This past Sunday I sat down at a $3/$6 (with full Kill) Limit hold'em game and was immediately entertained by the loose-aggressive play going on. Low limit games are ripe with loose-aggressive play, so I wasn't surprised. Three of the nine players were close to being "maniacs", depending on your definition. As a result, most hands were raised preflop. I said at one point, "Looks like we have a $6/$12 game disguised as a $3/$6."

The truth is, I was right. When loose-aggressive play becomes a constant theme at the table, it's like arbitrarily creating a higher-stakes game. I have found it usually takes more than one LAG player to pull it off, and in this game there were three players more than willing to raise, reraise, or cap numerous pots. I played for over eleven hours, trying throughout the session to figure out the best strategy against LAG play. As I left the poker room early Monday morning, I was mentally exhausted and by bankroll was a little smaller.

So, the question is: how do you play against loose-aggresives? I've read books, looked online, visited forums, and still can't quite come to grips on how to combat a maniac who gets lucky and wins huge pots when the odds are extremely against them. Maybe that's the one lesson to be learned: LAG players will get lucky, but in the long run, over time, they will eventually go broke if they keep it up. One reason LAG play is so popular is because of the huge amounts of money you can win. Solid players just scratch their heads and are amazed when a LAG player catches another river card to take down the pot. And since I am trying to be a solid player, this last Sunday night I was in awe of some of the hands that took down pots.

What are some things a solid player can do to deal with a loose-aggressive player or table?

1. If you feel like your losing your cool, getting uncomfortable, or going on tilt, then just get up and leave or change tables. This sounds simple, but sometimes you convince yourself you can outdraw the LAGs with better cards and superior postflop play. However, solid play and odds are often useless against a maniac on a wild rush of luck. So, get up and leave.

2. Solid players must become even more solid against the LAG, tightening up their starting hand requirements and concentrating on postflop and turn play. When you go against a loose-aggressive player who is hoping for that miracle turn or river card, you better have a solid hand. Bluffing them out won't normally work.

3. Avoid competing against the LAG, and seek to isolate the other players on whom you have a good read. LAGs are difficult to read, they can play any two cards and raise with anything. So avoid playing against them. Discover who you can beat at the table, and target them.

4. It's often been said, "when in doubt, be aggressive." Against LAGs, it's often effective to be aggressive against them. If they raise, you reraise. If they reraise, you cap it. Just be sure you have a good hand before you attempt it. You can't show any weakness against loose-aggressives or they will eat you alive. In many cases, you must try to "fight fire with fire."

5. Against LAGs you must be willing to call them more often, especially on the river. They are using aggression to win pots, not their cards, in many cases. If they sniff out a rock-solid, but fearful, player they will attempt to run right over them. Playing too tight against a LAG is an open invitation for them to steal pots, especially on the turn and river when you have missed the flop with a premium hand. Sometime you just have to pay them off to keep them honest.

Some final thoughts. I'm from the school of "tight-aggressives" that believes over the long haul, tight-aggressive play wins money, especially in limit cash games. I don't believe that the LAG style is the optimum strategy for limit games (no-limit tournaments, maybe, but not cash games.) LAG players will have enormous swings and variance: they will win a lot money one night, and lose a lot of money the next night. They primarily use aggression and table presence to intimidate their opponents, and thus ego and personality come into play as well.

I prefer to have the odds in my favor, the edge. Thus, I might become a LAG myself at times, if the situation calls for it. It is a strategy, a style of play, a tool, that can be used as a weapon when necessary. But the LAG style of play is not the best way to play, at all times, in every game.