AVP resident pro Benton Blakeman discusses how playing aggressive poker (more three-betting preflop) can improve your results.

I have been playing a lot of poker recently, with mixed success. This got me thinking long and hard about what I have been doing differently during my winning sessions compared to my losing sessions. I spent countless hours reviewing hands and scenarios, and finally feel like I pinpointed the common denominator — aggression. My winning sessions were all when I played aggressively and took the lead in pots as opposed to a more passive "live poker" style of seeing flops and hoping to trap people.

Upon further review of my play, I realized that this style was very similar to the way that used to play when playing online poker. Throughout the past few years of strictly playing live poker, my aggression level has gone down just by watching all of the other passive players in the live games. I just can't be profitable playing that style. So, I committed to making a change. It became clear to me that I needed to revisit my online roots and find that same style of aggression that I used to have.

Last week I decided to join an online poker training site. That might not seem like a big deal, but for me it was like déjà vu. The videos were the same as they were in 2008, yet they still got me fired up. I would recommend that if you've never used a training site, it's a decent idea. I will admit that a lot of the material is repetitive, and most of them aren't worth the recurring $30/month fee. Anyway, for me, I just needed a refresher course. A reminder of the style that I played for millions of hands online. With that mental breakthrough, refresher course, and my reversion to my old style, it was time to hit the tables!

So what does taking the lead and aggression entail? It's nothing like what most people assume. When a novice player hears the word "aggression" in reference to poker, I find they automatically associate it with "bluff." In my opinion, they have very little to do with each other.

The aggression that I am speaking of is more a style of very little limping preflop. It has to do more with isolating passive players who limp and trying to get pots heads up or three-handed going to the flop. This will automatically increase the number of pots we win, because we'll have fewer opponents seeing the flop than in limped pots. The aggression I'm speaking of dictates more of a three-bet-or-fold stance when playing from out of position. An example would be if the cutoff raises and the action folds to us in the big blind. We look down at K-Q off suit. While the standard play is to call and defend the big blind, the more aggressive stance is to three-bet, and then continuation-bet the flop if called. Taking the lead this way will produce better and more consistent results.

There is an art to three-betting preflop. Without a doubt, it is more prevalent and best employed online, but there is still a place for it in the live arena. Learning to three-bet from in position and from the blinds can immediately increase profits. Players in lower-limit live games don't three-bet nearly often enough. Raising up your aggression level by three-betting hands like K-5 suited from button after the cutoff raises will allow you to take the lead post-flop and win a lot of pots uncontested.

Aggression is a weapon that is not for the weak of heart, but with a strong post-flop game and good hand-reading skills, being aggressive and taking the lead in hands is one of the best weapons a poker player has at his/her disposal. My best advice is rather than jumping in head first, pick one aspect of aggression to add to your game and work on that for a session. Once you feel comfortable, then you can add another aspect until eventually your game has come full circle and you're an aggressive three-betting machine.

As always, please leave any questions, comments, or suggestions in the thread. Good luck at the tables.

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