There are three ways that I play NLHE ring games depending on the competition. If there are a lot of weak-tight players, I'll play very aggressively. If there are a lot of aggressive players, I'll play conservatively and attempt to trap them. If I'm not sure who I'm playing against yet or if I'm playing against a large field, then I'll usually play pretty straightforward and let them make mistakes, which is just a matter of time. That last one is pretty boring and slow to win lots of money so I won't discuss that one.

Being aggressive lets you get paid off when you actually do have a hand, especially if your opponent also has a medium to strong hand. Raising every pot and showing 72o once in awhile will generate action for you. The thing that most people don't understand is that aggressive players do get good hands once in awhile. Also, when the aggressive player is bluffing and gets action, he'll usually slow down realizing that he could be walking into a trap or at least into a hand that the opponent is willing call with. Only maniacs will call a reraise with bad hands.

Some examples: I was playing ultra aggressive, but it was only 3 handed. I'd push and push and get them to lay down hands. On one hand I raised (pot) preflop and got called. The flop was KT3. He checked to me and I bet pot. He folded and showed me AT. Why he showed me was past me. I would not show an aggressive player that I was willing to lay middle pair top kicker down without a fight in a short-handed game unless I really wanted him applying more pressure on later hands. Later I raised preflop with JJ and he called. The flop was Kxx and I bet pot. He called again. So now I know that he probably wouldn't call unless he had a K or better, so now I'm going to slow down and let him have this one. The turn card was a J however, so I laid into him knowing that he has a good hand. He called me on the turn and then called my all-in bet on the river. Can you guess what he had? I figured him for AK or KQ. He had AA. Bet he thought he got unlucky to lose $50. Actually, I had the better hand when $35 out of his $50 went into the pot. He allowed me to read him easily by playing consistently tight and trying to trap me. Not sure he could've gotten away from AA against an aggressive (what he thought was a maniac), but he could've at least made me pay more early or get me out. After all 5 cards are on the board, top pair isn't so strong, even against a maniac. I think my aggression put him on tilt, at least enough to slow-play too much.

The table cleared out so I was sitting there by myself. I was writing down my stats for the session getting ready to go play elsewhere when somebody bought in for $20 (against my $120) and my 'auto post blind' was still selected, so I had to play one more hand. I raised with A-little and got reraised so I let it go. Now I'm intrigued so I play a few more hands, all of which he raised pot. Now, I've possibly found a maniac, and nothing is more profitable in poker than sitting with a maniac, so I'm not going anywhere until I determine if he is a maniac or just a good aggressive player, at which time I would leave. He only has $20 so it'll be fun to screw with him even if he is good. He raises preflop and I call with 96s...probably a bad call, but I'll see if I can move him off a flop to determine if he is a maniac or not. Flop comes 6 high and I check-raise all-in. He calls with AJ. Turns out he is a maniac and it only took 5 deals for me to take his money plus my blinds back. He doesn't rebuy. Perhaps he doesn't want to play against someone willing to call and then check-raise 96s .

Again, aggression breeds action and conservative play allows maniacs to give you their stack. These types of match-ups obviously add more variance when you hit bad beats, but it is more profitable in the long run because most people can't discern between aggressive players and maniacs, or conservative players with weak-tight players.

Check out doubleas's book, Pressure Poker: Poker Strategy and Tools to Improve Your Game (also available in the PokerSavvy Shop)