Aggressive Versus Conservative: Learning When to Play

In poker you are pretty much playing one way or the other at the table, but you should be doing both, and at different times. Many pros have a reputation for being a specific type of player, but actually they are mixing up their play and making their opponent misread their image.

One of the most important elements of poker is position. You must make decisions based on where you are seated and where the button is. If you are seated right after the button, you are in early position. This is where you are most likely throwing away most hands. You do not want to get involved with a mediocre hand like A10 and then have someone raise big after you where you can't call.

If you are seated on the button, you can be mixing up your play more. Feel free to limp in or raise aggressively with mediocre hands. I like to raise on the button with Ax. Most people will fold, and if you get a caller you can usually raise them out after the flop because they think you are holding a big pair. Be careful not to do this too often because the better players know that the button is a good place to try and steal.

Another time to decide whether to play aggressive or conservative is dependent on your table. If you are seated with 5 aggressive players then you might want to slow down and play tight. Wait for a good hand and hopefully they will bet into you. It is very important to maximize your available profits to gain from weaker players.

If you are seated at a table with very conservative players you must play the role of the aggressor. You will make your money based off of raising them out of pots. You must be careful, though, that if a super conservative player makes a play for the pot they probably have something and it would be best to fold. A very important part of poker is knowing your opponents and recognizing their table image.

To take it a step further, you should be confusing your opponents on what your table image is. Make them think you are a super loose and aggressive player, then tighten up a bit and watch them raise you with nothing, when you have the nuts. Or vice versa, play very tight for awhile and then start getting involved in big pots and reraise. Even if they have a good hand, if they think of you as a very tight player, it is probable that they would lay down top pair or even two pair.

Another time to get aggressive is when you are the chip leader. You can use this to your advantage to push other players off pots. Raise before the flop and put the pressure on your opponents to make a decision if they want to get involved with a hand. You usually want to be conservative when you are the short stack because you can easily be called by a bigger stack or reraised all in. Don't invest any chips into the pot unless you are prepared to go all the way with that hand.

In a tournament, on the bubble is also another good time to put pressure on your opponents. It is worth risking a few chips to steal blinds and antes. You must remember you are always playing for first, not just to make the money. A lot of other players don't think like this and they will tighten up when the money is approaching, just hoping to cash.

You must always recognize the best situations and times to get involved in the pot. If you don't have much money invested in the pot, it isn't worth it to risk a big amount of your stack just to try and outplay someone. Another important piece of advice is that you don't have to win every pot. Even if you are playing the role of the aggressor at the table, it is OK to fold to someone if they raise you big. This can also be helpful later when you have a hand, because people will think they can get you to fold by raising you out.

So just remember, get aggressive:

in later positions or on the button
with conservative players
when you are chip leader
on the bubble