Aggression

soah · #1 10-12-2005, 12:24 PM

I feel like I play pretty aggressive. I'm certain I'm more aggressive than a typical player (and I have stats to support it). I like to bet. If I have more than four outs I'll bet into any number of opponents on the flop. I take stabs at uncontested pots.

But I don't raise much (postflop). Especially in position. Especially heads up in raised pots. When someone bets a reasonable amount, I just call. If they keep betting on future streets I give them credit for a hand and see how mine compares. If they stop betting, then (usually) I'll start betting for them. Sometimes people will trick me and checkraise. But that's not too much of a threat to me because sometimes I just take a free card with my draws (especially if I have a little something I can showdown unimproved) and sometimes I'll have the nuts. And with a marginal hand I can get away somewhat cheaply after such a display of strength. And against known tricky/aggressive players I can wait until the river to see if they've still checked again. (Players who raise preflop, bet the flop, check the turn, and then check the river again seem to fold far more than what I'd expect... I feel like my river bluffs are completely transparent here, but they have actually been pretty effective.)

So in place of semi-bluff raises, I end up doing a lot of delayed semi-bluffs and other weird stuff like that. Against typical players I still end up picking up quite a few pots when my opponent gives up, but my aggression doesn't really kick in until they have shown weakness. Against LAgs however, I am always on the defensive since they are perfectly willing to fire more barrels at me and my hands are usually marginal. They keep all the pressure on me and I don't put much pressure on them. This is bad.

Discuss.

TheWorstPlayer · #2 10-12-2005, 09:55 PM

I don't know how this got zero responses. I feel like I have a lot to say on this topic, but I have no time to say it right now. But here's a bump. People should discuss this.

mudbuddha · #3 10-12-2005, 10:00 PM

what's a delayed semibluff

orange · #4 10-12-2005, 10:07 PM

you have A4 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]

flop comes : 2 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] 7 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] K [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]
you check/ opponent checks

turn: 3 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]
you bet

I think thats what a delayed semi bluff is?

TheWorstPlayer · #5 10-12-2005, 10:09 PM

More often you have postion, you flat call flop and raise turn. It can be a great play.

mudbuddha · #6 10-12-2005, 10:11 PM

this is asssuming you have cards similiar t o the ones orange presented?

TheWorstPlayer · #7 10-12-2005, 10:13 PM

Yeah, but you don't have to have picked up the gutshot. It can just be calling the flop and then raising the turn with a flush draw or OESD or whatever instead of just raising the flop.

mudbuddha · #8 10-12-2005, 10:09 PM

is that delayed or just pickin up more outs?

mudbuddha · #9 10-12-2005, 10:29 PM

i often check.. then end up raising aggressive players with marginal hands.. usually works. but its not really a planned check raise.. just happens that i want to be in the hand with any pair vs certain lags

FreakDaddy · #10 10-12-2005, 11:06 PM

Good post, although I'm not sure if it was intentional to be vague about what you wanted to 'discuss'.

I used to consider myself a thinking LAG, but after I moved back down limits and started over I thought I'd try a different approach. I got pretty tired of putting myself in difficult situations over and over again, although my initial theory was that it would make me a better poker player (and better read of hands), which I think I did. I'm not btw saying you play LAG.

Any ways, I used to fire barrel after barrel and even into big fields OOP. I don't do that anymore (not saying you do). [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] I've learned to be a lot more patient. I primarily changed my style so that I could play a lot more tables, because to play effective LAG you have to make good reads. If I played more than 3 tabels, my reads were real bad and very reliant on GT+.

Now I play 5 or more tables, and I play great positional poker. I raise a lot with almost any two if there are several limpers in front. I'll raise from the SB and try and get it HU's and bet the flop. I won't bet marginal hands into big fields though, and I tend to call down more often when I have position with marginal-good hands, where in the past I would raise and try and push people off other marginal hands. It's just not a very effective strategy at 100nl/200nl.

As far as LAG's go, if they are thinking LAG's the best thing to do is to come over the top of them pre-flop if possible. Otherwise calling down isn't a bad option against them. I don't think this is weak, it's just good poker. Plus they'll get the picture if you do it a few times. Coming over the top after the flop isn't such a good idea, unless you have a great hand of course.

Unfortunately a lot of LAG's that aren't neccessarily good LAG's like to gamble, so you're going to have to conceed a lot of marginal sitations and let them pick up the small pots while you wait for the big pot. It's not being defensive or weak (which my ego used to tell me it was), it's just smart patient poker.

Ideally you want to be the person putting the pressure on your opponents, but it's not bad poker to wait for good situations and win the big pots against them. At least that's my two cents.

All in all, I actually call A LOT more then I used to. I used to hold to the motto, Fold or raise, only call with monsters. Not anymore however.