Poker players may be divided into different categories of playing styles.
The most
prominent of these is undoubtedly the Tight-Aggressive Player 🗝 – or “TAG” for short.
In
this article, we’ll examine:
Precisely what a tight-aggressive player is,
How you can
spot them.
The starting hands 🗝 that he typically plays.
How he differs from a
loose-aggressive player (LAG)
How you can exploit him.
Defining Tight-Aggressive
Simply
put, a tight-aggressive player 🗝 is one who tends to play very few starting hands. When
he elects to play a hand, he generally plays 🗝 it aggressively. He does not like to call
with his strong hands – but rather bets or raises to drive 🗝 out opponents or make them
pay a steep cost to see future cards.
This style of play differs from that of 🗝 a “rock”
or “nit”, who tends to play an even narrower range pre-flop (especially from late
position), and who lacks 🗝 the aggression of a typical tight-aggressive
player.
Identifying Tight-Aggressive Players
The simplest and most accurate method of
identifying a tight-aggressive player is 🗝 to watch how many hands he plays and how
aggressively he plays them. If, after a couple of orbits, an 🗝 opponent has played only
15-20% of hands, typically with a raise or 3-bet, you are almost surely dealing with a
🗝 tight-aggressive player.
You can confirm this diagnosis by making sure to observe any
hands that are shown down or otherwise exposed. 🗝 If a large percentage of them are
high-quality starting hands, you can conclude that your suspicions were correct.
You
may also 🗝 be able to accurately identify tight-aggressive opponents even without waiting
for a full two orbits. There are other “secondary characteristics” 🗝 that typical
tight-aggressive players display. They tend to keep their chips in even stacks of 20 –
sometimes even with 🗝 the stripes on the side of the chips lined up.
Their physical
betting of the chips is crisp and neat. They 🗝 are often very attentive, serious, and
earnest in their demeanour. This is not to say that loose-aggressive players or other
🗝 types of players can’t affect this behaviour as well. It’s just that tight-aggressive
players usually behave in this way most 🗝 of all.
Finally, be aware that the most skilled
players may change their style (known as “changing gears”) just as you 🗝 think you have
them figured out. So be ready to alter your assessment, even after you have confirmed
it.
Tight-Aggressive Player’s 🗝 Range
A tight-aggressive player’s range will change
depending on his position, of course. Specifically, a tight-aggressive player’s range
in early position 🗝 may be no broader than QQ+ (QQ, KK, AA) and AK. In middle-position,
he may widen that range to include 🗝 TT+, ATs+, KQs, QJs, and JTs. In late position, he
might broaden it further to include AT+, A2s+, KQs, KJs, 🗝 QJ, and all 22+.
Recognise
that there are all sorts of variations in the range any particular player may have –
🗝 including these tight-aggressive players. There are degrees of tightness and degrees of
aggressiveness. Similarly, these ranges are not necessarily static 🗝 – as players may
become tighter or looser as their mood, game conditions, and their opponents
change.
They may have some 🗝 calling range – but it tends to be much narrower than a
player who is not tight-aggressive. Typically, this TAG 🗝 player is raising with his
entire range in early and middle position, and only calling in late position with his
🗝 pairs 22-88, and his suited aces A2-A9.
Tight-aggressive players are also ready to
3-bet in many situations when their hand strength 🗝 justifies it. So, for example, their
3-bet range would be likely to include KK, AA and maybe AK and QQ 🗝 from early position;
JJ+ and AK from middle position, and TT, AK, and AJs+ from late position. Keep in mind
🗝 that individual TAGs may each play a broader or narrower range than these.
It’s
important to realise that the TAG playing 🗝 style does not exclude the possibility of
including a broader raising range, a broader 3-bet range, and even a reasonable 🗝 number
of bluffing hands. Good tight-aggressive players may adjust their range to fit the
general conditions of their table, their 🗝 own image, and their specific opponents – just
as any good player would.
It’s just that the range is generally tighter 🗝 than most of
the other players at the table, and they tend to play their hands more aggressively
than the 🗝 typical player.
Tight Aggressive (TAG) Vs Loose Aggressive (LAG)
A
loose-aggressive (LAG) player is much more likely to play a much broader 🗝 range than the
tight-aggressive player and to play it aggressively. This strategy includes raising and
3-betting light. A tight-aggressive player 🗝 is much more likely to have higher standards
than the LAG for raising and 3-betting.
