When you first start playing poker, the optimal style is undoubtedly tight-aggressive (TAG). This allows you to be selective and minimize mistakes while learning the basics of how to value bet and bluff.

As you progress, you’ll likely benefit from loosening up your game. You’ll still be taking an aggressive approach, just with additional hands added to your starting ranges. You’ll be able to get involved in a greater number of pots and become more unpredictable.

So, how can you move from a tight aggressive to a loose-aggressive (LAG) style?

TAG versus LAG

TAG and LAG are considered the two winning styles in poker. There’s no actual cut off point for when one ends and the other begins. Both depend on aggressive betting lines to win more pots, but a LAG approach opens more starting hands.

• TAG – Tight aggressive approach, opening mainly premium and strong hands along with some bluffs. Then playing pots aggressively preflop and post-flop.
• LAG – Loose aggressive approach that involves playing more starting hands. This results in more action with broader hand ranges.

It’s generally recommended that newer players looking to become profitable start with a TAG approach. Play a fairly tight selection of opening hands, but playing them strongly. This prevents mistakes and leaves you in far less marginal spots.

The TAG approach can be profitable. Especially at the lower stakes, where knowing the basics and executing it well could be enough to have a huge edge over the field.

As you improve your win rate or move up in stakes, you may notice sticking to an exclusively tight-aggressive approach leaves you missing some spots. You might feel an urge to start playing a greater number of hands.

A LAG style will see you entering a lot more pots, often with a raise. For weaker players who are attempting this, it can be a recipe for disaster. But as you get better at poker, the LAG style will potentially open up more opportunities for you to win chips – and that’s the aim of the game.

Moving from TAG to LAG

Just to be clear, LAG is not always better than TAG. You should adapt your ranges depending on the table dynamics to optimize your approach. What is important, is that you know how to loosen up and when to do so.

But when the time is right, such as when you’re on a tight or weak table, then you should be ready to turn it up.

Here are three things to master as you go from TAG to LAG:

Position

Moving from TAG to LAG, by definition, means opening up your starting hand ranges. However, if you start raising any hand from any position, you’ll get in so much trouble that you’ll soon be back to playing only premiums.

The worst mistake you can make is to loosen up too much from early position, or against early position raises, which are nearly always strong. Stick to your strong starting hands if you’re under the gun or UTG+1.

It’s only when you start getting to middle position that you can loosen your open-raising hands. From late position, such as on the button, you can mix it up, profitably opening hands like suited connectors and one-gap suited connectors.

Position is really the key to making the transition between TAG and LAG.

Raising and re-raising

If you’re taking a LAG approach, then one of the advantages is that you become incredibly unpredictable to read. You could feasibly be holding pocket aces or 9-7 suited when you raise from the hijack.

This unpredictable approach lends itself to aggression, as you’ll be more believable when you bluff. You could have an overpair, a funky two pair, or anything in between.

At the same time, when you do make a value hand at the right time, people are more likely to pay. They know that you’re opening wide and could have nothing much.

So, if you’re going to attempt the LAG style, get comfortable with taking aggressive lines. Like raising, re-raising and check-raising to maximize both your value and bluffing potential.

Adapting to opponents

If you’re opening with a wide range of hands, you need to have a keen sense of what’s going on around you. It’s no good just firing out wild bets with mediocre hands. You need to know exactly who to target with bluffs, who will pay off your value bets, who is avoiding you and who is fighting back.

Taking a LAG approach demands constant awareness of your own table image and how other players are reacting to it. You’re going to stand out more and be involved in a lot more pots. People will notice you and some will want to cut you down.

It’s a less subtle and more commanding position to be in. But ultimately, if you can get it right, the LAG approach is going to open up many more opportunities for you to take chips.