No Limit Texas Holdem Tournament Strategy - Winning Vs Aggressive Players in Order to Make a Profit

Winning against a skilled aggressive player can be very tough. They'll back you into corners and force you to make tough decisions - Or get slowly eaten away by their blind stealing. Here we'll discuss when to re-raise, when to play tight and how to vary your game based on where you are in the tournament.

When to Re-Raise

First off, don't both defending your blinds in the early game. If a hyper aggressive player wants to steal 30 chip blinds early, let him do it.

When the blinds get worth defending, then it's time to make a choice. If you're in the blinds, re-raising him may be a great idea. In fact, you may even want to re-raise more often than not.

Be careful that even if you're loose with your raises, you play tight post-flop. If he calls your raise, chances are he has something. If you're holding blanks, don't go bluffing post flop.

Don't Get Pushed Around

It's fine to let go of blinds early, but in mid and late game it'll really hurt if you don't start pushing back.

Most players will wait only for good hands to raise or re-raise. Every once in a while, it's fine to re-raise with nothing. Playing too tight late game against an aggressive player is a recipe for disaster.

Tight Aggressive vs. Tight Aggressive in the Late Game

Late in the tournament, it's generally tight aggressive players who've survived thus far. At this point, you're likely against several tight aggressive players.

If they're playing very tight, you can loosen up and try to steal the blinds. Otherwise, at this point you're playing on reads.

Play a little looser and a little more aggressive pre-flop. Always play tight post-flop. Don't try to bluff a hand just because you raised pre-flop and got called, especially if you're short stacked.

Being loose is a great way to combat them being tight. Steal their money from hands they're not willing to play. On the other hand, getting aggressive and fighting back is the only way to combat them being aggressive.