Over Aggressive Play

[72Suited 0]

I've got a major hole in my game and was wondering if anybodyelse has it and what they've done to fix it.I'm way too agresssive. This may be due to the first couple of books on poker that I read: Super System and Killer Poker. Both books advocate a very aggressive style.Of course, I'm not saying it won't work if done properly, but I'm obviously doing something wrong, namely:I wait for big starting hands. I raise the pot. I limit thefield. After the flop, I bet out, usually about pot size.Sometimes I have a good hand and get a caller. Sweet. Other times I have nothing, and everybody folds. Also sweet. (Nowhere's the problem...) Sometimes, I have nothing and somebodycalls. Yikes. Usually I put more pressure on the turn. Then, when I get raised in this situation..."damnit, he didn't fold...hmmm...what could he have?...Oh, it's obvious. Okay,he's got me beat...hmmmmm, no way! I'm going all-in to put morepressure on him..."And of course, he had what I originally thought he had butconvinced myself otherwise. All the chips I had worked so hardto build up over the session gone.Since I've been keeping my journal, I've noticed that I do thistime and again. I guess I have to learn to trust my read, but Ijust tend to get impatient.Sound familiar to anybody? Am I a...maniac!?

[Cknman11 0]

Your problem is a very common one among new players that read books that teach "super aggressive" play. Aggressive in your face poker is one of the best ways to play poker but certainly not the only one. But like any other form of poker you have to know how to play it. You're correct to raise with big hands and then to bet out after the flop even when you don't hit it but you have to know how to get away from hands when people play back at you as well.I raise and bet out a lot and win a lot of uncontested pots. But people also play back at me a lot because of this. They know that I will raise and bet with nothing, but they will also call me all the way down when I have the nuts. Most people can't handle the swings of this style of play or don't know how to take their foot off the gas once they get going. You really have to mix up this style of play with tight play and then you will really have the people at your table guessing.

[Ebonwoulfe 0]

Yeah that's the deal with aggressive play. You have to be able to switch gears and move into some less-aggressive play sometimes. When you're over-aggressive, people realize it. When people realize you're bullying, they will start calling you down with much less than they would if you were playing less aggressively. You can't always have an overpair, they realize. You don't always have top pair top kicker. So you start getting played with. Know that when you've been a constant aggressor and you finally get played with, only continue if you have a big hand. Once you get played with and you don't have what you representing, you can check it off and fold, knowing that your style has won you many pots and just this once, THIS ONE TIME, you're not winning it. Win thousands playing like this and you've just lost a few hundred once.BUT THERE'S MORE!Once you play it like this, once you finally check it on the turn, then people will start calling the flop much more, since it makes you "easier to read"... if you don't win with a flop bet, if you check on the turn they know you don't have anything. So now, next time you make a big hand on the flop, bet it and HOPE to get played with... then, on that river, check it off. An observant opponent will think "Aha! Now I can pick up this pot with a bluff, just like last time"... but you're sitting there with a big hand. He raises, confident that you will muck it. Well, when he bets, that's when you turn the heat up. And if you turn up the winner, all the better!So now you've bet the flop, check/fold the turn, AND you've bet the flop, check-raised the turn! This sets opponents back, since when you bet the flop and check the turn, you might have two different motives in mind. So hopefully they won't want to risk the big check-raise, so they check it off too. And maybe you improve on the river.That's why it's good to mix up your game.As well, when you choose to show a bit less aggression, it will make your bluffs much more reliable. If, every now and then, you don't come out firing, then people will begin to think that maybe you've stopped betting just because you raised preflop. Now they have a bit more respect for you when you do bet the flop. And respect is just what your game needs. It's the butter to your bread. If you get called down once or twice, then you lose respect. Then you have to change your style a bit, since you're gonna get played with. When you get played with enough, you need to adjust your game so you're showing down best hands, not just showing aggression. Once people run up against your big hands once or twice, then they will be more wary of you. Once you get the respect back, you can turn the heat back up again.After reading a bit of Daniel's play, I've started to see the merits of slowing down on the flop, even if you have a decent hand. You can check-raise, fold if you feel like you're beat, or just leave the opponent guessing that sometimes you might just check that flop when you're winning so that he has a chance to make second-best hand. Slowing down also allows the opponent time to make the mistake of betting into your big hand (if you actually have it).

[jayboogie 0]

The most important thing for you to do is establish your table image if it's live play and your betting patterns if your playing online. If your going to play power poker, very aggressive play, then you need to give the impression that your a tight player. If players notice that your playing aggressive and stealing blinds, you will get re-raised to test you out. A lot of times, it's reverse psychology that you need to use and trust your instincts. Ask yourself questions like would he be able to pick this up that I'm stealing blinds? What kind of player is he? Does he defend his blinds? Finding answers to these questions will make your decision on what to do easier. Sometimes the answer is to fold, other times it's to re-raise again over the top. This is reverse psychology, if I notice somebody pick up on my attacking their blinds and they re-raise me, I'll re-raise them back with nothing especially when I HAVE POSITION ON THEM!!!! Often times you will get a fold, or maybe just a call. Then on the flop, you will usually get it checked to and you can choose to bluff if your flop doesn't help or just take a free card and try to improve. Also, very important is if you do get busted and you feel the other player has a legitimate hand, don't let them think you were trying to steal by instantly folding, instead take your time before folding it. This gives the impression that you did actually have a hand.Aggressive play can win you a lot of money or cause you to lose a lot of money if not played right. Pick your spots, play the opponent, make your decisions based on who your playing against. Also, mix up your play once in a while, don't raise with your huge hands everytime, limp in with them once in a while. The easiest player to play against is not a bad player, it's the player that does everything by the book and lacks any creativity at all.