The TAG Approach

TAG is a type of strategy which is sometimes referred to as the best overall poker strategy. It is highly recommended that beginners master the precepts of TAG poker before exploring any other styles. TAG poker can quickly help you be a winning poker player.

What is TAG?

TAG is an acronym for the combination of the words tight and aggressive. This playing style is tight, as only very few starting hands are considered good hands to play with. The aggressive part is that when you do have a good hand, you play it aggressively by betting and raising and rarely checking and calling.

The following are some of the basic tenants and ideas that characterize the TAG Approach.

Identifying a TAG Player

TAG players can be identified mainly through the following stats:

• VPIP = Voluntarily Puts Chips Into Pot (expressed as a percentage)
• PFR = Pre-Flop Raises (expressed as a percentage)

A TAG player will have a VPIP between 16 and 23, and a PFR of between 12 and 17 in most cases.

Playing in Position

Understanding table position is vital to proper TAG play. Although TAG players play 1 out every 5 hands that does not mean that they do so from every single position. TAGs know the value of late position, and will play perhaps 30% of the hands they are dealt on the button, while only playing 5% of the hands they get UTG or in the blinds.

Pre-Flop Play

A player using the TAG Approach will play somewhere between 16% to 23% of all starting hands when sitting at a 6max table. These would be hands such as pocket pairs, suited connectors, and most combinations of face cards.

When a TAG player has one of these hands, they will usually open-raise before the flop. If another player raises the player may just call that raise. When you play 16% of starting hands, this will result in raising around 12% of the time, while TAG players at the high end of 23% will raise pre-flop around 17% of the time.

TAG players will only raise or call another raise pre-flop. Limping is not a part of TAG strategy.

Post-Flop Play

A TAG player rarely slow plays big hands which they have made. The TAG approach is to come out firing when you've made a strong hand by betting and raising. Some TAG players simply give up on a hand when they miss the flop, but not always. Sometimes that miss will present a nice bluffing opportunity, and since they tend to only play strong hands, opponents might be wary to bet against a TAG on a bluff.

At first, the best way to play TAG is to wait for very strong starting hands, and then play them aggressively when you get them.

Why Does TAG Play Work?

TAG works, especially for beginners, because it forces the player to wait for good starting hands, which means that you are usually going to be ahead in the hand from the very beginning. This makes the rest of the hand easier to play, because you are backed by strength. If you hit it you're in great shape, and if you miss you just fold and keep waiting.

Once you have a good hand, the aggressive part of TAG play gives you great fold-equity in the hand. Basically, the more fold-equity you have in the hand, the more your opponents will likely fold instead of take you to showdown. You will win a lot of hands without ever even having to show your cards. And when you are finally taken to showdown, you are most likely going to have the best hand anyway.

Other Play Styles

TAG is one of the best playing methods out there, but it is certainly not the only one. We highly recommend playing the TAG approach at the beginning of your career. However, once you've got it down, feel free to explore some of the seemingly hundreds of other poker playing styles.