Aggressive Poker Players

  Most poker players will tell you that the best strategy for winning at poker is tight and aggressive. I agree with this with exceptions. The best poker players know that they must adjust their playing style to the game and the other players at the table. Tight refers to the value of your hand and the value of the cards change with the number of players at the table or in the tournament. The aggressive part of the equation is determined by your opponent’s level of aggression.

  When I am at home and just want to play to unwind from a hard day at work I will play online and find a table with very low blinds. The players at these tables are usually armatures/beginners. In a low stakes game you need to tighten up because if you try to bluff it will not work. The beginner players will call with anything so you should play tighter than normal and only bet when you now you have it, then when they make their loose call you win their chips. However when playing in a sit and go tournament where the blinds go up quickly the best strategy is to loosen up at the beginning when you can get in cheap and win some chips to pay the big blinds later in the tournament.

  The value of your poker hand changes with the number of players. At a table with ten players it is likely that a lot of high cards will be dealt so if you get a pocket pair like 8, 8 unless you hit another eight you are not going to win. When playing heads up a middle pair is a good hand and you should bet on it because the other player will probably have nothing but maybe a high card and will have to either bet on a draw or fold.

  At a table with a super aggressive player I like to let him have my blinds until I have a big hand. Then I use his aggression against him buy slow playing my big hand and let him bet and self destruct. I usually wind up getting everything he took from me and more. On the other hand when playing at a poker table with passive players I bet and take the blinds and then when another player calls my bets I know he has something and I stop betting or fold without giving him too much. The most important part of this strategy is you can’t be predictable, your style must change. When another player gets a read on you they have you beat and will take your chips.

  The cards are not everything you don’t need the best hand to win. Adjusting your game to your opponents will give you the advantage. When they think they are bulling you, really what is happening is you are waiting to go in for the kill. If you are going to play one style the other players will soon catch on and be able to predict what you have and you won’t win any chips. Tight aggressive is the best strategy but how tight and how aggressive is always relative to the particular table that you are at the time.