[diebitter]

(previously posted in the limit->NL forum)

mkay, a solid LAG game is the way to get the most solid winrate per 100 hands. It's not necessarily the best way to earn the highest amount of money per hour, because it typically necessitates actually watching the table, getting reads/patterns/tells on other players, and exploiting the hell out of their tendencies. Solid TAG strategies+ playing as many tables as you can handle may earn you better overall. Lag play is also the fastest way to eat away your BR too, so be aware and beware.

On the downside, playing a ton of tables at once might be okay for you to really get standard plays and situations embedded in your skull, but it will retard your progress to becoming a really good player.


So what's a solid LAG game? Typically, your LAG will have a high VPIP, much higher than 18 say. (I personally run at around 28-32 - with peaks of 80-70 on really nitty tables where I can exploit the hell out of timid TAGS - when playing my full LAG game, but this is probably considered more super-lag), but one thing that differentiates the good Lags from the maniacs is that THEY ARE ONLY LOOSE WHEN THE BETS ARE SMALL. If you want to figure out if a Lag is good or bad, watch him postflop. He'll often be aggressive postflop on any kind of board except maybe a very coordinated one (like monotones), but will simply fold to heat. This really pisses Tags off, who have been waiting patiently for their shot back. If you see a Lag make a mistake and stack off once, that doesn't necessarily mean he's bad, BTW. If he repeats, he's then most likely not a good Lag, make a note and remember what mistakes he makes.

Good LAGs are pretty good at postflop play. They will be watching people, and know the people to fold to, the people to push off, and the people to pot-control. (Lags will bet out often to stop bigger bets, and I'm not talking the piddly little minbets you;ll often see).

Lags are also comfortable extracting money a bit at a time from tight games, and will have a well-developed smallball game. Often the TAGs multitable and try and take big lumps out of each other, while Lags pick up the crumbs which the Tags won't fight over (those multitablers just haven't got the time to micromanage each game at the level required for decent smallball play).

So preflop, Lags will be either calling or raising with a much wider range than usual. Typically, it's going to be connected hands in some way, so probably in order of likelihood for a good LAG: big pairs, big cards (AJ+, KQs), pairs, suited connectors, suited one gappers, Axs. Some rate the Axs higher, and some hate playing KQ/KJ, and prefer hands much less likely to be dominated. To call a raiser, they usually read the raiser's tendencies, his stack size, and the way the board has been playing. Your good Lag more likely to call a raiser if:

- his relative stack is big (ie both the raiser and the Lag have deepish stacks)
- There are other callers in who are likely to come along even with a raise (and sometimes the raiser might be small-stacked, but these others might be deep enough to keep the Lag interested)
- His position is good (how important this is is quite player-centric. Some care a lot, some don't care at all as often they're looking to flop well)
- Favourable conditions of who might be coming behind/number of callers behind (A Lag may call an UTG from the button, but fold the same hand if in UTG+1)
- When the raiser is more likely to be stacked (If a really solid TAG player raises you, you very often just fold, as they're too difficult to extract from)

Notice the last point is very read-dependent. You really need to have watched a player to know this for sure.


Some Lags are aggressive preflop, some are passive. I mix it up personally, but passive is only okay if you're pretty happy with your postflop game. If unsure, aggressive is better, so if you aren't sure, it's best to always open with a raise.