One straightforward way of understanding this
🗝 is to look at the TAG player’s range from late position. It includes many sub-premium
hands like suited Aces and 🗝 other non-pair hands. The loose-aggressive player might play
this range from any position pre-flop – and will play it for 🗝 a raise, or for a
3-bet.
Strengths and Weaknesses of Tight-Aggressive Play
There is nothing inherently
strong or weak about the tight-aggressive 🗝 style of play – or any style of play for that
matter. All methods of play may be used by 🗝 an expert to win money from the non-expert.
Weak players will lose no matter what style they adopt. In that 🗝 respect, no one style
is clearly or definitely better than any other. Great players utilising a
tight-aggressive style can win 🗝 a lot of money from mediocre opponents. But, so too can
loose-aggressive players win a lot of money from mediocre 🗝 opponents.
Changing Gears
The
key is recognising the strengths and weakness of each style – changing gears (going
from one form of 🗝 play to another) just as your opponents are figuring it out. Then,
when they start to shift their play to 🗝 adjust for the type of player, they think you
are, you should move on to a different style. When they 🗝 finally catch on to this
switch, you switch again – ad infinitum until you have turned them in a quivering 🗝 mush
of self-doubt. They end up leaving your table with their spirit and finances
crushed.
The key is recognising the strengths 🗝 and weakness of each style – changing
gears (going from one form of play to another) just as your opponents 🗝 are figuring it
out. Then, when they start to shift their play to adjust for the type of player, they
🗝 think you are, you should move on to a different style. When they finally catch on to
this switch, you 🗝 switch again – ad infinitum until you have turned them in a quivering
mush of self-doubt. They end up leaving 🗝 your table with their spirit and finances
crushed. Predictability
Tight-aggressive play tends to be more predictable than
loose-aggressive style – since 🗝 the narrower pre-flop range restricts the likely range
as the hand develops. Since the TAG’s starting range is much more 🗝 restricted,
perceptive opponents will be better able to put a tight-aggressive player on a very
narrow. This scenario is less 🗝 the case with a LAG. He starts with a much broader range.
Therefore, it is often unclear whether a flop, 🗝 turn, or river helped his
hand.
Tight-aggressive play tends to be more predictable than loose-aggressive style –
since the narrower pre-flop 🗝 range restricts the likely range as the hand develops.
Since the TAG’s starting range is much more restricted, perceptive opponents 🗝 will be
better able to put a tight-aggressive player on a very narrow. This scenario is less
the case with 🗝 a LAG. He starts with a much broader range. Therefore, it is often
unclear whether a flop, turn, or river 🗝 helped his hand. Lower Variance
One advantage of
a tight-aggressive player over a loose-aggressive player is that tight aggressive play
is 🗝 less costly than loose-aggressive play, with lower variance. Since the TAG is
playing many fewer hands than the LAG, he 🗝 is spending much less money on speculative
hands. With fewer hands, in a stronger range than his LAG counterparts, he 🗝 will have
less variance. Accordingly, he can fund his play with a smaller starting
bankroll.
Aggressive Betting
Against inferior opponents, who do 🗝 not pay much attention
to their opponents’ style, and thereby fail to shift their play accordingly, the
tight-aggressive style has 🗝 many advantages. This type of player will win money from his
opponents when he aggressively bets his higher quality hands, 🗝 but will not lose or
waste money by being aggressive on his lower-valued hands. He doesn’t need to play as
🗝 wide a range because his weak opponents will not be observant enough or disciplined
enough to avoid him when he 🗝 is selectively aggressive.
On the other hand, by being more
predictable, his observant and skillful opponents will learn to avoid him 🗝 when he is
aggressive, diminishing his likely wins when he does win. So, though his losses will
likely be less, 🗝 so too will his potential wins.
Overall, whether the TAG does better
than the LAG will be a function of how 🗝 good an overall player he is and how bad his
opposition is. There is nothing inherent in the style of 🗝 play that dictates whether the
TAG will win or lose more in the long run than the LAG.
Techniques for Exploiting
🗝 Tight-Aggressive Players
Once you have identified a tight-aggressive player, you will
be able to attempt to exploit him. Your ability to 🗝 do so will depend, at least in part,
on how good he is – and how capable he is to 🗝 adjust his play once he notices your
attempts to exploit him.
But assuming he is no better than average, here are 🗝 some
techniques that are likely to work:
Aggression = Strength
First, recognise that his
aggression generally indicates true strength. So, when he 🗝 bets or raises, refuse to
give him action unless you have a hand that is either already strong or has 🗝 good
drawing potential. If he is extremely tight, you may do best by not playing against him
at all.
