Problems with Non-TAG Styles

Let’s think more specifically about playing styles other than TAG (tight-aggressive). The alternative styles can be classified as: loose-aggressive, tight-passive, and loose-passive. These non-TAG styles can cause a new player to face difficult decisions, lose too much with weak hands, or not win enough with strong hands.

Loose Aggressive (LAG)

The loose-aggressive (LAG) approach is often what we see the top pros employing on television where they seem to be playing lots of hands and constantly betting and raising. In fact, a lot of times these players aren’t really playing as many hands as it looks like they’re playing, because footage of the less interesting hands ends up on the editing room floor.

Still, some top pros do frequently employ a LAG style. This can be beneficial since their opponents have a hard time knowing when they really do have a big hand as they appear to play every hand aggressively. If you watch closely you’ll notice that the pros playing LAG have to make lots of decisions after the flop -- often very difficult ones. A new player should try to avoid such difficult spots by playing tighter, only getting involved with strong hands.

Let’s say you decide to loosen up and play a subpar hand like J-8 aggressively. You raise before the flop and get one caller, then the flop comes K-Q-8. Your opponent checks, you continue with your aggressive approach by betting, then your opponent check-raises. An experienced player with knowledge of his opponent’s tendencies will know how to proceed here, but the novice is going to be less equipped to determine if it’s worth continuing with just that bottom pair of eights.

The “Rock”

The tight-passive approach can also spell trouble for the inexperienced player, although perhaps less dramatically than trying to play a LAG style. A tight-passive player sticks to strong starting hands but fails to bet or raise when it is good to do so. Being so passive, such a player -- usually called a “rock” -- is very easy for others to read.

When the tight-passive player finally makes a bet, everyone knows right away that he or she has a big hand and will fold. In other words, the tight-passive approach usually means you’ll be playing very few hands, and winning very small pots.

Loose-Passive Style

The loose-passive style is a sub-optimal approach, although many new players start out this way -- playing too many hands, and doing a lot of checking and calling. This is not your ideal strategy. A typical hand played in this way might involve a player raising from early position, and the loose-passive player calling behind with a so-so hand like A-6.

The flop comes A-Q-7, the preflop raiser continues with a bet, and the player with A-6 passively calls. The turn is another 7 and again there is a bet and a call. The river brings a 3, making the board A-Q-7-7-3, and yet another bet from the early position player. The loose-passive player calls again, sees the preflop raiser’s A-K, and loses a big pot.

It’s called “passive” play because the player never once takes the initiative by raising, only following an opponent’s lead on every street. And it’s “loose” because A-6 is really an inferior starting hand -- bad to call preflop raises with, and usually second-best or worst if you’re calling more bets with it down to the river.