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Article: Is Aggression Really the Answer?

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  1. JACK WELCH JACK WELCH is offline

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    Sep 2nd, 2008 (9/2/2008 2:54pm)

  2. sirswish6 sirswish6 is offline i mean super business

    Palatine, IL
    United States

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    Sep 2nd, 2008 (9/2/2008 4:49pm) in reply to JACK WELCH

    <p>fold to win?</p>
    145 
  3. amak316 amak316 is offline

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    Sep 2nd, 2008 (9/2/2008 5:04pm) in reply to JACK WELCH

    <p>lol who doesnt know that the majority of people at a final table will be nits.</p>
    <p>News flash! Nitty players survive longer than people playing to win!! that being said tournament poker is not about getting 5th-9th place, invariably people who are capable of playing loose and exploiting bubbles are going to end up with the most money in the long run, just because a couple of chipleaders in one MTT describe themselves as tight (which doesnt mean thats necessarilly true btw) doesnt mean that TAG is optimal at each stage of a tournament..</p>
     
  4. Vesper Vesper is offline

    Edmonton
    Canada

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    Sep 2nd, 2008 (9/2/2008 5:06pm) in reply to JACK WELCH

    <p>Interesting, but I don't really get this article at all.</p>
  5. openartery openartery is offline

    Omaha, NE
    United States

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    Sep 2nd, 2008 (9/2/2008 5:25pm) in reply to JACK WELCH

    <p>Thanks Jack.  I am by no means an expert but more of what I am reading on some of the boards lately suggest some tighter play may be the way to go in the current era of hyper-aggression.  We will have a chance to see them play soon and see what works.</p>
  6. TMLMS13 TMLMS13 is offline

    Waterloo
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    Sep 2nd, 2008 (9/2/2008 7:01pm) in reply to JACK WELCH

    <p>Fold to cash, skeet to win.</p>
  7. thelandlord thelandlord is offline

    Toronto
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    Sep 2nd, 2008 (9/2/2008 7:05pm) in reply to JACK WELCH

    <p>tight is right fold to cash. oh and great sample size</p>
     
  8. SCTrojans SCTrojans is offline

    Los Angeles, CA
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    Sep 2nd, 2008 (9/2/2008 8:11pm) in reply to JACK WELCH

    <p>I think you've confused aggressive with loose, two very different concepts.</p>
    <p>Each of these players have made comments about their tight style of play, and have made no reference to their level of aggression.</p>
    <p>Aggression more refers to the tendency to raise or call, not be tight or loose. You can be an extremely tight player with an extremely low vpip yet still be incredibly aggressive. You can also be an extremely loose player, playing every single pot, yet be extremely extremely passive. </p>
    <p>Aggression for life.</p>
     13
  9. davester davester is offline

    Washington, DC
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    Sep 2nd, 2008 (9/2/2008 8:33pm) in reply to JACK WELCH

    <p>SCtrojans is correct.  you confused playing tight with being agressive and applying pressure.</p>
    <p>good article not.</p>
  10. ImoOnTilt ImoOnTilt is offline

    La Jolla, CA
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    Sep 2nd, 2008 (9/2/2008 10:23pm) in reply to JACK WELCH

    <p>Interesting article.  It is true that many online players that transfer to live are too LAG and get involved in way too many pots early.  However, tournaments are won and lost by the ability to play to the blind structure.  If you are sitting with a comfortable stack or M, it could be relatively safe to say playing TAG is more profitable.  Yet, when increasing blinds are nipping at your heels you must to loosen up to survive (LAG).  Being a successful tournament player is about changing gears at the right time and knowing how to play with a variety of stack sizes.  Passiveness is weakness IMO.  This is because it is much easier to read opponents when putting the pressure on them. In conclusion, to say these players are all tight and straight-forward could be a little misleading since I'm positive they had to change their style of play throughout the tournament.</p>
  11. SuicideSquad SuicideSquad is offline

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    Sep 3rd, 2008 (9/3/2008 12:59am) in reply to JACK WELCH

    <p>In addition to all the comments above, I just don't think one can generalize about the way someone would play based on their professions or their age...Dennis Phillips might be 53, but do we really think Gus Hansen would start playing boring poker once he hits 50? Doubt it.</p>
    <p>Nor can one place much reliance on players describing their own style given that there is an enormous monetary incentive to decieve the public and other participants with respect to their playing style at the moment.</p>
  12. Circpsycho Circpsycho is offline

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    Sep 3rd, 2008 (9/3/2008 7:54am) in reply to JACK WELCH

    <p>The above poster says something that catches my attention.  "Boring poker"  Professional players do not play to entertain the crowd, nor do they play wild loose or wild aggressive to entertain themselves.  </p>
    <p>Players that play with severe aggression are playing to accumulate massive chipstacks and win a tourney.  To say that aggression is or isnt the key to winning tourneys is a false statement either way.  The level of success a player has has less to do with their style and more to do with their skills at the learned attributes of the game.  Reading, bet sizing and observation.  If you combine these with either aggressive or tight, you have a winner.</p>
  13. JACK WELCH JACK WELCH is offline

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    Sep 3rd, 2008 (9/3/2008 8:25am) in reply to JACK WELCH

    <p>The title is a question because the theory is meant to be rhetorical. Good thinking!</p>
    Thread Starter
  14. ka$ino ka$ino is offline

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    Sep 3rd, 2008 (9/3/2008 12:39pm) in reply to JACK WELCH

    <p>You mention that the Main Event has the best players in the world, but you fail to mention that it also includes the worst players in the world.... which is why there is so much value playing it.  The goal should be playing as many pots as you can against the bad players, and if that means playing ultra aggressive because you have a great table, thats what you should do.   </p>
     
  15. ka$ino ka$ino is offline

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    Sep 3rd, 2008 (9/3/2008 12:43pm) in reply to JACK WELCH

    <p> "They were just dumping chips," exclaimed Kim.  "I really believe this tournament has the biggest overlay of any poker tournament."</p>
    <p>I did not see this the first time I read this... but its definitely the must truthful statement of this article</p>
     
  16. TopTrotter TopTrotter is offline

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    Sep 13th, 2008 (9/13/2008 1:40pm) in reply to JACK WELCH

    <p>Everything is ALWAYS relative.  It doesn't matter whether it's football or basketball or poker .... it's not what you do, it's what you do RELATIVE to what others are doing that creates leverage.   In football, if your opponents are all on the line rushing the quarterback, you want plays that allow them to rush in and which exploit this (like a draw play).  In basketball, if your opponents are all playing zone defense, you want plays to exploit that.</p>
    <p>Same in poker.  When Brunson first came out with SuperSystem, it was unique.  People weren't doing it.   It represented the element of difference which enhanced the leverage that was gained by ultra aggression vs. players who were mainly tight.</p>
    <p>Now, in an era where it seems like everyone wants to play every hand and play it aggressively, perhaps there is more leverage now in being somewhat tighter - not because it's right or wrong, but because it's DIFFERENT then the masses.</p>
    <p>Very similar to Tommy Angelo's "reciprocality".</p>
  17. playinem121 playinem121 is offline

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    Sep 16th, 2008 (9/16/2008 4:33pm) in reply to JACK WELCH

    <p>Thought provoking for sure. Perhaps our goal should be trying to continuously run counter to the prevailing style at our table.</p>
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