How to check if you're overly aggressive or is there such a thing?

[jsuperman]

So I've been doing alot of reading, playing PartyPoker & home games and watching lots of poker shows. I see players being aggressive all the time and it seems to pay off alot, getting people to fold top pair, 2pair, straights etc. . . I've tried some of these tactics it seems to work well for me, but when is it time to let go of the gas pedal? or is it ever right to do so? Im speaking in a broad sense, through out the game or just in a hand,

one example say flop comes pretty average q t 6 rainbow (just an example) and you're holding say jks otb and you were aggressive preflop and 2 players check to you , you bet out 45-75% and you get one caller, turn comes say paint card, like 8 or 5 or something, do you still bet? will that matter alot if you think the player believes you or not, capable of folding a mid pair/top pair?

Or is the answer simply that i have to go and get some more experience playing first? All kinds of feedback in regards to aggression play is welcome, many thanks in advance

#edit, so the title is probably aptly named as how to know if you're being overly aggressive ........

[Tim]

So I've been doing alot of reading, playing PartyPoker & home games and watching lots of poker shows. I see players being aggressive all the time and it seems to pay off alot....

Be very careful when it comes to watching the professionals on TV. These shows tend to only show the highlights, avoiding the boring bits where these same aggressive players throw hand after hand into the muck. Also, the same strategies won't always work against the typical opponents you might find in games that you play.

one example say flop comes pretty average q t 6 rainbow (just an example) and you're holding say jks otb and you were aggressive preflop and 2 players check to you , you bet out 45-75% and you get one caller, turn comes say paint card, like 8 or 5 or something, do you still bet? will that matter alot if you think the player believes you or not, capable of folding a mid pair/top pair?

Whether to fire the second barrel in this example very much depends on your opponent, and what he thinks of you. There are many other factors to consider. But betting as a semi-bluff is good - it gives you two ways to win the hand.

This is why an aggressive style of play is what you should be aiming for. Passive play gets you nowhere in this game. However, this just describes how you play in a hand, not how many hands you play. You should still exercise good starting hand selection, particularly when you're starting out. Playing a loose-aggressive style (and winning) requires a great deal of skill, and is generally best avoided if you're a beginner.

So yes, there certain is such a thing as being too aggressive.

[jsuperman]

thanks tim, so I got one more follow-up question, is it ever advised to fire a third barrel, if say your semi-bluff on the turn was just flat-called, what kind of texture in terms of the board is more suitable? like a heavy draw orientated board that just got there? (to rep that you just made your hand?) or a heavy draw orientate board that didn't get there?

sorry about all the questions? it just seems everynow and then, when i do well in a table, i every now and then, lose a big chunk out of my stack getting called with mediocre hands? is it basically, because my image is a lag and opponents are calling my bluff, or is it the standard of players not high enough to fold top pair rag kickers?

*i generally play on 25c/50c cash tables on partypoker

[Jalopy]

thanks tim, so I got one more follow-up question, is it ever advised to fire a third barrel, if say your semi-bluff on the turn was just flat-called, what kind of texture in terms of the board is more suitable? like a heavy draw orientated board that just got there? (to rep that you just made your hand?) or a heavy draw orientate board that didn't get there?

It depends...
This kind of question is entirely opponent/board/action/image/stack size (pretty much every poker variable I guess) oriented. Is your opponent a calling station? What could you possibly achieve by bluffing on the end when you already know he will call. Is your opponent a thinking player that knows that you can bet on the come...if he is, what is he calling you down with? Just a couple very limited scenarios but there are virtually unlimited possibilities. You need to consider the situation and make your bet on that. It is certainly advised to three-barrel bluff in some situations but I think the question is too general to answer with a simple yes or no.

sorry about all the questions?

Keep the questions coming! This is why this forum exists

it just seems everynow and then, when i do well in a table, i every now and then, lose a big chunk out of my stack getting called with mediocre hands? is it basically, because my image is a lag and opponents are calling my bluff, or is it the standard of players not high enough to fold top pair rag kickers?

I play online in the micros as well and I know there are really good players and abysmal players so this is probably a bit of both but only you would know through your observations at your table. Are you bluffing players that are calling stations (have you identified the calling stations)? Have some very tight players started calling you down? Have you been so aggressive that it is painfully obvious that you are regularly betting with poor hands or have you shown a number of bluffs at showdown?

Sorry I couldn't be more specific but there are so many things to take into account in each decision that a blanket answer wouldn't have been good enough.

[Tim]

There's lots of good advice there from Jalopy and I echo his thoughts.

There are times when a three-barrel bluff can work, there's no doubt about that. However, it's a high risk and potentially costly strategy and if you find yourself in these spots with regularity then I've no doubt that you're being overly aggressive - and my advice would be to ease of the pedal a little. If your opponents are calling you down with marginal holdings then it might be that you've become too predictable - and a predictable player is seldom a winning player.

In fact when it comes to micro-stakes you'll make more money by being patient and betting for value, as opposed to bluffing. Therefore if I were you I'd concentrate more on that aspect of the game rather than pulling off a triple-barrel bluff. Sure, it feels great when you bluff, but it's not so great when that pesky calling station calls you down with middle pair.

[Queso]

Great advice from everybody; Tim nailed it on the bluffing. You can't bluff an idiot and frankly, that's what most of the micro stakes players are.

Hey, I said "most". Lol

[J_Verschueren]

Great advice from everybody; Tim nailed it on the bluffing. You can't bluff an idiot and frankly, that's what most of the micro stakes players are.

Hey, I said "most". Lol

To borrow from George Carlin: "Consider how stupid the average person is, then realise half the population is even stupider."

[jsuperman]

To borrow from George Carlin: "Consider how stupid the average person is, then realise half the population is even stupider."

my favourite one so far. But thanks guys for all the great responses, I'll have a play around with what works and doesn't work based on my observations next time I'm at a home game, as well as some online games.