I'm not sure how to phrase this but here goes:

Tight/Agressive low limit online poker is boring.

I don't think it's very poker like to multi-table, play tight+, crank up the bets & play your hand instead of the opponent when you get a big hand, then complain in a river rats forum about your AA or KK always getting cracked. I realize that this doesn't describe everyone online or everyone in this forum, but I do feel like tight low limit hold-em strategy is 50% video game flipping between tables, 40% discipline in staying tight and not going on tilt after a bad hand, 5% poker, & 5% other.

Am I being unfair to the tight/multi-tabling limit people out there? When I play live I'm VERY aggressive and like to be the dominant action player at the table. The live game that I play at weekly is tighter than your average online 1/2 game, but not much. I guess my question for this forum is do you think it's possible for a good poker player to play medium tight/agressive to slightly loose/aggressive online and make as much or more money as a good tight/agressive player would?




{Personal schimmata/background below...this post is too long already, but it may change your answers for my situation}
As a bit of a background, I started playing online on 1/2 tables on PP. I did well to start (2-3 weeks worth of playing 2-3 times a week) but found it boring. Instead of multi-tabling at 1/2 like I should have I ended up getting in a groove at the 6-hand 1/2 tables. I did well there when I played well, but with the high varience and my tendency (at the time) to watch TV, surf the web, & go on tilt while sitting at a fast-paced game sent me spiraling down pretty quickly. I also came to the realization that I could very easily become addicted to poker and decided that I didn't want that to happen.

All this was about 6 months ago and took around 6 weeks and cost me $50+my bonus. It was a good introduction to online poker and since then I've read a ton online, finished a couple more poker books, & made a plan to myself to only play for real money if I first lay out my goals, plans, bankroll, means for not getting addicted, & other. I've also gotten addicted to Omaha since then and my ultimate goal will be working up to a mid-limit PLO8 game.

What's bugging me now is that I'm convinced that I could make money multi-tabling with tight/low limit hold 'em strategy, but I'm not convinced that I want to. Before I finish my 'online poker contract' with myself I need to figure out how I'm planning to play & WHY I want to play. Right now I think part of the solution is that I'll play more NL than limit. I'm better suited for it and feel that my skill is about equal between the two. I still haven't figured out how tight I should be, though.

You may be a great poker player, but I think the most important factor in winning in the long term is discipline.

I know that when I deviate from my "winning" strategies due to a desire to play hands rather than because it's the right thing to do I'm gambling and losing any edge I have.

Originally Posted by Steve-O

will you win as much as a tight aggressive player? the answer is no.

but if playing tight aggressive makes your mind wander or causes tilt then a looser strategy is the most beneficial for you.

what is the point of playing tight aggressive if you don't play your A game? someone playing their A game using a semi-loose/aggressive strategy will do better than someone playing their c game using a tight/aggressive aproach. Somedays I play much looser than others, it really depends on my mood. Do i know it isn't the "optimal" strategy? Of course I do, but it is the optimal strategy for me on that given day

I don't agree with that first sentence, each table requires different play to win the most, "tight-agressive" isn't the optimal play.

There are some times when loose passive play worth, times when loose agressive play works. I am not saying I am a master at any of them (or even good).

If you have a moron that raises everytime it is checked to him, no point in being agressive and drive him out of the pot.

Originally Posted by Steve-O

but if playing tight aggressive makes your mind wander or causes tilt then a looser strategy is the most beneficial for you.

what is the point of playing tight aggressive if you don't play your A game? someone playing their A game using a semi-loose/aggressive strategy will do better than someone playing their c game using a tight/aggressive aproach. Somedays I play much looser than others, it really depends on my mood. Do i know it isn't the "optimal" strategy? Of course I do, but it is the optimal strategy for me on that given day

This is a great point. Just to clarify a few things, I definately am aware of my tendencies to get into the flow of a table and loosen up too much. It's actually one of the reasons why I now want to play Omaha almost exlusively. I'm a super-tight Omaha player pre-flop and just trust my experience, position, theories about fish, & MATH MATH MATH to work out the post-flop play. I think I know and consistently play play my A game in Omaha, but I don't know exacly where my A game would be in Hold em and more importantly if it would make money.

Originally Posted by Irexes

You may be a great poker player, but I think the most important factor in winning in the long term is discipline.

Amen. I don't consider myself to be a great poker player but I agree wholeheartedly that discipline is key. That's why I don't play for money and won't until I'm ready to be more disciplined about it.

Originally Posted by bboy

I disagree with your entire post. The reason why people are T/A is not because they are playing so many tables that they have to stay tight. It is because T/A is the best (yes, Marm's exceptions) playing style. Read Small Stakes Hold'em. It tells you exactly why T/A is the best style.

Ponder. I reread my OP and don't see that I said that T/A wasn't the best playing style. What I did say is that I think it is boring and questioned if one could be as successful with a looser strategy. I know that people aren't T/A because they're multi-tabling. The wonder of the internet allows for T/A play while maintaining action and a high $/hr rate simply because of the number of hands played. I'm just questioning if that's poker or if it's a video game.