Six ways to exploit a Tagfish (and how to stop being one)

• 30.06.2025 8:13 pm
• Helen
• 0 Comments

When you begin playing poker, you get to know more about 'tight aggressive' or simply tag which is normally regarded to as the 'optimal' style.

When you join poker, you get to understand that you need to choose your hands wisely and that you must play them violently.

The main problem with many poker players is that they learn how to play the tight aggressive style out of reading from books.

They understand the game quite well and they even play like a tag, but the main issue is that they do not understand why they make the plays. They end up applying the formulas in the books they read.

Players who use these formulas normally make a lot of mistakes. The players are referred to as TAGfish.

If you want to find out if you are a TAGfish or not, here are the 7 signs that you’re a TAGfish

Get to know a TAGfish

Poker games(especially online poker games),are becoming flooded with fewer fish and regulars and because of this, many players who want to be the winners need to familiarize themselves with the regulars and also learn how to beat them as well as the fish.

TAG is a style that was made to defeat fish. Long ago, when fish were quite a big number, it was very simple to stay away from the regulars since the fish were churning out enough cash to keep everyone in a happy mood.

Now you cannot ignore or keep away from the regulars. You have to be familiar with the weaknesses of the TAGfish and make profit out of them too.

Tag fish are quite hard to identify than the regular fish. You cannot just have a look at $VPIP (meaning Voluntary Put Money in PRE-Flop) and claim that that is a Tagfish.

You have to be very attentive. If the both of you are regulars, then it means that you are most likely going to play in similar games more often.

Be very attentive on how he plays and take notes.

The six familiar TAGfish symtoms

Here are the six most familiar symptoms of a Tagfish:

• Tilting more often
• Giving all the regulars the same treatment
• Not straying and you have got default line
• Overestimating implied odds
• Playing too loose from the blinds or early position
• Serial c-betting and c-betting once

How to Exploit a TAGfish (and how to keep away from it if you are the TAgfish)

1.     Get to know the time they say when

The difficult part of exploiting your average TAGfish is first getting to know his or her leaks

The serial C-bettors are exploited with a lot of ease.

Long ago players used to 10 table without having to worry about anyone, but now you have to be watchful.

The both of you are competing for each other's money so you have to give yourself the upper hand and be very attentive.

The serial c-bettors are exploited with a lot of ease.

Get to know the boards they use to fire one bet on. Then call the flop and when they check, immediately take the pot away.

A good example is the Ace-high boards. They are great for the c-bettor, but they are also the boards that a lot of players fire one barrel at.

Pay great attention to how often the player surrenders after c-betting the ace-high board. You can get the pot when he is checking too much on the turn.

This one also applies to all board textures. Take a look at the player when he is c-betting and when he doubles the barrels. Pay attention to the hands he need to double the barrel with.

This makes it simpler when you are deciding if to call the second barrel that has a weakfish made hand.

If you happen to be the TAGfish:

Know that you cannot c-bet once and then surrender.

At times, you have to surrender without c-betting, when you find out that you are getting floated severally.

At times, you will have to let out more than one barrel, so pay attention to your opponent's pop-up stats ( for the players who don't use Heads-up Displays, , find out more here)- and especially, his folds to a second stat.

If he happens to be shedding one card and surrendering up to the second barrel, then fire again.

2.     Discipline the TAGfish for an expected default line

Another very familiar symptom is having a default line and keeping away from straying.

A good example of this would be the person who c-bets each ace-high, but never doubles the turn without the ace.

Some other examples would be:

• A  person who raises the flop many times using the nut-flush draw and then checks the turn every time he misses
• A person that calls the flop on a dry board, but raises his turn using a set.

All this players are very common. They are likely playing a lot and are not paying attention at all

They are playing their system since it works and they do not care that good opponents are going to observe and adjust.

So note and adjust. If your opponents are playing using the same methods, each time, after a few hands, you should accurately put them on a range and play accordingly.

If they only call a flop and raise using a set, then adjust by continuing with the nuts.

The way to exploit this is the best way to learn how to play. You should not be afraid to look at your data base in the Hold'em Manager and take a look at the hands they have played even to other opponents.

