Adjusting Aggression

Adjusting Aggression – Poker Strategy – Adjusting your aggression is a skill that will become extremely useful at almost every table that you play at. When you are at a table full of regulars you could adjust your aggression in an attempt to find an edge. If you are playing at a new table with unfamiliar players you should adjust your aggression to allow for the greatest amount of profitability.

It makes no sense to play loose if everyone at your table is a calling station, but some players will refuse to adjust their play anyway. One of the most important things that a poker player can do is learn to adjust, be it their aggression or their bankroll. Switching up your style will make exploiting other players that much easier.

If you cater to someone else’s style you can’t expect to win any money from them. It is when you identify an edge that you will be able to achieve true profitability. If you watch Phil Ivey play poker in a tournament you will notice that he plays differently than when he is in a cash game.

Players like Ivey are able to identify the small differences from player to player. It is important to adjust your aggression whether you are playing a $1 Sit and Go or a high stakes cash game.

How to Adjust Your Aggression – Poker Strategy

Adjusting your aggression is not nearly as difficult as it might seem. Think about how your opponents are playing and what type of play would be the best to counter that specific style of play. If you are at a tight table you would do well if you started to play a bit looser than you normally would.

This doesn’t mean that you should be playing every hand imaginable, but it does mean that you should be expanding your range to a point where the other players will be uncomfortable. This is really the foundation for all adjustments in poker, you need to look for ways to make your opponents uncomfortable.

The easiest way to coerce someone into making a poor play is to make them uncomfortable. Think about a time in your life where you did or said something stupid, there is a good chance that you were nervous or otherwise uncomfortable.

When do most athletes sweat the most? When they are facing a crucial part of a game that will decide the winner. If you can find a way to make your opponents uncomfortable you will be able to own their soul.

Sometimes an adjustment is best made by leaving the table you are currently at. This would not be an option if you are in the middle of a Sit and Go or tournament, but for cash game players it will often be a viable option. This is called game selection and is an easy way to properly adjust.

It doesn’t take a long time at a table to determine whether or not your opponents are going to be giving away their money. If everyone you are sitting with seems to be competent it is probably a good idea to try and find some tables with a handful of morons, and trust me, there is no shortage of them.

Table selection is a skill that allows weak players to earn more money than advanced players. If solid players all sit at the same table they will often trade their money back and forth, but when a strong player sits with weak players they will have an opportunity to make some money.

Summary of Adjusting Aggression

Adjusting your aggression is one of the best things you can do when trying to find an edge in whatever game you are playing. Many poker players assume that adjusting aggression simply means that they should either play more passively or aggressively than usual, but there are ways to adjust your aggression off the table as well. Related Articles – Bum Hunting Strategy – VP$IP – Small Stakes Post Flop, Medium Stakes Post Flop, High Stakes Post Flop