Aggressive poker player strategy - how to beat it

While poker is a game of strategy and composure, more and more players are trying their hand with an aggressive poker strategy. It can be intimidating to play against aggressive poker players but with enough knowledge, you can successfully beat them at their own game!

How does an aggressive poker player strategy play out?

When playing Texas Holdem poker, an aggressive poker strategy can be an effective way to win. Most aggressive poker players use a strategy where they bet and raise when they have an advantage over their opponents. 

While it can be easy to spot aggressive poker players, this type of poker strategy does not simply involve betting and raising every time. It is a tactic wherein you have better cards, a better position, or just when you know you have a better poker ability than the other players at the table.

Aggressive poker players are usually calm and collected while they wisely pick spots to make bets and raises. To learn how to beat aggressive poker players, you must first understand how they act in different scenarios.

Top pair top kicker

If the flop comes as a K♠, 10♥, and 7♥ when an aggressive poker player has a top pair top kicker such as A♦ and K♣, they will most likely make a raise to protect their hand. They will bet enough to give you the wrong pot odds to call so you won’t see another card that could potentially improve your poker hand and make it better than theirs.

Buying position

Using aggression to buy position means forcing the opponents out of the pot during the pre-flop betting round. It means that an aggressive poker player would be the last one to act for the rest of the hand. 

This gives them the edge against you or any player who calls after the button. The more opponents aggressive poker players can force out of the hand acting after them, the better their position will be.

Earning free cards

Once aggressive poker players are spotted at the table, you are more inclined to check with them instead of betting to see how they react to the hand before you react with your tactic. Due to this, you tend to avoid betting mediocre hands for fear of being raised off.

However, they can still get an edge over this if they flop a flush or a straight draw. When you check to induce a bluff, it earns them a free card, which means they can see the next card without having to call a bet so they can try and complete their draw.

Getting paid off

When playing against aggressive poker players, you are less likely to give them credit for their hands as the game progresses. You know they can't always have the best hand every time they bet and raise so you tend to call them down to catch them when they’re bluffing.

However, this can backfire when they counter it by calling with your own hands instead of raising and betting. To stay in the game, it is crucial to be mindful and aware of the times when aggressive poker players are trying to trap you.

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What is a tight aggressive poker play and how to beat it?

Tight aggressive poker (TAG) players are perceived as the strongest poker players due to their tactic of keeping control over the number of hands they play. Moreover, they only stay in a hand when they are certain they have strong cards.

A TAG play can be broken down into two parts:

• They are tight players because they only play when they hold a good hand.
• They are aggressive because they raise rather than call when they finally get themselves into action.
  

It means they are picky with all their hands then go hard when they hit the hands they need. Most tight aggressive poker players wait for strong starting hands, put in raises with those who raise before they move with strong hands following the flop.

Here are some ways on how to beat tight aggressive poker players:

• The simplest way to counter a TAG play is to fold whenever they start betting. There’s nothing wrong with forfeiting if they already have a strong hand.
• Go against them using a loose aggressive poker play. It allows you to play a wider selection of hands to make them doubt their strength.
• Take advantage of your position on the table. It is easier to read players who bet earlier since their bets are likely to show the strength of their hand.
• Beat them at their own game and raise pots to scare them off if they have a weak hand. If they raise you, you can also just fold since it could mean they have a very strong hand.
• Bet them off the pot. TAG poker players avoid betting when the flop includes low cards and just wait for a higher and stronger hand.
  

What is a loose aggressive poker play and how to beat it?

Despite what the name suggests, loose aggressive poker (LAG) players are more offensive with their gaming style and have more hands compared to TAG poker players. 

Pressure makes this tactic play out more fruitfully. This is because it focuses on finding spots where each extra hand added is a positive expected value (+EV) after considering the mistakes their opponents will make. 

A loose aggressive poker player takes advantage of the player position to leverage folds. Their opponents have a hard time finding out if they are strong or weak in the preflop and if they are betting with a pair, set, draw, or on a bluff after the flop. 

• Preflop tactic - A LAG poker player is always focused on putting pressure on every edge. They start adding more hands a little earlier than others and add even more hands from the cut-off and button position, easily stealing about 60%.
• Postflop tactic - LAG play gives a gambler edge when their opponents are folding too often. They also put pressure on players’ ingrained threshold of pot size per hand strength to get more folds. 
  

Here are some ways on how to beat loose aggressive poker players:

• If you spot a LAG player in the big blind and they have been three-betting you throughout the game, avoid raising to avoid playing in a bloated pot with a weak hand.
• Slowplay your strong hands in the preflop so you can call a three-bet with strong pairs such as aces, kings, or queens.
• Use their starting hands to your advantage by bluffing them. Use the occasional check-raise bluffs when you notice them giving up on a hand when faced with aggression. You can also four-bet bluff a constant three-bettor especially if you have a tighter image.
  

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General tips on how to beat aggressive poker players

• Let them take the lead in betting. Let them bluff and bet for you especially if you have a strong hand so they will keep throwing chips in the pot.
• Put on a “weak hand” act. It can be betting a small wager or checking in spots to induce a bluff.
• Open up your value range, but you should know which aggressive poker player you are up against before doing so. This is because hands such as an Ace-Jack offsuit, King-Queen, or a middle pocket pair are valuable against a loose aggressive poker player but ineffective against a tight aggressive poker opponent.
  

Do remember that all of the mentioned tips should be used wisely and in moderation. If you overuse a tactic, your gameplay will be easier to read and your opponents will eventually call your bluff. This can lead to having aggressive poker players target you throughout the session. 

Last but not least, we recommend practising poker so you can practice your gameplay and learn to beat different kinds of poker players when you encounter them!

Words by: Maria Ramos