Poker Player Styles: TAG, LAG, LP, TP. If you do much posting on poker forums, use poker tools or read poker strategy articles and books, you will no doubt run into discussion on poker player styles and terms like tight aggressive, loose passive, etc. The exact VPIP a TAG has will depend on whether they are playing 6-max of full-ring variants of poker. The majority of 6-max TAGs play between 16% and 25% of hands. A player who plays 25% VPIP is often considered a “loose” TAG, while a player who plays 16% of hands is often considered a “nitty” TAG. Tight-aggressive poker combines careful hand selection (tightness) with aggressive play. A tight-aggressive player (TAG) won’t play many hands, but they will take control of the hands they do play. This poker game style is common among newbies, so if you feel like this is you, it’s time to up your poker game! Tight aggressive. This playing style, often named as TAG poker, and the personality behind it as ‘a shark’ tend to be one of the most successful poker game style of all. Tight aggressive players select the best starting hand. Good TAG poker players understand the concept of position in poker. Just because a certain TAG might be playing 20% of hands does not mean he is playing that amount of hands from every position. A good TAG will be playing more hands from the BU (button), than he does from UTG (under-the-gun).
The TAG playing style, better known as tight aggressive, is
one of the many inventions of modern day poker. Even 20 years, a
simple tight style of play with moderate aggression would have
won plenty of money, but that is no longer the case. As the
games have gotten tougher and tougher, the levels of aggression
have reached new highs. If you are new to understanding and
implementing an aggressive style of play, you will want to
slowly transition into the new approach as it is not something
that you will learn right away. TAG poker requires a lot of
trial and error and a tolerance for
variance. No one ever said that playing TAG was easy, but it
is most definitely a great way to make a ton of money.
The TAG style of play does not apply only to pre-flop or
post-flop play, and is instead a combination of the two. The
most noticeable area for aggressive play, though, comes into
play during pre-flop action. You will have the ability to open
with wide ranges, 3-bet light, 4-bet bluff and so on and so
forth. The catch to aggressive pre-flop play is that it can
easily land you in a lot of trouble. A lot of players get wild
and reckless when they are attempting to adopt a TAG style of
play. This is all part of the learning process and a few lost
buy ins should be expected when you are working on your skills
while playing tight, aggressive poker.
The Tight in TAG
One of the biggest misconceptions about
TAG poker is that it calls for wild and non sensical plays.
If you watch some moves that high stakes players make both
online and offline, you might get the idea that raising with any
two cards is the correct strategy when playing TAG. The reason
that people think this is because they incorrectly assume that
tight always means playing premium hands. The truth is, however,
that tight simply means you are not playing a lot of hands. To
illustrate this, you could still be considered tight even if the
only hands you play are off suited four gappers. All that tight
means is that you play a relatively low number of pots.
An effective TAG player will know which hands fit into their
range in which situations. For example, K3 suited would be an
easy open muck if you were in early position, but it could very
well be a raise if you are on the button with a few limpers and
are looking to steal. Likewise, K3 could also be playable on the
button if there was one raise ahead and you feel like a 3-bet
would take down the pot right away. K3 is clearly not a super
strong starting hand, but it is something that plays well in
this position. Playing tight means knowing when to and when not
to get involved.
The Aggression in TAG
The aggressive element of tight aggressive play should be
apparent to all of your opponents. If someone perceives you as a
passive player, the chances are that you are doing something
wrong (either that or your opponent is donating a lot of money).
The important facet of aggressive play is timing. Much like you
need to be selective with the actual hands that you are playing,
proper TAG strategy will force you into picking the right time
to make moves. Using the K3 example above, a late position raise
would be well timed aggression A 4-bet out of position against a
tight player, however, would be the exact opposite.
Aggression is not something that should be implemented on its
own merit. You should always have a defined reason for making
any given play. The big mistake that players tend to make with
TAG styles of play is that they take shots in the dark. If they
see a funky hand that they think would be a deceptive raise,
they will 3-bet and often times find themselves in a very
difficult position.
You need to know why you are raising, what
you are expecting from a raise, and how you are going to react
to the next move(s) that your opponents make. If you cannot
mark these three considerations off your checklist, you
shouldn’t be making an aggressive play.
The Goal of TAG Play
The goal of TAG play is to take down as many uncontested pots
as possible and to play in the most deceptive manner that you
can get away with. Uncontested pots are one of the best ways to
win in poker for a number of reasons. First, you will not need
to worry about having an actual made hand. If you go to
showdown, you will need to be able to beat whatever your
opponent is holding. This is going to be an obvious hurdle if
you have nothing at all.
Second, you will not have to worry
about any further streets or changes in game plans. If you are
playing a hand all the way down to the river, you will need to
make adjustments for each new card that is dealt. The sooner you
make a move at a pot, the greater your chance of success.
The third primary reason why uncontested pots are the ideal
way to win in poker is because your money will be least at risk.
Though this is tied into not having to see another card, it
means that you have no chance of losing. Calling bets on the
river means you could lose, raising and getting called means you
could lose, but getting folds always guarantees a win. Much of
this is common knowledge, but the value in non-showdown pots is
frequently under stated.
Winning uncontested pots through TAG
play is not the most glamorous way to win, but it is the most
steady source of profits available in the game. Don’t play for
the once in a blue moon monster pots, play instead for the easy,
low hanging money that is always available for the taking. With
an effective TAG strategy, you will be able to win a lot of
steady money and will seldom be sweating out another river card
in the hopes of getting lucky.
If you do much posting on poker forums, use poker tools or read poker strategy articles and books, you will no doubt run into discussion on poker player styles and terms like tight aggressive, loose passive, etc. What do these terms mean? Here are the basics of what they mean, which poker styles are best, worst and why.
