Aggression
December 16, 2006
In order to be a successful No-Limit Texas Holdem player, you have to be aggressive. Aggression is shown at the poker table by making bets, opening the hand or raising. It is a show of strength that has just as much to do with player psychology as it does with the cards that player is holding. Aggressive players don’t sit back and let things happen to them in a poker game; they make things happen.
Most players don’t bet and raise nearly enough. Of course, with poker on television, books such as Doyle Brunson’s Super/System, which teach how to play power poker, and successful pros using aggressive tactics successfully such as Brunson, Gus Hansen, Phil Ivey and many others, aggression at the poker table is definitely on the up-swing.
Although being aggressive is good, you have to learn how to manage it by picking and choosing times to make aggressive moves. This knowledge separates good players from great players. The concept of selective aggression is referred to as controlled, or managed, aggression.
This sounds like a difficult concept unless you think of your actions at the poke table as a form of communication. When you bet, you’re saying something. How much you bet can be likened to how strong you’re saying it. For example, an all-in is a huge, in-your-face scream that says, “I HAVE THE BEST HAND. BACK DOWN EVERYONE. THIS POT IS MINE.”
So, just like anywhere else in life, you have to watch what you ‘say’ at the poker table. When acting aggressively, here are examples of what your actions could be saying to those playing at the table with you:
| Action | Communication Value |
| Check | “Go on, buddy. Just bet into me. I got you beat, and I’m just waiting for your bluff.” |
| Bet | “I’m here. I’m playing in this hand, and I’m strong. If you want to play, you’ve gotta pay.” |
| Raise | “You’re hand might be big, but mine is bigger. And if it’s not, I’m still gonna make you think it is.” |
| Check-raise | “Hmmm. So, you think you’re more aggressive than I am. I don’t think so. I want this pot, so back off.” |
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