Aggressive Poker Play
AGGRESSION
by: Lou Krieger©
A philosopher by inclination and poker player by choice, Dennis
Jones has often been quoted as saying: "I'd rather ask forgiveness
than permission." It's a terrific expression - an updated rephrasing
of Carpe Diem, an old Latin maxim meaning "Seize the Day,"
and one I wish I could have taken credit for, But credit belongs
where it is due: to Dennis.
Not only does his catch-phrase hold true for a variety of endeavors,
it is particularly pithy when applied it to poker. If you're a regular
reader of this column, or if you've read much poker literature,
you know that just about every credible authority recommends aggressive
play. But how aggressive you should be, when you should be aggressive
and when you ought to play passively, are subjects worth revisiting
every so often.
"I'd rather ask forgiveness than permission," implies
a willingness to throw oneself headlong into some gray and murky
area where the rules of engagement are not quite clear, and the
only certainties are "get there first" and "possession
is nine-tenths of the law." Possessed of any any common sense
whatsoever, few of us are willing to run headlong into some vastly
superior force regardless of how valorous or aggressive we might
imagine ourselves to be.
Dennis' expression holds as true for poker as for life itself.
In low-limit games, you'll find players at both extremes of the
passive-aggressive spectrum. Some are timid regardless of the circumstances,
while some are rocks on the order of Mt. Rushmore who won't come
out swinging unless they hold the nuts. Still others are kamikazes
who can't wait to gamble it up, firing raise after raise at the
pot regardless of the cards they're holding. You'll even find some
players like this in bigger games, but they're fewer and farther
apart, because those at the polar edges of the passive-aggressive
bell curve are prone to go broke.
So if you'd rather ask forgiveness than permission, it is important
to realize you can't play every hand aggressively. You have to pick
your spot. Aggression has to be meted out selectively. Remember,
it's "seize the day," not "seize everyday."
One of the most important steps in becoming a good player is learning
which hands to play aggressively - and why.
If you're playing hold'em and are dealt a big pair before the
flop you already know you should raise, but do you know why? This
is not a trick question, it's an obvious one: To get more money
in the pot. Plain and simple, if you've got what figures to be the
best hand, getting more money in the pot produces a bigger reward
if you're the winner. On those occasions when you hold a big hand
before the flop and lose, you might come away thinking you could
have saved an additional bet if you hadn't raised. Just stop right
there, sit down, and start over. Because when you win, each additional
bet draws in extra money from the opposition.
Raising also provides a golden opportunity for your opponents to
make mistakes by calling when they shouldn't. Suppose you hold a
pair of kings but didn't raise before the flop. If the flop did
not help any of your opponents and you bet, any reasonable player
who hasn't picked up at least a draw will probably fold. Why? They
have a bad hand and there's not enough money in the pot to make
it worth chasing. The result is that your opponents have all folded
and you're left with a big hand - and a small pot. But if you raised,
your opponents will have an investment of two bets. Now some of
them will chase you. They might make the mistake of chasing with
as little as a backdoor draw to a flush - where they have to catch
two running suited cards to win.
By raising you not only created a larger pot, but gave your opponents
both opportunity and motivation to play badly. Some, most assuredly,
will do just that. They'll pursue even when the odds against making
their hand substantially exceed the odds offered by the pot. When
they chase under circumstances which most often prove futile, your
subsequent bets will get them to keep calling until they run out
of hope or money. Aggressive play gives your opponents an opportunity
to make mistakes,while allowing you to manipulate the size of the
pot.
Here's another example. You're on the button with A-10 of diamonds.
Five players call. What should you do? If you're aggressive, a raise
in a position like this can be a strong play for a couple of reasons.
First, you may have the best hand - and probably the best ace -
since no one raised in front of you. Your raise will get more money
in the pot from the five prior callers, since having called once
they are unlikely to abandon their hand before the flop.
Your raise also stands a good chance of dropping the blinds, which
puts some dead money in the pot. Suppose you flop two diamonds.
Even if there is bet in front of you, a raise can be a good play.
While you probably no longer have the best hand, you do have the
best draw, and if another diamond falls on the turn or river, and
it does not pair the board, you will have the nuts.
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Aside from additional money in the pot, there's another advantage.
Most of your opponents will not put you on a flush draw because
you raised. Most likely they'll suspect two pair and presume you're
raising to drive out anyone holding a low or medium pair, or a backdoor
draw. If a diamond falls on the turn, anyone else making a flush
will probably bet , and you, of course, can raise. If the turn card
is a blank and the pot is checked, you can check too and see the
river for free. While you could also bet, it seems unlikely that
this bet would cause all your opponents to fold. And a bet on the
turn, which is twice as expensive as that bet on the flop and unlikely
to garner as many callers, may no longer be justified when you compare
the odds against making your hand to the pot odds.
With a hand like this, the river should play itself. If you make
your flush, of course you'd raise if someone else bets, and bet
if it is checked to you. If you miss your hand, you'll have to determine
whether a bet stands enough of a chance of dropping all your remaining
opponents to make it worth while. For example, if there is $40 in
the pot, you'll have to decide whether a $4 bet will cause your
opponents to fold more than 10 percent of the time, since the pot
is offering 10:1 odds. If you think that your opponents will fold
one time in five, go ahead and make the bet. If you think they'll
fold only once in 20 times, save your money.
In the final analysis, aggressive play pays a wide variety of dividends.
It enables you to get more money into the pot while influencing
your opponents' behavior - often giving them extra opportunities
to make mistakes. But you have to apply your aggression selectively.
And if you want to seize the day, remember that aggression - like
discretion - is frequently the better part of valor.
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