Aggression...

As poker players one of our biggest weapons we have when our cards are running cold is aggression. Well timed aggression can take players off pots when they currently hold a vunerable but winning hand.

Well timed bets, re-raises, all ins when the board is looking dangerous to a straight or flush can keep poker players afloat when nothing else is going their way. I've found over the last week however that I seem to be playing more and more passively which isn't good!

I've been waiting for the stone cold nuts, folding in the face of a raise or suspicious large bets because I didn't want to put a large portion of my stack on the line with a marginal hand. Its meant that I've been sitting around for ages waiting for a playable hand and when they do come I'm just not getting paid for them.

I tried to go some way to rectifying this yesterday with some Wombol style aggression and it seemed to work 90% of the time but the opportunities to play this way just weren't coming along enough, which was probably down to me not entering enough pots. I think I see 25-30% of flops and probably hit the same percentage of the ones I see. So not really generating a massive level of playable hands.

I've experimented with playing more hands and always seem to get myself in trouble or burn through my buy in far to quickly so am at a crossroads here. A comfortable style seems to be alluding me. Any thoughts?

Might experiment a bit further today, but I guess this is a key time in moving my poker self forward. I need to settle on a style that I'm confident in, a way to play that I can push with otherwise I'll always be second guessing or on that back foot.

How do you guys feel comfortable playing? Is it all out aggression, raise, raise, raise, or are you more passive, or somewhere in between. Would love to know.

Wombol

Just pulled in my biggest pot ever!! To be honest shouldn't have even have been playing $2/$4 put decided to have a pop!

Full Tilt Poker Game $2/$4 - No Limit Hold'em - 5:29:51 ET - 2007/04/26
Seat 1: lovedog666 ($233.75)
Seat 2: Abmatic ($328.10)
Seat 3: CmeWin ($245.65)
Seat 4: Dopester ($562.25)
Seat 5: Stunbob ($464.40)
Seat 6: Bank Shot ($242.10)
Seat 7: SomeDude69 ($463.85)
Seat 8: Wombol ($398.75)
Seat 9: mike the dyke69 ($348.90)
Stunbob posts the small blind of $2
Bank Shot has 5 seconds left to act
Bank Shot posts the big blind of $4
The button is in seat #4
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Wombol [Jh Jd]
SomeDude69 folds
Wombol calls $4
mike the dyke69 raises to $14
lovedog666 folds
Abmatic calls $14
CmeWin folds
Dopester calls $14
Stunbob folds
Bank Shot has 15 seconds left to act
Bank Shot calls $14
Wombol calls $14
*** FLOP *** [Js 6c Kd]
Bank Shot checks
Wombol checks (Let the pre-flop raiser make the first move)
mike the dyke69 bets $32 (Perfect!!)
Abmatic raises to $64 (Even better!)
Dopester folds
Bank Shot folds
Wombol calls $64
mike the dyke69 calls $64
*** TURN *** [Js 6c Kd] [7h]
Wombol bets $40 (Lets lead the betting now and see if we can't force an all in)
mike the dyke69 folds
Abmatic has 15 seconds left to act
Abmatic raises to $250.10, and is all in (Happy days!)
Wombol calls $250.10
Abmatic shows [9s Kh]
Wombol shows [Jh Jd]
*** RIVER *** [Js 6c Kd 7h] [7d]
Abmatic shows two pair, Kings and Sevens
Wombol shows a full house, Jacks full of Sevens
Wombol wins the pot ($759.20) with a full house, Jacks full of Sevens
Abmatic is sitting out
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $762.20 Rake $3
Board: [Js 6c Kd 7h 7d]
Seat 1: lovedog666 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 2: Abmatic showed [9s Kh] and lost with two pair, Kings and Sevens
Seat 3: CmeWin didn't bet (folded)
Seat 4: Dopester (button) folded on the Flop
Seat 5: Stunbob (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 6: Bank Shot (big blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 7: SomeDude69 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 8: Wombol showed [Jh Jd] and won ($759.20) with a full house, Jacks full of Sevens
Seat 9: mike the dyke69 folded on the Turn