He will 🗝 be in so few hands, that you needn’t worry about your ability to make
money off the other players at 🗝 your table. Just resolve to fold your hand on the rare
occasion when he bets – and wait for the 🗝 next hand, which he is unlikely to enter
because he doesn’t have Aces or Kings.
Speculate Against the Sticky TAGs
Against other
🗝 tight-aggressive players, who have at least a reasonably broad range – especially from
late position – you can use a 🗝 few “moves” against them to extract some profit. Realise
that tight-aggressive players tend to continue to push their hands aggressively 🗝 through
the flop and turn – even when others may improve.
Accordingly, with their rare AA, KK,
or QQ from early 🗝 position, they will continue to bet it unimproved, in increasing
amounts each bet – wanting to extract maximum profit from 🗝 the narrow range they
play.
They aren’t liable to return fire as a loose-aggressive player – since they play
so few 🗝 hands. They tend to be quite “sticky” when they have one of their few playable
hands – not wanting to 🗝 give. Against these tight-aggressive players, you can call their
pre-flop raises with many speculative hands. If you miss, you’ll fold 🗝 to their bet on
the flop. But if you hit, you’ll let them bet themselves into penury against your two
🗝 pair, sets, and flushes.
Position becomes extremely important, as you want to see his
betting action before you enter a hand 🗝 against them. Their betting will be a window
into the real strength of their hand, given their ABC-style of tight-aggressive 🗝 play.
You can play against them as if they are playing with their cards exposed.
Example of
Exploiting a Typical TAG
Here’s 🗝 an example of how that exploitive play against a
typical tight-aggressive player may work. (Bear in mind that I am 🗝 not recommending this
against a solid player – but rather against an average, mediocre or worse
tight-aggressive player.)
Pre-flop you are 🗝 in the cutoff seat in aR$1/2 game with
aR$500 effective stack against the eventual Villain who is a typical, tight-aggressive
🗝 player.
UTG folds
UTG+1 callsR$2
UTG+2 folds
UTG+3 folds
Villain is in the lo-jack
position. He raises toR$15.
Everyone folds to you. You have Qh Th.
If 🗝 he were an
extremely tight TAG, you might just fold – figuring that you needn’t bother fighting it
out with 🗝 him. Folding is undoubtedly a reasonable and safe option against a
particularly tight TAG. You’d remember the mantra “don’t feed 🗝 the nit” and just wait
for another hand.
But, assuming he’s not quite as tight as all that, you can call 🗝 here
– even though you know that you are far behind. You can call becauseR$15 is only 3% of
your 🗝 stack – giving you enormous implied odds if you hit your hand of two pair, trips,
a flush, or a 🗝 straight.
As a typical tight-aggressive player, he’s likely to keep
betting, in ever-increasing amounts. So, you call his bet on the 🗝 flop, and then either
raise him on the turn or wait for him to donk off his chips to you 🗝 on the river.
Using
the Bluff, Selectively
The other move that may work against some of the better
tight-aggressive players is to 🗝 selectively raise them on the flop as a bluff – to get
them to release their hand, fearing that they 🗝 are now second best.
Being selective,
some good tight-aggressive players are still mindful of the possibility that the flop
may occasionally 🗝 give their opponent a very strong hand – surpassing their likely
premium pair.
If, for example, they raise pre-flop, and you 🗝 call, and then an Ace
flops. They bet, and you uncharacteristically raise, they may figure that since this so
seldom 🗝 happens to them, they are better off not chancing that you hit Aces-Up or,
worse, a set. They are then 🗝 likely to fold, congratulating themselves at their
excellent laydown (they may even show it to you).
Sometimes they will call your 🗝 raise
on the flop, hoping for a perfect turn, and you have to fire another bet on the turn
for 🗝 them to fold. Again, used very selectively, this is often an effective move against
the reasonably good (but not great) 🗝 tight-aggressive opponent.
Comparing
Tight-Aggressive Player (TAG) to Loose-Aggressive Player (LAG)
In Conclusion
Poker
games are populated by all sorts of players with many 🗝 different playing styles. You
will want to be able to identify just what type of player you’re up against, so 🗝 you can
apply the correct tactics to exploit them.
Fortunately, tight-aggressive players are
relatively easy to spot. If they are very 🗝 skilled, you should avoid them altogether. If
not, you can make money off them by applying some of the tactics 🗝 we’ve explored in this
article.
