[Leviathan101]

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Opening up your game in a deliberate and intelligent fashion causes your opponents to open up theirs in a haphazard and impulsive fashion.


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IMHO, this is the key to playing a LAG style.

I play an 28/22 game. I classify my self as a LAG. I win 8.38 PTBB/100.

Stats don't mean [censored]. Play what makes you comfortable and keep an open mind to potential change.

To put it simply, I feel I have a good grasp of hand reading. I take people off weak and marginal hands. I reraise liberally preflop. I bet my draws, and fire the river when I miss. I play aggresively, but I always think carefully.

Honestly, I think being a LAG is all about momentum. Aggresion pays, it's so true. But being a maniac is lighting money on fire. Pick your spots carefully. Poker Tracker is my best friend. Use the stats. Take notes. Pay attention. You can find so many opportunities. You CAN small ball this limit to death, I do it, and also win stacks because of my image as well.

However... just because a LAG is loose doesn't mean he has to call everything preflop. I don't call raises with hands that are easily dominated preflop. I don't like to get involved in pots I don't open because I don't have control of the hand. This means I tend to fold KQ to a raise, because I don't control action, don't want to see an ace flop, don't want them to turn over AQ, etc. Rather I tend to play 97s, and play it smart postflop. I want to play hands where I put pressure on them, not the other way around. Being a LAG also doesn't mean shoving your stack in there at any opportunity. Play smart. Shove your combo draws, your two pairs and sets or whatever else you do. Don't shove because you feel like you have to, to be LAG. You DON'T have to bluff the flop/turn/river. Giving up isn't a crime, it's a critical skill to playing LAG. In many cases their hand range should be so defined that you should just give it up, or on the flip side, should fire at the pot. Spend some time learning the villian's lines, it's so critical.

I know I have a ton of leaks. I tend to call 3 bets too light. That's a huge leak, and one I really need to work out of my system. But being a LAG at 50nl... isn't wrong. It's just different. A TAG game is the standard, but that doesn't mean being a LAG doesn't work. I fully believe that if you are not good enough to beat 50nl, it doesn't matter which you play. LAG may be harder to play, it may not be optimal here, but I can win here, and I'm pretty sure I can win at 100nl. Might be able to go beyond that without any change in my skill at the moment. Don't know, that might be saying too much.

I don't know what else to say. I'm kinda tired.

I play LAG, I win, and I have fun.

Take everything I say with a grain of salt... I know I'm not the best player, far far from it, but I feel that I can crush the micros with my game. Listen to everything with an open mind, and sort everything you learn into worthwhile and bad information. This is the real key to improving.

GL all. See you across the felt.