a shame and those who do it should be ashamed of themselves! :)
Wish u all lots of luck on yr future poker endeveaors! Xx
 
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