TAG poker - the place to start
Beginner Tips
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Marcus Bateman /
05 May 2010 /
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Basically every high stakes pro of any style started off playing a solid tight aggressive game, and it is a style that every player has to use at some point if the table dictates it.
If you are new to poker, the first playing style that you should be looking to master is the tight aggressive, or 'TAG' approach. This involves playing a select few of the most powerful hands in poker, but also playing them extremely aggressively, typically raising pre flop, betting the flop, and frequently the turn and river as well.
There are two key elements that make this playing style so well suited to beginner players. Firstly, it is quite simple to play and learn. As you are only playing the stronger hands of poker, the choices you face during the hand will be much simpler than if you are playing a variety of weaker hands, and this limits the possible number of mistakes you can make considerably.
Secondly, it is quite a difficult style to exploit. Although skilled loose aggressive players can usually outplay all but the very best tight aggressive players in the long run, there are basically no very skilled loose aggressive players at the low stakes - making a TAG style by far the safest and most profitable style to play at these levels.
Many players come undone when they first start out at the low stakes by playing far too loose and passive. Although it is tempting in poker to start calling many hands and seeing what the flop brings, in the long run this style can be a recipe for disaster against most players, and you are far better off sticking to solid hand values and allowing the large scale mistakes of your opponent(s) at these stakes to shine through.
As Occam's razor tells us, the simplest answer in life is nearly always the best, and nowhere is this more true than in thinking about what style to learn. Basically every high stakes pro of any style started off playing a solid tight aggressive game, and it is a style that every player has to use at some point if the table dictates it. Other styles in other situations can pay off slightly better, but at the low stakes by far the most effective style in terms of both profit and simplicity is the TAG one, and it should be the first port of call for any aspiring player.
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