If you get to know more about your opponents, you will play better against them.

If you happen to be the TAGfish

Know that you cannot play each hand the very same way.

This will make you predictable and simple to play against. It is right to have as default line, but you have to know how to mix.

If you do anything 100% of the time, you are going to ease your opponent's work. Make your play complicated and make your opponents on their toes.

3.     Do not pay the TAGfish off when their draws hit

TAgfish normally misjudge implied odds. They call as many times as [possible using weak gutshots or using weak flush draws and expect to get paid off the moment they hit.

The main issue for them is they do not hit more often. And when they do, they are not paid off enough to make the calls valuable.

Do not pay TAGfish off. They simply bleed money.

Exploiting such players is very simple. Do not pay off when their draw hits.

You should double barrel these players since they will often peel once on the flop and fold the turn every time they miss.

If you happen to be the TAGfish

You should not overestimate the implied odds. If you happen to be playing a LAG (that is a loose aggressive) fish, then the implied odds might be present.

But if you are playing the regular, they might not be present.

Instead of calling and folding when you miss, use the hands as semi-bluffs.

Preferably you are hoping that your opponent will fold, but the draw is another plan. You can still hit if he calls.

4.     Three-bet together with a wider range, fire several barrels

TAGfish normally play too loose from early position and the blinds. TAGfish see UTG, think it is a great hand and raise it.

They do not pay attention to the table dynamics. It is their default line with a good hand and they take it.

Discipline the loose players in the early position by three betting them using a wider range.

You can also call and get the pot from them when they miss on the flop. This will be more times than not.

The players who normally play loose from the blinds are also good targets. They defend their blinds very loose and they make a lot of weak hands after the flop.

Weak hands are hard to play in position and even difficult to play out of position. Make it hard for them by letting out several barrels and getting them off weak one-pair hands.

If they happen to adjust by calling further, you adjust by tightening up and value betting more.

If you happen to be the TAGfish:

Get to know the table dynamic well before you open the loose from early position. If your table has a lot of aggressive three-bettors, then you should fold.

If the table is very tight with players that do not three-bet, then your open can be a money-making one.

It is about recognizing when you can and when you cannot open loose.

If you are in the blinds, remember that by calling, raises, you are literally paying for the chance to play out of position.

Playing out of position is very hard-especially if you are doing it with weak hands. Tighten up out if the blinds and also in early position.

If you want to play loose, do it from the late position and when it is more profitable.

5.     Pay great attention to filters

Tilt is a bad monster.

A regular who tilts when many hands do not go his way is nothing more than a TAGfish.

Be very attentive. If a player loses some hands and starts playing in a different way, adjust accordingly.

He may have gone from nit to maniac in a hurry.

At times, tilt manifests itself in different ways. Some players will not open every hand and bluff, but they do not turn down any chance to gamble.

Other players make changes to their decisions when they are close from a fold to a call. Some tighten up.

You have to be aware how tilts affect every player and adjust accordingly.

If you happen to be the TAgfish:

Be familiar with tilt and its symptoms and how it affects you.

It is normally said that tilt is each time you stop playing your A game.

If you are not playing your a game, you should take a break.

6.     Learn, adjust and adapt

TAgfish treats every fish and regular with the same quality.

It does not matter in what style they play with, they slit the players into three different categories. These are;

• Fish
• Good
• Nit

They give equal treatment to every player in each category. Every single person has slight details to their play.

To exploit these players, you need to strive not to play that way. You should be careful not to treat them the same as the TAgfish.

Study their game, know their weaknesses and exploit them. That is what keeps away the good players from the average players.

If you cannot do that, then you will crush the nits, the fish and also you will have an edge on the best players.

If you happen top be the TAgfish:

Stop giving everyone equal treatment. Learn how every other player plays and why they play in that manner.

Key things to point out

You cannot beat a TAGfish with a lot ease. You have to work.

Stop being a passive player and be an active one. Ensure that you learn how the others play.

Big winners normally ply poker aggressively. They find weaknesses in every person's game and actively work to exploit them.

Poker is not a game that you can play the hands you are in. You have to pick up any information out there.

Information is a great weapon and players who collect much from their opponents are the ones that win most of the time.