Poker and Philosophy: Risk
by Bodog Poker | Oct 14 2010
Risk... risk is our business. That's what this starship is all about. That's why we're aboard her.
- Captain James T. Kirk
A lot of the advice given in this column is aimed right at the tight-aggressive player, and that's likely because the writer is, for the most part, exactly that when he sits down to play. However, today, we're going to talk about one of the most volatile and, indeed, risky ways to play poker: loose aggressive. We're pretty sure that's how Captain James T. Kirk plays poker, particularly when against the ruthless mathematics of Spock.
Managing the risk and playing in loose-aggressive play is heavily dependent on your position and the tendencies of your opponents. Frankly, playing mediocre hands out of position can ruin your game, and I've even argued that even the best player in the world is simply unable to play certain hands profitably and consistency from out of position on the board. The loose aggressive style of play works best against tight aggressive players that place too much value in their starting hands after the flop.
It should be noted that loose aggressive players have a better chance of getting paid off with their monster hands while the tight aggressive players in the same game will find it hard getting action at times. It's not a playing style that works for pure beginners, but if you're able to get the most out of a broad range of starting hands and, indeed, able to weigh the risk versus the rewards, it's definitely an option for you.
The player willing to take risks in the loose aggressive manner is going to have to get used to playing in post-flop situations while holding draw hands, and one of the most common confrontations in deep-stacked poker games are between tight aggressive players and loose aggressive players, where both types are competing to get the most out of the pot. Understanding pot odds is a key to making sure that you successfully play straight draws and flush draws. There are going to be times when you're not able to play a decent drawing hand because your tight aggressive opponent has overbet and the odds say that you just can't stay in the hand. There's going to be other occasions when you muck a mediocre hand pre-flop because the size of the opponent's stack doesn't justify entering a raised pot and playing as an underdog.
How do you get started with the Loose Aggressive style? You should aim for multi-way pots or using your position to be the first to raise pre-flop. Low suited connecters (5h6h) and single-gas are recommended over broader spreads, even if they have a face card (J4 off-suit, for instance.) You'll have to constantly make sure that you're adjusting after the flop and making sure that you showdown value and fold equity are decent enough to keep going at all times. Once you reach the end, potential showdown value is pretty straightforward.
The James T. Kirk style of poker play may very well be the future for your No Limit Texas Hold ‘Em poker game online, but only the best players are going to be able to use it as their primary strategy. If you want to practice this style, check out Heads Up Sit N Go tournaments or six-max cash games, situations where you'd already loosen your pre-flop starting range.
Finally, boldly go. If you can play it right, the loose aggressive style can be highly profitable.
