Thinking LAGs

[DavidC]

Have you guys had any experience with these kinds of opponents?

How difficult is it to beat them?

Do they get most of their edge in large pots or small pots?

[MyTurn2Raise]

look at Schoonmaker's psychology of poker

Hate to be totally ignorent but what does LAG stand for exactly and what does TAG mean.

[Chris Daddy Cool]

[ QUOTE ]
Hate to be totally ignorent but what does LAG stand for exactly and what does TAG mean.

[/ QUOTE ]

LAG = loose and aggressive player (whatever that means)

TAG = tight and aggressive player (whatever that may mean as well)

[Ninth Path]

In my opinion, I think only tight-passive players who are under bankrolled are scared of LAG's...personally I seek them out. They put everyone on tilt but me, and create huge pots. You do need to give them some credit though if they're thinking...they can be dangerous when they have brains...I believe it's the 2nd most profitable style after TAG...(I might be wrong...tight-passive could be more profitable...girlfriend asleep in the bedroom with the books or I'd check).

[netnode]

I give you one good advice:

Once you flop a monster (AA or KK) and chase a LAP into a raising war, slow down on river if you haven't improved. If they capped also the turn it's likely that they have at least crappy 2 pair. Despite your redraw to better two pair/set (8 outs), you're an underdog in that situation and it is better to just check-call.

They may have a gambling problem but they are not idiots.

I wish you nice gaming!

[rmarotti]

Play with me. Find out.

[brazilio]

[ QUOTE ]
Play with me. Find out.

[/ QUOTE ]

You don't think, fish.

[rmarotti]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Play with me. Find out.

[/ QUOTE ]

You don't think, fish.

[/ QUOTE ]

DOH!

[Harv72b]

[ QUOTE ]
Have you guys had any experience with these kinds of opponents?

[/ QUOTE ]

This depends on how you define "thinking LAG". If you're talking about a guy playing maybe 30% of his hands but playing them all very smart aggressive, then I've run into maybe 1 or 2 in a year + of playing poker seriously. I generally didn't get involved in a pot with them unless I was holding a hand that had immediate showdown value (a premium ace or pocket pair), unless of course there were many other players in the pot.

If you're talking about your average run of the mill maniac who happened to check/fold the flop a few times when you flopped a monster, those are more common in small stakes games. And they generally aren't thinking--it just so happened that he flopped absolutely nothing on those few occasions, and he knows enough not to call a bet on an A72r flop when he's holding J6s. Against these opponents, I isolate liberally with any hand that I'd play if there weren't a raise preflop (I basically ignore whatever action he makes preflop and play like I would if he didn't exist at the table).

[ QUOTE ]
How difficult is it to beat them?

[/ QUOTE ]

Not to be a smartass, but it depends on how good you are postflop. If you decide to cap the flop & turn with AK UI against them, it's pretty difficult to beat them. If you play smart poker pre- & postflop, it's a little more difficult to make money against them than it would be against a loose/passive, but still very doable.

[ QUOTE ]
Do they get most of their edge in large pots or small pots?

[/ QUOTE ]

Small pots, easily. Most players will (correctly, for the most part) just say "small pot" and fold to a bet on a Q67 flop when they're holding, say, AT. By betting every flop, particularly when the pot is small, they are putting pressure on their opponents to make a hand--and it's actually pretty tough to make a pair in hold'em. So LAGs tend to win a lot of small pots, a few really big pots when they lay a bad beat on someone, and lose a ton of medium-sized & a good number of big pots when they try to outraise someone holding a monster.

[paperboyNC]

You have to resist the temptation to showdown hands like AK unimproved against LAGs.

If they make you go on tilt, you are better off leaving the table and joining a new one.