A LAG on Your Left
A LAG with position on you 3-bets your opens, floats your c-bets, and turns your medium hands into headaches. Unlike the maniac version of this seat problem, the LAG CAN fold, which means you have more counterplay than pure tightening.
From Poker Ascent: 110,000+ drills across 10 skills, graded against the player type you are facing.
Tighten your opens one notch, not three
Cut the weakest offsuit opens and keep your suited and connected hands: they play well in the 3-bet pots the LAG keeps creating. Folding your way out of the seat draw hands them your blinds and your table image.
4-bet for value wider than the charts say
The LAG's 3-bet range against a frequent opener is wide enough that QQ, AK, and often JJ and AQ suited become 4-bets for value, not defensive flats. Their calling range for the 4-bet is wider than a TAG's too; the value compounds.
Flat their 3-bets in position more, out of position selectively
Their barrels punish your out-of-position flats, so OOP, condense to hands that can stand three streets (big pairs, big broadways). In position, keep more speculative flats: their aggression pays your position off.
Worked hand
Worked hand
You open A♣ K♣ from the hijack, the LAG 3-bets the button, folds to you. 4-bet to about 2.5x their raise. They call. Flop K♦ 7♠ 3♦: bet half pot for value; their range (pairs below kings, suited broadways, floats) pays two streets minimum. Turn 6♥: bet again. The 4-bet preflop built the pot your top pair top kicker wanted, while a flat would have invited three barrels of pressure with the range advantage muddled.
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The mistakes that cost you
- Flatting AK out of position to trap (traps need their barrels, but AK wants the pot big preflop while ahead).
- Opening junk into their position because folding feels weak.
- Never re-3-betting; the LAG counts on your one-and-done.
Practice beating the LAG
The app has a dedicated lag mission: hundreds of drills where the correct answer is graded against exactly this player type. Same hands, same reads you just learned.
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