Poker Articles

Dogs Don't Bark At Parked Cars

By Al Spath

You recognize yourself playing solid-aggressive poker. You haven't picked up a hand in what seems like an hour, but actually it has only been two or three full revolutions around the table. You finally get a hand and pick up cowboys. The first thing you do is start to think about catching up to the other bigger stacks and how to maximize your profits with this "killer" hand. Then you quickly realize that your image, super tight, may interfere with the action you hope to see. Now you face the ultimate dilemma, balance. What amount do you bet, not too much or too little, that will entice some action and not scare everyone off, or bring in way to many opponents?

Loose-aggressive (LA), and aggressive players in general, are well aware of their opponents' style and take full advantage of the common traits displayed by tight-aggressive players (I prefer the term solid-aggressive, as I think they mean two different things). They know when solid-aggressive (SA) players enter a hand with a raise they routinely have the goods, as advertised. They know when SA players call a raise, or re-raises, they have monster hands, or they don't bother to get involved. Those at the table paying attention realize there is money to be made, or actually saved, and know when to battle and when to step out of the way of what could be a huge hand.

Solid-aggressive players also pay attention and realize their opponents will eventually notice their style of play. Some may even utilize software programs like poker tracker, which is designed specifically to track play, identify trends and view the results of players seated at the table. So what can you, the SA player, do if you have been marked this way? Do you begin to play their game and loosen starting hand requirements, or play more hands out of position and "gamble it up" against weaker opponents who play any two cards? Do you "change speeds" just enough to throw them off, put them back on their heels and use your established image as a potent weapon and not just an exploitable flaw in your game?

How you might incorporate these tactics is up to you! You might raise in early position (EP) with a hand that normally you would discard in hopes your opponents will interpret this raise as an indication of a strong holding. As a matter of fact, you might be providing them an illusion of a solid hand and want to manipulate them into making an unnecessary fold. In some cases you may get a caller, unlikely a re-raise, and you can make a continuation bet (out of position); because that is what SA players do with big hands in EP. Even when the board contains an ace or a king, your bet signals that you hit your hand, or are not put off by the cards on the flop. If your opponents haven't connected solidly themselves, they will pitch their hand faster than a Nolan Ryan heater.

On other occasions, you might have position and just call a raise, with the expectation of playing the hand aggressively after the flop, with a bluff in mind. Or quite possibly, you might be looking to steal the pot in a later betting round. Nothing is more unnerving to a LA player than to be out of position and have a SA just sticking around and then pouncing on the turn, or when the board appears to have helped their opponent tremendously and not them. "Image" can win hands that normally would be conceded. It happens when players who are thinking in terms of "out thinking" their opponents and incorporate level 2, 3 and 4 thinking.

If you are strictly staying in the moment, playing solid-aggressive poker and not out thinking your opponents, you will not be as successful and will not get them to bark at you at all. When I play poker, I do not try to play poker better than my opponents, I only try to play better than myself.

Sir Winston Churchill said it best: "I like things to happen; and if they don't happen, I like to make them happen."

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About the Author:
Al Spath is the "Dean" at PokerSchoolOnline and has authored the "Poker Journal." In addition to having one place for all your poker records, you'll get advice and tips on reading hands, playing live, reading tells and so much more (www.alspath.com). Al's poker expertise, coupled with his insight and ability to communicate effectively to both large and smaller sized audiences, make him an ideal speaker for any company, convention, college, or organizational group venue.

Comments to: AlSpath@pokerschoolonline.com

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