How Do You Play Superaggressively?

If you're never called, you can never lose a pot. So if you're employing a super aggressive style, is it a good strategy to just consistently make bets you know people can't call (assuming you know they can't), since most of the time you won't have good cards? Does that mean that you can't value bet? What's your strategy when playing super aggressively?

Pick out the guys that you know won't play back at you and work em, but you shouldnt need to be playing strictly super agressive to do that.

[CardSharpCook]

Aggressive play is defined as (bets+raises)/(checks+calls).

Think about this. Where do folds fit in? Are you a baseball fan? Folds are like walks. They don't count as an "At Bat", but they are an appreciated and necessary part of a hitters repetoire. As a baseball fan, we like to see our favorite take pitches and get walks. Sure, it is better when he hits a HR, but if the pitcher doesn't give him a good pitch, he shouldn't swing at it.

So... Good aggressive poker incorporates a lot of folds. I'm not talking about "great laydowns". If you are an hyper-agro player, you shouldn't be making great laydowns, because players will be playing back at you with far less than the nuts. I mean, you raise 97s PF, the flop rags and the other guy bets out.... you fold!!! It isn't about constantly "putting your opponent to a decision for all his chips" it is about constant pressure. Constant bet bet bet that wears down your opponent and eventually gets him to make a mistake. What mistake? He raises back with nothing and you have TPTK. Or he gets his entire stack in the middle when you have a set. THAT is the benefit of agro play. Part of it is the slow accumulation of tiny pots, but the bigger part is making your opponent make a mistake for his entire stack.

Good post. I like the baseball analogy.

[lotus776]

I'd say that that was an excellent evaluation

[woodguy]

Good Post.

You cannot hammer away at every pot you are in or else everyone will be gunning for you and you'll find yourself trapped eventually.

If you fold where you know you are in trouble, but hammer away when its probable that no one has much, life is much easier.

Regards,
Woodguy

[ QUOTE ]

You cannot hammer away at every pot you are in or else everyone will be gunning for you and you'll find yourself trapped eventually.

If you fold where you know you are in trouble, but hammer away when its probable that no one has much, life is much easier.


[/ QUOTE ]

Of course, this is easier said than done. An extremely skilled superagro gets paid on his monsters, but never pays off a monster. Think Layne Flack when he's feeling frisky, or Tuan Le if he could ever fold.

Very nice post, CSC.

There was a key assumption - you knew they couldn't/wouldn't call. Naturally, hammering away at someone with the nuts or a calling station who'll call you down with 3rd button is dangerous... to say the least.

Good post, but not what I was really asking about. (No disrespect intended. Your posts in the anthology have been especially helpful.)

Question: Is there a place for value betting in super-aggro play, since you don't want people calling you most of the time?

I'm not talking about the instances when your opponent has a monster, but you have a bigger monster, so you can bet however much you want anyways. I'm talking about when the board is J-3-7-K-6, you're checked to, you have AJ, you correctly put your opponent on TT. Normally, a value bet is in order. However, a super-aggro will usually have trash, and thus, does not want to be called, and should not value bet, right?? For his opponents would quickly pick up that he value bets when he wants to get called and doesn't when he's bluffing.

[DeuceKicker]

If I'm understanding your question, the key is to mix it up. You can't overbet the pot every time you don't want to be called, and value bet when you want a call.

Many pros say that the most common mistake rookies make is overbetting their bluffs when a much smaller amount would work, and with less risk.

Are you suggesting that I value bet as a bluff? Isn't a value bet supposed to get called? I don't intend on overbetting the pot, I intend on making uncallable bets. Half the pot may be uncallable, while 1/4 the pot may've been a value bet that would've been called.