While the majority of online poker players are playing passive, or calling, strategies, there are certain specialty strategies that can be employed in limit Texas Hold Em. Among them are the TAG strategy, which is used primarily in Limit Texas Hold Em games and is also referred to as ” trolling ” because of its tacticsislavor. Though TAG is an easy name to remember, it is not easy to apply and learn. The reason for this is the lack of clear, simple rules and instructions on how to best implement the strategy. TAG is best learned through practice, and nothing can be more true than the experience of playing with others, both with and without the game.
Because TAG is based on the assumption that weak cards are good cards, and you tend to let those weak cards go, you are giving your opponents a free shot at the pot. When you introduce a lot of weak cards into a game, your opponents are encouraged to loosen up and make more mistakes. The idea is that most people play correct poker, letting the opportunities present to them, and if you introduce weak cards, you are just throwing money away.
Another part of TAG is the “angles”. An “Bolagila” is a position you hold at the table with a hand that is not the best, but has potential to improve into a good hand. You might belong to 3 different positions at the table, but your purpose is to fill in the last seat, so you have one more potential seat, the one in the button seat. The last seat, you want to be a dog with a strong hand, either a high pair, or maybe the occasional monster. When you are last to act, you can represent either a strong hand, a weak hand, or nothing with your circle. Why only one more seat, is not to say you only want one more seat, but rather you want a seat in the last few seats, because your opponents might peep at your hand. Again, your goal is to let your opponents make the mistakes so you can win the pot.
The 1st and 2nd circles are relatively easy, you just want to avoid getting drawn in the middle. When you see a flop from the first or second circle, you need to be pretty sure you have a hand that could win the pot, but it probably isn’t that great. Your objective is to see the flop as inexpensively as possible, and possibly set a trap. With only three or four players in the pot, there is no pressure on you to commit your chips to the pot, but with five or six players, a simple fold here, or a call can be the difference between winning and losing a small pot.
The 3rd circle is the dangerous spot. As we approach the end of the group, you are going to have to be a bit more aggressive with your Group 1 hands, as many of your opponents are going to be coming from the blinds. Chances are, your opponents in the blinds are players who are holding a hand that is not so strong that they are not willing to play the pot, but they will call a flop bet from the dealer or a re-raise from you.
While some of these players are probably chasing something, you can also see a pattern of checking or calling from consecutive players in the blinds. You can take advantage of these patterns as well by occasionally raising the pot yourself, or by putting in a bet and then taking it all-in.
Your Group 3 hands are a little trickier, but you can still easily work out what they are by observing the level of aggression at the table and by the flop or turn. I would recommend that you wait at least until the third group of hands before calling or raising, so that you have a chance to see the flop and then the turn if applicable.
So there you have it. This short guide to playing Limit Hold Em will probably help you get started pretty quickly, but it is really just a way of easing the learning process and will not guarantee a great deal of success. However, I do hope that it gives you some insight into the key concepts and opens some minded eyes to the strategies used. Find a strategy that suits you, one that works for you, and then you can salt the pot.