Too Passive vs. Too Aggressive

[DeadManJay]

From the responses that I get on a good bit of my posts it seems like I'm too aggressive in spots that most people wouldn't be. My question is what do you guys consider worse, being too aggressive when you shouldn't or being too passive when you shouldn't? I believe Sklanksy speaks about this in SSH (forgive me if I'm wrong I don't have it with me ATM) and says that its better to be too aggressive and lose a couple of bets than be too passive and lose a whole pot. What do you guys think?

[droolie]

I think it's easier to win at low limits being too passive than being too aggressive. If you systematically spew chips it can be very costly. If you are only aggressive when you likey have the best hand you can still win at a very nice clip. If you bet aggressively but still always have to showdown the best hand to win it can be worse than occasionally losing pots you possibly could have won. It's really a matter of degrees. Being way too aggressive in micros is worse than being way too passive IMO.

[adsman]

I'd have to say that I'd need more information. Too aggressive in the wrong spots can be deadly to your bankroll. But I find that the really passive players just quietly bleed away their money on the fringes of the game. They sometimes come in and then mostly get pushed off their hand by an aggressive player. When they do hit the nuts they almost never get paid off. I'd take too aggressive any day.

[Dead]

[ QUOTE ]
I'd have to say that I'd need more information. Too aggressive in the wrong spots can be deadly to your bankroll. But I find that the really passive players just quietly bleed away their money on the fringes of the game. They sometimes come in and then mostly get pushed off their hand by an aggressive player. When they do hit the nuts they almost never get paid off. I'd take too aggressive any day.

[/ QUOTE ]

[Stuey]

I don't have the answer but I think aggressive play has more advantages. But it must be TIGHT aggressive play.
Here is my reasoning.

Advantages of aggression
1. Buys you outs.
2. Gets you free cards.
3. Improves your table position.
4. Wins you hands without having to showdown.
5. You don't induce bluffs as often.
6. You don't fold winners as you said.


Disadvantages to aggression
1. People will slowplay into you.
2. You need good judgement, experience to get out of bad situations or you pay to much for mistakes.
3. There has to be more but I don't know them. [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

I try to play aggressive but often I get loose and things get ugly. Preflop it is easy to remain tight. But postflop I often think I am being aggressive but in truth I am just chasing. The part of tight aggressive I forget is the folding in marginal situations postflop part.