I know this is the old cliche that you should play tight and aggressive but i dont think it really works at all. I make my money in ring games by trap checking and calling in NL hold'em. All the players i`ve seen who play this t & a game end up winning small pots and losing big ones.

Say you have AK and you get a rag flop.... i`ve read numerous books and sites where it says to just "gamble" and start throwing your chips around. even in super system 2 where Doyle says to "get in there and gamble". I think its just a big misnomer that pro`s say its the way to play because it keeps them at the top and the rest of the players playing hands with no chance of winning.

Everytime i`ve attempted to play aggressively i`ve lost ...mainly due to the lack of decent starting hands and everytime i play the way that is frowned upon, except in games like omaha where you call and check alot i make a decent amount of money....

any thoughts?

yep... where do you play?

In NL tight aggressive wins. You have to be careful what you mean by TA. Throwing in loads of chips preflop and overbetting over cards isn't what its about.

To extract maximum value from TPTK you have to bet on all streets. I believe Marm and myself have just had our post flop aggression widely advertised as 3.5 ish. It is that figure for a reason.

Top pair (not even with TK) makes more money for a good player than any other hand. Simply because it occurs more often.

In limits where ppl will pay you off - waiting to trap or going all in preflop with AA is profitable and this kind of passive play will keep you afloat.

Of course if your playing premium cards in the correct position simply by checking in and hoping for payoff. An accomplished player will simply fold to you and hit your blinds at every opportunity. Are you really going to fold JT os on the BB one on one just because the guy behind you has made a raise?

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See me playing $10/$20NL like it was play money

http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?...405&q=xxdemexx

Doberman: "but Sarge, isn't poker gambling and just luck?"
Sgt. Bilko:" not the way I play it"

haha .. well you make some good points. My problem with TA is that when i hit the TPTK and say theres two suited cards on the flop or a str8 draw i`m reticent to bet it....perhaps the evolution of the poker player does lead to TA...
I know most of what i need to know about poker, math, odds, position, cards to play how to play certain cards, but i tend to out think myself and play too passively

Sorta off topic but what do you mean when you said you had your post flop agression advertised as 3.5 ish?

OK, tight aggressive is a misnomer. it should be called tight SELECTIVELY aggressive.

just being aggressive, going all in with high card AK, is called being a maniac. being selectively aggressive, getting max value from your good hands while at the same time minimizing your losses with bad hands, is the way to play.

Just because you start with KK doesn't mean you go all in on a flop with an Ace because you need to play aggressively.

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See me playing $10/$20NL like it was play money

http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?...405&q=xxdemexx

Doberman: "but Sarge, isn't poker gambling and just luck?"
Sgt. Bilko:" not the way I play it"

For me, playing agressively means protecting your made hand by cutting draw's odds and steal pots and blinds on good tells or by knowing your oponents well. Raising hard preflop both for value and to protect your hand is also part of it IMO.

I may be wrong, but its my understanding of being tight-agressive.

KJ

Why?
1) Your hand is probably ahead and 2 outa 3 times they're not hitting that flush or whatever draw their on. DOnt give them odds, or in limit Make em pay for it.

2) If its not good, Betting/raising on that flop tells you what they got/think of their hand. This is the key part. What if your p[laying passively like this, and they are too... with a set or boat or str8 or whatever... Then you fall onto your own trap. Bet now while its cheap and you can release.

3) Betting like a nutcase when you do have the goods kinda gives a maniacal image. Of course you won't be doing it that often. But if your capping each street they will drift away from the correct strategya gainst you. They will eaither tighten up and give up some pots to you that they should have played. OR they will go the other way and give you action/re-action. Your aggressiveness puts the test to them and makes them make the errors.

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as as rule of thumb you are wise to ignore flush draws or feel threatened by them. The odds that they are drawing for the flush are small they are about a 1/10 chance of them having the right suited hole cards (if your one on one) AND if they are as, Marm says .. you're still favourite.

You must know how to put down TP

Interesting stat I had from some time back over I think 10 k hands.

I had lost nearly $1k on top pair but had won $1.4 k - The difference was still better than my trips and of course doesn't take intoaccount that TPitself delevoped into twopait, set, straight, flush.

Play out TP or die........

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See me playing $10/$20NL like it was play money

http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?...405&q=xxdemexx

Doberman: "but Sarge, isn't poker gambling and just luck?"
Sgt. Bilko:" not the way I play it"

well i revised my strategy last night to TA when previously i had thought I had been playing TA but had in fact been manical. I was up $16 in the first hour before getting busted out on by a bad beat where my opponent was 100-1.

Since then i have taken 2 things away from these boards that have really helped.

1) the all-in on the river when you have the nuts. I had the nut flush and went all in on the river and got a call, couldnb`t believe it, i`m starting to believe people really are offended by this bullying tactic and get so mad they call you out of spite.

2) the TPTK and raise on the flpop to see where i am. This helps amazingly, sure i`ll have to lay it down a few times when i get re raised big but mostly it pays off.

my EV just went up big time, thanks all.