Aggression

[PuppyFridayYall]

Aggression, a basic component of No Limit Hold 'Em and many other forms of poker, seems to me to be the key to either making or losing a lot of money. If you're aggressive in the right spots you'll make money. If you're aggressive in the wrong spots you'll lose money. To make the maximum amount of money, you should not only be aggressive in the right spots but also in the right way. For example, you have the nut flush and bet the perfect amount against your particular opponent in order to get him to call. The perfect amount is the maximum that he is willing to call because this amount gives you the most money. Most of the time this amount is very hard to judge. Another example of betting correctly is giving your opponent incorrect odds to draw out on you and yet coax him into calling, somehow.

Basically, I think that mastering something as basic as when to be aggressive and when it pays to be more passive could be one of the few keys to mastering No Limit Hold 'Em since this concept, if used correctly, will make you the maximum amount of money, and if used incorrectly, will cost you dearly.

Okay, so mastering aggression SOUNDS vague. But really, in No Limit Hold 'Em what is aggression? Betting. So if I master 1) when to bet and 2) how much to bet (bet sizing) I will have mastered aggression. 1 & 2 are obviously intertwined and that makes things more complicated.

A few questions:

Am I thinking on the right track?
How do I go about doing this?
Any good threads on this topic?

[DeadMoneySimm]

I think you're on the right track. I would further characterize players as controlled agressors and maniacal aggressors. Obviously, you are trying to be a controlled aggressor.

I would also add into the mix the concept of reading the playing in order to determine when to be aggressive. For example, when a player in late position raises and you know their weak, you call, then check raise on the flop. A lot of learning how to be aggressive is situational. It comes from playing hours and hours and studying players, their patterns and reactions to those situations.

There's a great book on bluffing by Matt Lessinger (I think)... it talks a lot about WHEN to bet. How much is more difficult. Depends on pot size and players likelihood to call, the board's texture, etc. For example. If you flopped an A-hi flush and a loose player has the K, you could probably bet 3/4 of the pot to the whole pot and they'll still call. If they've been know to chase.

There's no way to give a one-size-fits-all answer, but we can send you on the right path.

[Mike Gallo]

Jake,

Looks like you stumbled on to something here.

[AaronBrown]

Unfortunately, people use these words in different ways, so it's hard to tell exactly what you mean.

What you call "aggressive" seems to be what I call "loose," putting a lot of money in the pot. To me "aggressive" can be either loose or tight, and the best aggressive players mix their degree of loose and tight to the situation.

In my definition, "aggressive" means forcing hard decisions on the other players, making them react to you. "Passive" is reacting to other players. In that definition, you always want to be aggressive, you never want to be passive. Aggressive players raise and fold a lot, passive players call a lot.

Your example of calculating the precise amount the other player will call is aggressive in the sense that you're thinking about her reaction to you, not about your reaction to her. As the saying goes, the beginner thinks about his cards, the average player thinks about what the other guy has, the expert thinks about what the other guy thinks he has. But it's precise and calculated, two things that limit aggressiveness. You're trying to maximize EV on this bet on this hand; rather than trying to walk away a winner. So I think of it as limited aggressiveness.

[rookie101]

Being aggressive is a huge part of hold em but you cant be so aggressive that youre not reading the board which I see a lot. For instance one of my friends had the nut flush on the flop spades he bet opponent called, turn was a blank my friend bet opponent called, river paired the board my friend bet opponent raised without thinking my friend pushed the opponent called. Full House! So aggressiveness is great im a tight aggressive player just dont get carried away. Good Luck

[Nytecaster]

I believe it comes down to calculating the right time to make an aggressive move. Whether that consists of check/raising, bet/reraising or whatever, the aggression is intended to fulfill a certain role, win the pot. I think the key is not to make certain aggressive moves without considering the consequence of the action not turning out as anticipated.

Good players are able to adjust their thinking without tipping off that they are thinking about what to do. In other words a good player will anticipate what each move will be in advance of their opponents and try to acertain whether their read is still correct after their action. This is done with every action at the table and is why you should pay attention at all times.

A great anticipation of folding by your opponents can lead to quite profitable hands that were normally non-betable and lead to further aggressive play. I see a lot of people being aggressive just to be aggressive and not understanding how their reaction to your play is just as important . Mindless chips are thrown into the pot in order to push small edges into large losses. That is why aggressiveness is debated so much and still not yet understood by many.

The original poster is very good at explaining this concept about controlled aggression. It is something that will change your game if you understand it fully. Great post.