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Aggressiveness in Poker

by James West

On poker websites all over the internet, players can find a whole bunch of strategies, tips and different approaches to the game, in the articles and strategies sections. Most of this advice is good and useful, some of it is questionable, but worth considering nonetheless. Few such articles discuss the general attitude a winning player should adopt, though.

Most of them focus on specific situations, strategies and techniques, which is good, but they fail to capture the state of mind of a successful player. I've read, that poker was not simply a cardgame. It was rather a game of betting. I'd add to that, that it is a game of struggling wills, and as such, it's also all-out psychological warfare.

Yes, indeed poker is struggle, and as much as you hate to admit it, it's direct confrontation. As it would happen in any conflict situation, this brings out different attitudes and different characters in players. The true color of a person is usually shown under pressure or when faced with conflict. Add to that the fact that the internet acts as a kind veil, players can hide behind, thus further encouraging full manifestation of one's true inner self.

The players you'll run into in an online poker room will range from extremely aggressive bullies, to mild mannered amateurs, and rebellious rookies. What you need to understand about all these players, is that they're all after the same thing: your pot equity, whether it comes in the shape of blinds you post or otherwise, that's what they want and the sole reason that they do whatever they do at the table, is to put their hands on it.

Good players, commonly known as sharks, will find no shame in repeatedly bullying you out of your blinds.And you know how far they will go doing it? Exactly as far as you put up with the situation. Real-world tyrants have their powers limited by the extent their people are willing to endure. Most tyrants make the fatal mistake of going over that point of no return, the point beyond which the masses will no longer accept any further abuse and will rise up as one, against the oppressor.

In poker, there comes a point when you realize you've already taken more than your fair share of abuse from these guys. That is when you recognize the fact that you need to do something against them, that is when you decide that running is no longer what you want to do, but you'd rather stand your ground and fight.

Successful poker players didn't become that, because they kept running away from conflict. They're successful because they're cold hearted fighters, who calculate, and - if the circumstances allow it - pounce on you for the kill without mercy. You need to become such a player yourself. You need to take up arms against these oppressors and squeeze a spot in the turf.for yourself. Looking for a quiet, friendly poker game is one thing, becoming a player who makes money off his play, is another.

You can't get to the honey without fighting off the bees first, though smoking them out is never a bad idea, either. No faint-hearted player has ever made a backdoor flush or straight. Just think about how many times such a player has ruined your trips and skinned you alive on them. In the future, in such situations, would you rather be the one skinned or would you rather be the one doing the skinning?

All of this, of course, doesn't mean that you should be recklessly aggressive and try to win every single hand you play from now on. There's a very thin line between being bold and being stupid in the real world. In online poker - if anything - that line becomes even finer.

What I'm trying to tell you is, that - once you know a whole bunch of things about the game - and you feel you have the potential to take your game to the next level, you'll have to become more daring and aggressive. There's only so much you can achieve in poker without being bolder.

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