Tight/Aggressive

In poker, most players can be separated into four categories characterizing their style of play. Each style is described as a combination of the starting hands the player chooses to play, and the way the player bets these hands.
"Tight" and "Loose" describe the choice in starting hands. "Passive" and "Aggressive" describe the betting pattern.

Here we're talking skilled player with a keen understanding of the game and a solid presence at the table.

The Tight/Aggressive player is theoretically strong, uses the betting to gain information and in general has a deep fundamental knowledge of the game and its many different aspects.

Starting hands are chosen based on strength and position, and the betting is aggressive with bets and raises far more frequent than calls.
The Tight/Aggressive player is often referred to as a "solid" player, and that in poker is quite a compliment.

The Tight/Aggressive player very rarely gives away free cards unless there's an obvious advantage to doing so, and should you happen to sit down at a table with too many Tight/Aggressive players, you are best served by quickly hitting the "leave table" button. There's absolutely no value in playing against more than a couple of these players at once – especially when the lower limit tables are crawling with passive players much easier to beat.

A significant advantage though when playing against the Tight/Aggressive player is the fact that this type of player will often pounce on weakness. So when you do hit big on the flop or turn, there's a chance you can get the Tight/Aggressive player to bet into you if you appear weak.

How to counter this player:

It's not the easiest thing in the world to turn a profit playing against a Tight/Aggressive player. But it can of course be done, and the key is to take advantage of the fairly predictable betting patterns of this player.
Since a Tight/Aggressive player will most of the time follow through on a preflop raise with a continuation bet on the flop, you'll be able to take home many pots by reraising in that spot – often not even taking into consideration if you have a competitive hand yourself or not.

When you do hold a big hand against the Tight/Aggressive player, you can often benefit greatly by showing weakness to induce another bet on the turn. Be aware of positions here though.
The skilled Tight/Aggressive player will often use position to get a free card on the turn rather than bluffing at you a second time. When this happens, you run the risk of getting outdrawn.


Back to Beginners

Poker News from ThePlayr.com