Poker Strategy / Matthew Pitt / 19 March 2009 / Leave a Comment

Following up on his article about how to beat weak tight players, Matthew Pitt looks at another popular style - the tight-aggressive player.

The classic winning style of play for both multi-table tournaments and cash games is widely accepted as being Tight-Aggressive.

"If you do want to tackle a TAG, it is advised to either have a strong starting hand preflop or a good made hand post-flop. Rarely will top pair be good against TAG that has shown aggression from start to finish."

The most famous Tight-Aggressive, or TAG as they like to be known, is Dan Harrington, who has a great record in the World Series of Poker Main Event, having made the final table in 1987, he won the entire thing in 1995, came 17/293 the following year, came third in 2003, then fourth in 2004! His record in this one tournament speaks volumes about the TAG style of play.

Many players try to play a TAG style but end up inadvertently playing a weak-tight style instead due to lack of aggression. Like their Weak-tight or Tight-passive cousins, TAG have a strict starting hand policy and will only enter pots with premium hands or with speculative hands should the situation seem profitable.

However, the vast difference is the pure aggression a TAG will show in order to win the pot they enter. Instead of check/calling their way to showdown, a true TAG will bet, raise or check-raise in order to win the money in the centre of the table. TAG's will also charge players for chasing their draws and if you plan to go to showdown then it can become an expensive experience if you do not hit your hand.

Due to their tight image, Tight-Aggressive players find it easier to bluff as the table will give them credit for a monster hand, especially if they have not been involved in a pot for a short while and most are capable of firing bluffs on all three streets if needed.

The best way to combat a solid TAG player is to simply avoid them. They are easy to spot if you read the above passage and due to their aggressive style and, usually, good hand-reading skills, they will not pay you off sufficiently to make playing against them profitable in the long run.

If you do want to tackle a TAG, it is advised to either have a strong starting hand preflop or a good made hand post-flop. Rarely will top pair be good against TAG that has shown aggression from start to finish.

TAGs are usually capable of laying down hands, especially overpairs if they suspect they have been outdrawn or outflopped. Playing small pairs of suited connectors could yield decent results should you play a set and you do not play it overly aggressive and reveal your hand too soon.

Bluffing when the possible flush or straight hits can also be profitable as the typical TAG will not have many suited connectors in their range, especially if the board is low such as 3c 4c 9d 5h. Like everything in poker, it is important not to bluff them too much or they will start to play back at you eventually and call you down.

Related Entries

Balancing Your Game - Marcus Bateman
Giving and Taking Free Cards - Marcus Bateman
Pud's Poker Blog - Matthew Pitt

Tackle some TAGs at Betfair Poker

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