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Some questions about playing TAG

edited July 2010 in The Poker Clinic
As anyone who has read my last couple of posts will have seen I've recently stepped back down to NL8 from NL20 to try and get back to basics. After posting a couple of hands & questions one of the bits of feedback I got was to play a straight forward TAG game which I've taken on board.

So my plan going into tonight's session was to play uber TAG. In my mind I knew the range of hands I was prepared to play depending on position & whether there were any limpers/raisers in front of me but I then came to the other problem where I felt as though the kind of hands I was playing & raising with became pretty transparent to anyone who was taking the slightest bit of notice so I wasn't getting any action (which I suppose is fine in a way if you're raising with something like a mid PP).

So my question here is at what point do you start to loosen up/widen your range? I ask this because surely if you don't loosen up then at some stage your game becomes too easy to read & then you're on a hiding to nothing?

Comments

  • edited July 2010

    Hey Jay,

    U nailed it with position.....play ur style above ^^^^ from under the gun and utg +!...

    In the cut off u can play alot more hands in unraised pots, it's all relative, and at these stakes Id be raising
    22+, A9+. and  TJs+.....

    On the button take it even further, and go 22+, A2+ and 67s+.....

    Play with discipline from the blinds, don't make too many speculative calls, 3 bet/shove QQ+ AKs....

    The button and cut off are the easiest positions to play from, so it would make sense to play here more often/as much as possible.

    Defend bb with hands which are easy to play post flop, where you're always gonna "know where you are" - Look at the basics, implied odds, (no point set mining with 44, in a 3 way pot, when each guy has 20xbb each for example)

    Use your nouse and experience to exploit situations when they arise, and ull be back where u belong soon.

    gl.
  • edited July 2010
    Cheers JJ

    When you say to take it further on the button I assume you're also talking about unraised pots there as well? 

    One of the biggest problems I found tonight is that there were very few unraised pots by the time it got round to me & on the rare occasion it was I had absolute trash.

    Would you advocate making a raise from the CO/button with something like KQ/KJ (maybe even J10) suited if there's been a couple of limpers before you or long term is it probably just best to sit tight & wait?
  • edited July 2010
    In Response to Re: Some questions about playing TAG:
    Cheers JJ When you say to take it further on the button I assume you're also talking about unraised pots there as well?  One of the biggest problems I found tonight is that there were very  few unraised pots by the time it got round to me & on the rare occasion it was I had absolute trash. Would you advocate making a raise from the CO/button with something like KQ/KJ (maybe even J10) suited if there's been a couple of limpers before you or long term is it probably just best to sit tight & wait?
    Posted by silentbob

    Yeh, unraised pots, I would be making a raise, (4x+1/2).....definitely from the button...

    And depending on confidence/gut feeling/way the guys utg/utg+1 have been reacting to raises (calling/folding) ...also make these plays from the cut off too.

    I don't think it's gonna work to totally nit up and wait for premium hands, no matter how basic your strategy is, you're still gonna have to play some poker to make money.

    So try your best to make playing poker as easy as you can for yourself.

    The more limpers ahead of you, you can narrow your raising range. For example if there are 2 limpers and you are on the button, you can remove A2-A8 from your range, you can still pretty much swell the pot with pairs, as these are easy to play, and you want to build the pot early incase u hit (often raising pairs from the button gets you 4 cards to hit a set, as the passive players ahead of you generally check to the raiser, allowing you a free turn card)

    It's never gonna be a mistake short term, to limp into pots with speculative hands (TJs, 67s, Axs) for 1 big blind, if there are big implied odds (the more players in he pot, and the deeper the stacks, the better)

    Don't always play textbook stuff, just do what it takes to get the job done, and as you move up, you can worry about the technical stuff later.

    also check ur pms.
  • edited July 2010
    In Response to Re: Some questions about playing TAG:
    Cheers JJ When you say to take it further on the button I assume you're also talking about unraised pots there as well?  One of the biggest problems I found tonight is that there were very  few unraised pots by the time it got round to me & on the rare occasion it was I had absolute trash. Would you advocate making a raise from the CO/button with something like KQ/KJ (maybe even J10) suited if there's been a couple of limpers before you or long term is it probably just best to sit tight & wait?
    Posted by silentbob
    there is playing a TAG style, and there is being a NIT. folding KQs in postion because there are a few open limpers is NIT not TAG. You need raise up 100% of the time here to isolate the weaker players and play as many pots as you can in postion.
  • edited July 2010
    raise all pocket pairs in all positions and fold to reraises unless deep DONT limp
    you can raise any broadway utg but remember these hands have reverse implied odds which means they can be easily dominated
    position is were you make most of the money so you can raise lighter and isolate limpers with high cards
    on the button raise any ace and j9 q9 k9

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