Tight Aggressive Online Poker

Playing tight aggressive online poker is the most reliable approach for those who want to make money from the game on a regular basis. Although profits can of course be made by adopting a loose or passive approach from time to time, a tight aggressive strategy tends to be more consistent, and is therefore one that can be recommended both to complete beginners and to seasoned players alike.

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Some readers who are relatively new to online poker might be wondering what ‘tight aggressive online poker’ actually means. The best way to answer that question is to first define the terms ‘tight’ and ‘aggressive’ separately.

A tight player is one who plays as close to textbook poker as possible. Generally speaking, he or she will consider playing a fairly limited range of starting hands, preferring to fold weak hole cards in order to focus on the strongest ones such as A-A, A-K, KK, and so on (often only the top 30 starting hands are played). The tight player bets when he is confident of being able to win the hand, but at the same time he isn’t afraid of folding when he knows that he is probably beaten.

The aggressive side of the equation relates to the way in which a player bets. An aggressive player takes the bull by the horns and uses his chips to dominate the table, either forcing opponents out of the hand or giving them no choice but to call his bets to stay in it.

With those definitions made, we can see that a tight aggressive player is one who waits for the best starting hands and proceeds to play in a logical and rational manner with an aggressive style. So why, generally speaking, is a tight aggressive strategy better than any other? There are several good reasons.

To start with, playing tight aggressive online poker allows you to make the most of your strongest hands whilst at the same time avoiding getting involved in weaker hands which aren’t as likely to hold up. Secondly, it quickly establishes you as a player who means business, and anyone who thinks that you are bluffing will soon learn the hard way that you usually have the cards required to back up your aggressive attitude. For those who need yet another reason, playing tight aggressive online poker always gives you an advantage over the majority of players who are too passive, weak and undisciplined in the way they approach the game.

There are of course lots of players – amateurs and professionals alike – who succeed with an alternative approach to online poker, but our advice would be to start out with a tight aggressive approach and deviate from it only if you find that it genuinely helps you to make more money. And for anyone who isn’t already making money from online poker on a regular basis, adopting a tight aggressive approach is often one of the key things which can turn the situation around, so bear that in mind and adjust your strategy accordingly!

William Briggs