Tight Aggressive is the nuts.

Playing a tight aggressive style is so much more fun than playing rock-tight aggressive - and more importantly, much more profitable.

Currently, I basically play any premium hands (AA-QQ, AKs-ATs, AK-AT), any pairs (22-JJ), any suited connectors (45s-KQs), and any one or two gapped suited connectors (46s-KJs). Whenever I'm first to the pot I raise. I usually raise 2x BB, but nearly as often I raise 3x BB (the smaller raise is usually made in early/middle position and the larger is made in late position). If another play has open-raised I will only call with pairs (99-AA) and AK; and often I will reraise with (AA, KK, and AK). If other players have limped in, sometimes I will raise them, sometimes I limp behind. This is not based on the strength of my hand (generally), but often is a factor of position. If its folded to me and I'm on the button I'll raise with just about any two cards to 3x BB (and I usually will do the same in the SB).

The main thing I my game that has changed is my post flop play. I had always read that you should generally bet about 2/3-3/4 the pot on the flop if the board was dangerous and about 1/2 the pot when its not. The problem is if you bet this much into a preflop raised pot then you are actually betting a lot. So if you have bottom pair and are semi-bluffing the flop you are risking a lot of chips.

For example, you raise to 3x BB with AhTh on the cutoff. The BB calls. The pot is 7xBB. The flop comes TcQh2c. You bet your standard 3/4 sized pot bet, about 5.5xBB.

If you bet this much and you are raised you pretty much are stuck folding. If you are called, the pot on the turn is very big and you are going to have to fire at least a 12xBB bet on the turn. Lastly, if you need to bluff the river - the two large flop/turn bets make the pot or even half pot sized river bet HUGE - 20xBB or even 40xBB. Clearly a different strategy is necessary.

Here's mine: basically I decided that a lot of the time players either hit a flop or they don't. Most look at top pair, and top pair only (or better). They won't call you with bottom pair - or even middle pair no matter how big you bet the flop. I basically have changed my continuation bet to a 1/3 pot sized bet nearly every time. If I flop the nuts, have a draw, have bottom or middle pair, or have top pair, and so on. I always bet 1/3 the pot. The idea is that you are setting yourself up for later streets AND this bet has a very decent shot at winning the pot immediately. I pick up tons of pots on the flop with flush/straight draws simply by leading out for $2 into a $5-6 pot. A nice bonus is that most players with top pair will simply call a bet here - not raise. And those that do often min raise or 3x raise. Notice in both spots you are getting decent odds to call and suck out. :) And the few times where your opponents make a huge raise on the flop you can use that information. If you are really weak you have lost very little and can fold. If you are really strong you can call or raise and maximize the value of your strong hand.

Basically, thinking like my opponents - if I bet 2/3 the pot what does that mean: it tends to mean I have a hand that is strong and vulnerable. If my opponents have a hand they know is stronger they will call/raise; weaker they fold; and draws they can decide how to play them based on the situation. In all three situations the 2/3 sized bet is much easier to read than a small bet. When I bet 2x BB, my opponents might put me on the nuts, a draw, top pair, middle pair, a bluff, etc. Its much more difficult for my opponents to make the correct decision if I bet less than if I bet more. They can call with draws - but they won't bet you out of your draws. They will raise with huge hands, but call with decent ones. The small bet is a way for you to learn a ton of information, but giving your opponent almost no information.

Then I tend to follow through on the turn in two different ways according to how my opponent reacted to the flop. If I think the turn scared my opponent, or I think my opponent is weak, I always make a larger 2/3-3/4 sized bet. If I think the card helped my opponent or if I think my opponent is strong I can check/fold or bet a small amount again and if they don't raise - see if the river helps me. If I have a huge draw or a huge hand and the turn made a lot of draws or created a situation where I think my opponent will likely like their hand more and I am strong (ie I have a set and I put my opponent on a big ace, the turn brings an ace OR the turn brings a blank and I think that my opponent really liked his hand on the flop), then I usually raise all-in.

Again, I keep the pot small on turn if I want to see the river, but I also give my opponent the opportunity to fold. I also make a few more aggressive plays on the turn because usually its when my opponents decide that I must not be bluffing this time and fold. I rarely ever check or call. If I check it tends to mean either I'm looking to check raise (very rare) or its because I figure that my opponent will not fold and there is no way for me to win (I've given up this hand).

The river is more of the same. But now if I need to pull off that big river bluff its big like 10x-20xBB not 20x-40xBB. Thats a huge difference. Its also great because by constantly firing all the time people really have no idea where I'm at. I often win many pots with hands like TT on Khigh boards.

The advantage of this style is that I give my opponents lots of opportunities to make mistakes - and because I only ever call (usually all-ins) based on correct mathematical situations I am not making too many mistakes myself. Math has a place in poker, but when you are the one doing the betting its much less significant than most people think. It doesn't matter that I bet 2x the BB instead of 5xBB to block flush draws if I am representing a pair of aces with my J8s. If I win the pot - who cares if sometimes that flush calls and even hits. I only invested 4-6x the BB, not a big fold, but all those small 6XBB pots that I do pick up add up...

More to come soon. :)