TAG Poker Guide

The great thing about TAG poker strategy is that it’s generally a pretty safe way to play. After all, you’re playing nothing but strong hands. It follows that if you aren’t too reckless postflop, you should pull in the cash quite steadily. However a lot of players trying out the TAG poker style get impatient. I’ll admit, it’s kind of boring sitting around waiting for AK all day. The temptation to play marginal holdings increases with every click of the fold button. However it’s critical that you overcome this impatience if you want to play a successful TAG poker game. Reach our guide on poker player types for more information on TAG & LAG poker.

If you find that you get bored and start spewing while playing TAG, try these tips on for size. Sometimes, all it takes is a small tweak in your playing style to overcome impatience. You’ll find that once you learn to manage your restlessness, your win rate will skyrocket.

TAG Poker Tip #1: Take Notes

Almost every online poker room has a little box in which you can take notes on your opponents. Use it—especially when you’re not in a hand. “When I’m not in a hand? What’s the point of that?” you ask. Good question. A lot of players go their entire poker careers not paying attention to hands in which they aren’t involved. However this is a huge mistake, and can lose you tons of cash.

Paying attention to hands you’re not involved in will give you tons of information about your opponents. This information, in turn, will allow you to better exploit your opponents’ tendencies. Knowing that a villain will call a 4BB bet preflop with 4-9 offsuit is a huge advantage; you can assign him to an extremely large range, and can more effectively adjust yours to counter.

On top of this, paying attention to hands you’re not involved in also forces you to keep busy. By focusing on your opponents, you keep your brain occupied. Thus you avoid boredom, and as such, are able to maintain your flawless TAG strategy for however long you play. It’s the simplest thing in the world, really. Just pay attention, and you won’t get bored; as a result, you won’t feel a need to spew chips by playing crappy hands.

TAG Poker Tip #2: Play More Tables

A lot of players play a ton of games simultaneously. This is called multi-tabling, and is an extremely effective anti-boredom device. By playing more than one game at a time, you’re increasing the rate at which you’re dealt new hands. More action, more fun. Easy game.

Of course, you’ll only want to add tables if you feel your strategy is up to snuff. Obviously, don’t fire up 20 games if you’re unsure of your ability to handle the action. You’ll only play worse if you overextend yourself. Finding your personal table maximum is a subjective matter; do what works for you.

TAG Poker Tip #3: Think Long-Term

A huge contributor to poker restlessness is short-term thinking. It’s so easy to look at A-9 offsuit and think: “if I just hit an ace, I’m golden! Let’s try it!” Easy, but deadly. A-9 offsuit is generally not a good hand, and will lose you money. “Trying to hit” a flop is not long-term thinking, and will cost you cash. Every time you’re dealt a hand, make it a habit to think of its long-term value. For example, if you see 2-T suited in front of you, ask yourself how often it will win in general, not if it hits. Then, make your decision.

Thinking about the long-term value of your hands is a sobering exercise. You won’t want to play that marginal hand so much once you think about how often it will lose at showdown. It’s never worth it to “try and hit” with a valueless hand. Thus it’s throwing away money to do so. Since you don’t like throwing away money, thinking long-term at the start of every hand will give you the necessary incentive to stay patient.

• TAG Poker Strategy

• TAG Poker Guide

• Poker Player Types