Adjusting from super LAG play against specific opponents (long)
 

Hey guys...

As a TAG player, it is my tendency to play each and every hand that I am in super-aggressive, and to never relinguish the pot. This is my general strategy for a full table, and generally, it works.

Whenever I am in a hand, I find that I become a super LAG postflop, and will stop at nothing to try and push another off a hand (be it better or worse than my own).

As of late, I have been playing some extreme shorthanded live play with some friends ($25NL, 3-4 handed)- many of them are calling stations and are incapable of making a laydown. They will frequently play for all their chips on top pair/no kicker and crap like that. Shorthanded opens my LAGish tendencies to a higher level, and I can't ever seem to lay hands down

So, my question is, how do you adjust according to your opponents. How can I become less loose/aggressive when it gets down to shorthanded play?

All my strong betting seems so automatic that it is slowly becoming highly unprofitable to play against these extreme calling stations. I will make strong moves at the river, and will usually be called by middle pair.

For instance- I had A7 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] last night on a AK2 all [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] flop. My opponent bets and I raised him all in. This is my tendency- to try and bully him and push him off a better hand (in reality, my opponent held J7 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] and I was drawing dead).

Help me strive away from being too crazy post-flop. I don't know if there are any solutions, but any advice would help.

Re: Adjusting from super LAG play against specific opponents (long)
 

[ QUOTE ]
Hey guys...

it is my tendency to play each and every hand that I am in super-aggressive

[/ QUOTE ]

I would start by dealing with this problem

Re: Adjusting from super LAG play against specific opponents (long)
 

As a TAG player- I am very tight PF at a 10 handed table.

Re: Adjusting from super LAG play against specific opponents (long)
 

Well, you seem to know you are playing badly postflop and have some sense of what you are doing wrong. You need to learn when to be aggressive, when to trap, when to call, and when to fold and then have the discipline to follow through on what you know is the right play.

If you are playing calling stations, you should never bluff or try to "push them off a hand". The only thing you will accomplish by bluffing them is transferring your chips to their pile.

Sounds like you have your ego mixed up in being "super LAG postflop" and this is preventing your intellect from guiding you to the correct decisions.

You should try to take just as much satisfaction from folding at the right time as you do from being aggressive at the right time. Both skills are important, and if you can only do one, you are only (at best) half the player you could be.

Re: Adjusting from super LAG play against specific opponents (long)
 

I agree. Generally, I have no problem adjusting to players and their betting patterns. It just seems when I play one opponent (a certain fellow I've failed miserably at bluffing), I revert back to my old pattern- attempting to run over the weak-tighties.

Thanks for the comments jb, good advice.

Re: Adjusting from super LAG play against specific opponents (long)
 

[ QUOTE ]
Hey guys...

As a TAG player, it is my tendency to play each and every hand that I am in super-aggressive, and to never relinguish the pot. This is my general strategy for a full table, and generally, it works.

Whenever I am in a hand, I find that I become a super LAG postflop, and will stop at nothing to try and push another off a hand (be it better or worse than my own).

As of late, I have been playing some extreme shorthanded live play with some friends ($25NL, 3-4 handed)- many of them are calling stations and are incapable of making a laydown. They will frequently play for all their chips on top pair/no kicker and crap like that. Shorthanded opens my LAGish tendencies to a higher level, and I can't ever seem to lay hands down

So, my question is, how do you adjust according to your opponents. How can I become less loose/aggressive when it gets down to shorthanded play?

All my strong betting seems so automatic that it is slowly becoming highly unprofitable to play against these extreme calling stations. I will make strong moves at the river, and will usually be called by middle pair.

For instance- I had A7 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] last night on a AK2 all [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] flop. My opponent bets and I raised him all in. This is my tendency- to try and bully him and push him off a better hand (in reality, my opponent held J7 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] and I was drawing dead).

Help me strive away from being too crazy post-flop. I don't know if there are any solutions, but any advice would help.

[/ QUOTE ]

I am no expert but predictable play is your downfall. If I am your opponent and I know you are going to bet the pot for me on every round I am going to use your aggressiveness against you an call down medicore hands. Now if you mix up your aggression you are less predictable.

PS Don't mix up weak players with calling stations as they are not the same and totally different types of players and aggression works differently.

Re: Adjusting from super LAG play against specific opponents (long)
 

[ QUOTE ]

As a TAG player...

...I find that I become a super LAG postflop


[/ QUOTE ]

Maybe you just need to decide if you're TAG or not, since you seem quite unsure. You're TAG preflop, but LAG post flop.

THAT IS NOT TAG!

Really, you might as well post, "As a virgin, I only have sex twice a week".

Makes as much sense.

Re: Adjusting from super LAG play against specific opponents (long)
 

When I say LAG postflop, I mean very aggressive. This does not mean I'm a complete maniac, but I will make continuation bets/2 barrel bluffs against specific opponents, and hard betting draws.

It is just hard for me to go from high aggression to a little more passive post-flop.