Aggression Is Key - Usually

Tight Aggressive is the playing style preferred and recommended by most experts in the world of poker as the style that will yield the most profitability over time. In tournament poker it is also one of the most valued styles of play, and in the game of No Limit Texas Holdem, the poker game most often played in tournament style, aggression is always touted as being the hallmark of the winner. Being aggressive often wins you pots that would otherwise go to another player and it is a key to success, but it does not mean that you should play on autopilot aggressively.

Taking the time to use your powers of observation and analysis, combined with aggression at the right times, will yield you more success.

Take for example the trend of automatically betting on the turn in Holdem, regardless of how the board cards are falling. Many players believe that if they showed aggression pre-flop and post-flop, they should automatically bet on the turn regardless of position and how the other players are acting. This is not the best way to win at poker - doing anything automatically is not a good idea in a game that requires you to keep up on the constant shifts of play.

If you start out a round of play with a hand like a high pocket pair, and you make your standard raise, you may be setting yourself up to automatically bet on the turn and the river if you are not careful. Even after a flop that supports your wired pair, a higher turn card or one that makes a straight or flush could very well ruin your plans. If you are in position and the board is checked to you after such a card, consider checking as well - if the card helped your opponent, you could be in for a world of hurt with the check-raise. That isn't to say you should always check in that situation, but you should consider how your opponent is betting and what they are capable of - at least this way if you do bet, you are deciding to do so and not playing on autopilot.