Loose and Aggressive - Hands to Do It With

[Magician]

Hi,

Tried being loose and aggressive again - achieved some success by timing my moves better.

However, here's one hand I'd like to know if the bluff was good enough or if I should have attempted it with overcards at least.

$20 + $2 Sit 'n Go, I'm on the button with 33, it's been folded to me, I've got about 1,800 chips. Blinds are $75/$150.

I raise to 400. SB folds. BB calls.

Flop is 8 9 T (two of a suit). BB checks. He has 900 chips left. I move him in for the rest of his stack.

He calls and flips over Q8o - I'm amazed he calls with that but now I wonder if this move I made is better with say KJo rather than 33 since I'd have outs if called.

I'm believing Fnurt and Kurn in that loose and aggressive is the way to go if you want to reach the promised land in tournaments - I played that way in a multi-table tournament and I stole more than 30 pots in just 130 or so hands and quintupled my stack while getting into only one coin flip (and even that coin flip amounted to what at the time was 1/3 of my stack). In that tournament I raced to the top 5 but busted out on one steal in which I wasn't even a big dog - I moved in on another big stack from the SB with QJs and he called (I think it was a questionable move for him) with 88. If I win that coinflip, I become chip leader from an original field of 400.

So to sum it up - I am coming to believe loose and aggressive does work best for these freezeouts - I'm tired of just sitting and waiting for cards and achieving mediocre results anyway.

[Guy McSucker]

I think you're spot on here. 33 isn't the worst hand to steal with since you'll have no problem laying it down to a reraise, but you do have a problem if you're called, because you're almost never going to like the flop.

I think you were right to go for a bet on the flop after he checks, and yes I'm amazed he called. Never mind.

Biggish cards are what I like to have when stealing. Two cards 8 or bigger will do: these are the kinds of hands that likely have outs if called because they can hit a pair and win.

By the way, I'm not sure that "making moves and steals" is really the same as "playing loose", although I see what you mean.

Guy.

[PuppetMaster]

Playing tight-aggressive allows you to make raises and semi-bluffs WITHOUT being reraised.

I am alot more liekly to push all my chips in on a reraise to a loose player then a tight player, even if I myself have nothing; I know the loose player is bluffing.

By playing loose you set yourself up to eb bluffed at more often.

The whole strategy from what I understand is that you will get your made hands paid off, if you are a good poker player you can achieve this anyways without playing loose.

Tight-Aggressive will get the money, ecspecially in SNG's.

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

By playing loose you set yourself up to eb bluffed at more often.

So you'd rather bluff someone who's *less* likely to lay down a hand?

[fnurt]

Considering this was a button steal I have no problem with the way you played it. Tough luck that he hit a pair, and tough luck that he called.

I'm certainly not the high priest of the church of loose-aggressive, so don't get me wrong. I do believe that it's worth throwing in a few $20 calls in the early stages of a tournament to try and hit a big hand. In general though, I want to avoid putting my stack at risk in marginal situations, until the blinds get higher and you have no choice but to play poker.

[PuppetMaster]

No. Id rather bluff someone who I *Know* doesnt have anyhting. Remember I'm talking check raise here, which essentially ruins the loose agressive player's game.

[PuppetMaster]

Playing hands than can hit big, such as pairs and suited connecters is a pausible strategy. I am not sure if that qualifies you for loose-aggressive though. When I think loose aggressive I think about players I face regualarly who I know will bet no matter what if I check it to them. They are always trying to steal and their startegy only works if they hit a big hand in the right situation. I think its a losing propostion overall.