What is Your Go To Poker Strategy, Tight-Aggressive or Loose-Aggressive?
Whether you're grinding online MTTs or playing live cash games, everyone has their own approach to poker. Some swear by the classic tight-aggressive (TAG) style—waiting for strong hands and playing them hard. Others prefer the loose-aggressive (LAG) route—keeping opponents guessing with unpredictable moves and wide ranges.
🧠 Let’s get into it:
- What playing style do you lean toward and why?
- How do you adjust your strategy in live vs online games?
- Any stories where switching styles helped you scoop a big pot?
Feel free to share your insights.
8 Replies
It depends on the game really.
It’s not that simple.
If you are playing in a game with a lot of chips being thrown around 3betting & morebetting, then TAG is your friend.
If you’re in a game with lots of limping and passive players, now it’s time to LAG around.
Most games play within those extremes, so you pick the style that fits the situation.
As far as switching styles, that’s more about exploiting image. If you’ve been card dead a while, you can loosen up because you have fold equity. If you look loose cause you redlined a few strong hands, it’s more likely someone will look you up.
The Aggressive factor is always part of the formula, but you must also know when to fold to resistance. Guess what style villain thinks you are about, and use that info to exploit him.
Don’t think of TAGs and LAGs as separate entities, but like a Venn Diagram where there is a big overlap of commonalities while the extremes are distinct.
Finally, the individuals can determine strategies. With one player, you don’t want to battle light, your approach TAG. Yet, you might loosen up against another player opening with a lot of junk LAG.
Absolutely spot on — appreciate the depth here.
My go-to is tight-aggressive, especially in most cash games and tournaments. I like playing fewer hands, but when I do enter a pot, I’m coming in with pressure. It keeps me out of tricky spots, makes my bets get more respect, and still lets me exploit good situations when they come up.
Obnoxiously tight-aggressive. To the point where even I am internally berating myself for not playing more hands. Then I stack someone, and I reinforce my nitty alterego. Its a curse I am willing to bear...
Do not play online. My strategy is to let the fish show me what works vs them than do it. If there is a player that will always "bet into weakness" or "if you can't win you must bluff" I play extremely passive and let them hang themselves.
It depends
I only play live cash games & TAG is my default style. Now, I'm also not an OMC that only plays AA or KK, I have a decently wide range, especially in position. Although, I definitely am not one to be playing 10/4, 9/2 & stuff like that no matter what position I'm in.
My TAG image also really helps my bluffs go through, since other players believe I always have it when I bet.
Yeah this sort of style is very effective in live cash games. It's sort of a hybrid tag pre/lag postflop. If you're tight preflop other players tend to mentally apply that to your post flop game and you can get away with running some big bluffs postflop.
Playing stronger opening ranges than other players and then playing aggressively postflop is a winning formula.
Don't be predictable.
Loose in position, aggression should vary. Snug with wild games but don't get labeled a nit.