Tight Aggressive (TAG)
A tight aggressive player plays very few hands, relative to how many he is dealt, but when he does play a hand he is very aggressive, betting, raising and check raising. A typical tight aggressive player will only play about 20% of hands that are dealt to him. Tight aggressive players are the sharks in the poker ocean. The vast majority of long term profitable poker players fall under this tight aggressive category.
Why is the tight aggressive style a winning style? Poker rewards two things above all else, and that is patience and aggression. The tight aggressive player is a master at both. He waits on hands where he has the edge and then bets them aggressively. There are no major weaknesses to this style. One slight weakness can be observed in many TAGs, when the table becomes short handed. Now their 'tightness' can play against them, as blinds and antes are more frequent, and players must open up their starting hand requirements a good bit to compensate. In fact many tight aggressive players become a bit 'tight passive' when it is short handed poker.
Tight Passive (TP)
A tight passive player has great patience, and this is a good attribute to have. However, this player is not very aggressive, and this works against him. Tight passive players are often called rocks in poker. It takes a great force to get them moving. Tight passive players are usually profitable players too, if they pick their games well. They will make money from the weakest players in the game, loose passive players. However, they are easy marks to solid players who recognize them for their tight passive play. A tight passive player at a shorthanded table against TAGs will lose money fast, because the aggressive players will steal his blinds and antes practically every hand, and know to get out of the way when the tight passive player finally starts betting.
Tight passive play can be a winning style, but it is strongly suggested that if you find that you are a tight passive poker player, to recognize this as a weakness. Ratchet up the aggression on your good hands. Bet out with those 4 flushes on the flop, or even raise with them to get a free card on the turn every now and then. A truly tight passive player can find many spots where a bet or a raise is a better strategy, then a check or call. As a tight passive player moves up on the aggression, he or she will see their wins increasing as well.
If you find yourself against a tight passive player, the strategy against them is simple. Bet and raise them into oblivion. If they play back, fold unless you have a very strong hand yourself.
Loose Passive (LP)
If TAGs are the sharks, then loose passive players are the fish. A loose passive player plays too many hands and he tends to just check and call. Poker rewards patience and aggression, and the LP player is neither! Playing against a loose passive player is a dream. Sure they'll suck out for an inside straight draw and even a 1 or 2 outter every now and then, but they will bleed money almost every session. Loose passive players are ATMs for pretty much every other poker style.
If you come to the realization that you are a loose passive player and are reading this, then it's a safe guess to say that this is probably some of the first poker strategy material you have ever read. That's fine! We were all little fish in the pond at one point. Pick up some poker strategy books from your local bookstore, and continue to read poker strategy articles on the web. Start lurking or posting in poker strategy forums. It is amazing how fast a fish can become a shark with just a little reading and studying of the game. There was a time when becoming a good poker player would cost you thousands of dollars, learning through experience. Now, a $20 investment in a good book, plus some free reading on the Internet can take you out of the pond and on the road to being a profitable player. We have seen players go from knowing little to nothing about poker, to positive earners at the very low stakes in just a month or two. The game is really not difficult to beat at the low levels. There are so many players who either don't care about strategy, or don't want to learn that the folks who do take the time, can earn a good side income from their poker hobby. Some players are just in it for entertainment. That's perfectly fine too. I know some people who spends hundreds of dollars a month on golf. You will spend money on what you enjoy, and if some players enjoy the rush of hitting a 4 outter a couple of times a session, more power to them!
Tag Poker Chips
How to play against a loose passive player? Very straightforward. Don't worry about being tricky. Bet when you have the best hand, check when you're not sure where you are at, as they will surely check right along with you. If a loose passive player does actually toss in a bet, give them credit for a strong hand! Finally, stay mentally strong. Loose passive players on a hot streak can hit some amazing hands and put bad beats on you quickly. If you get tilted, you may become a fishy yourself.
Loose Aggressive (LAG)
Maniac players can turn a boring session of poker into a wild roller coaster ride. They are in many cases super aggressive, betting and raising with little concern about what their cards are. They have one of the good attributes of successful poker players, and that is aggression. They'll win a lot of blinds and antes, steal many pots with nothing, and when they do hit good hands they almost always get paid off in a big way, since nobody believes they ever have a hand.
Sounds fun? It is an unprofitable way to play, unfortunately. Loose aggressive players do well against tight passive players in short handed games and even do decent against loose passive players at times. However, their desire to gamble is usually their undoing. While they'll win some huge pots every now and then, they will usually lose a lot more than they ever win in the long term. Loose aggressive players have huge potential, if they will just learn to control their desire to gamble and tighten up their hand requirements.
Tag Poker Range
How do you beat a loose aggressive player? You have to be willing to call down with much weaker hands than normal. Ace high could very well take the pot against these guys. Use their aggression against them, and don't be afraid to check raise them at every chance, and make sure you cap it with your good hands. If the LAG player is on a roll and hitting good hands, you can very well lose a ton during the session. Hang in there and stay off tilt, and you could double or triple your buyin in an hour though. It is advisable to not play loose aggressive players in a short handed game, unless you are well staked, as a long session with loose aggressive players can rip a bankroll apart fast if things don't go your way.
Conclusion
Pokerus Tag
These 4 player styles could be considered a box graph, with each corner being one of the extremes. Most players won't fall into an extreme, but they will generally trend towards one corner. Some players play different on different rounds, such as playing tight aggressive preflop, but then tight passive after the flop. Learning a player's style is the first step in knowing how to beat them, so be observant and take notes!