The Difference Between Good Aggression And Spewing Chips

I think one of the biggest mistakes newer poker players make is confusing aggression with just clicking buttons constantly. 

Being aggressive is obviously important in poker nowadays. If you sit there folding for hours and never apply pressure, decent players will just run you over. 

But there’s definitely a big difference between smart aggression and just spewing chips for no reason. 

Good aggression usually has some sort of logic behind it. Maybe you’re targeting weaker players, putting pressure on shorter stacks near the bubble, or representing a hand that makes sense based on the board. 

Spewing chips is more when players start bluffing purely because they’re bored or tilted. We’ve probably all done it before after losing a few hands in a row. 

One thing I notice a lot in freerolls and lower stakes tournaments is players trying to force action way too often early on. They’ll triple barrel bluff somebody who clearly doesn’t want to fold top pair just because they decided before the hand they were “going aggressive”. 

Sometimes the most profitable thing in poker genuinely is just waiting for better spots instead of trying to win every single pot.

I still think controlled aggression is one of the biggest skills in tournament poker though. Knowing when to apply pressure and when to slow down is what separates solid players from players who constantly punt stacks.

Definitely something I’m still improving on myself as well.