[ILOVEPOKER929]

"The theory is basically this: the more you try and play mistake-free poker, the easier it becomes for your opponents to play mistake-free poker."

I agree 100% with this idea vs thinking players. A simple example of ultilizing this idea would be bet/3betting the flop with a simple flush draw oop in a HU pot. While this play will usually be technically incorrect. The confusion and distrust this kind of basic play creates for later hands is worth a lot more than its tiny cost.

However, against nonthinking bad players just taking the optimal line every time and trying to play mistake free poker is still where the money is at. The reality of poker for most players including me is that most of our income is going to come from these nonthinking bad players, so quite often we should be in this "play straight forward mistake free mode." For me, becuz I always surround myself with fish when I play poker, I seldom have an opportunity to take an "incorrect" line to make more future monies.

"In this hand you have a decision which is fairly close if your opponent plays "perfectly", but is not at all close if the opponent plays imperfectly. So I'd say that the decision is in fact not very close, since we don't know how well our opponent plays."

Jba refers to the villain as a tag. By definition a tag to me is someone who plays well. If he does not play well Jba may say wannabe tag or tagfish or bad tag, etc. Against someone who plays well, the turn play is close.

"Above and beyond that, I would say that erring on the side of aggression in close decisions has metagame benefits that outweigh the increased variance that you must accept."

I dont like erring on any side.

"If I had AT here and you called down to showdown after my turn raise and won the pot with your set of 4's, I would mark you as someone that did not like to gamble and I'd think that would be advantageous for the rest of the session, because I'd take the small amount of profit that you were willing to exchange for reduced variance and make it mine."

The only time I knowingly exchange profit for reduced variance is when I see a mildly profitable table but choose to do something else until a very profitable table develops. Whether I 3bet this turn with 44s or call down it will be becuz I'm convinced its the right play.