Aggression factor (AF) in poker is a ratio that compares how many aggressive actions (betting and raising) are taken for each passive action (calling).
A player with an AF of 2 bets and raises twice as frequently as they call.
Understanding Aggression Factor in Poker
The Aggression Factor in poker measures how often players take aggressive actions (betting and raising) compared to passive actions (calling). As an example, a player with an aggression factor of 3 takes an aggressive action 3 times as often as a passive action (calling). Most poker tracking tools automatically calculate the Aggression Factor in poker, making it easier to analyze opponents’ strategies.
Calculating Aggression Factor in Poker
The formula for calculating AF is as follows. (Bets + Raises) / Calls. For example, if over a given sample a player has bet 250 times, raised 50 times and called 100 times the aggression factor would be 3. (250 + 50) / 100 = 3. The answer is actually a short form of the ratio 3:1.
What’s a Good Aggression Factor in Poker
It’s often cited that aggression factor should be around 3 for a professional player. Having said this, it is highly dependant on the game and preferred playing style. Having an aggression factor of 3 is no indication that a player is necessarily playing well. Furthermore, an AF that is not 3 does not necessarily indicate that a player is playing badly or has leaks.
Is Aggression Factor a Useful Stat in Poker?
Aggression factor is often consulted by online players - many choosing to have it as one of the key stats in their HUD (heads up display). Having said this, the AF value is highly dependent on game type and play style. It is therefore not necessarily a reliable indicator of how our opponent is playing or what types of ranges we expect him to show up with.
How to Analyze a High Aggression Factor
A high aggression factor refers to any value above 3. A high aggression factor is not necessarily a reliable indicator that our opponent has a wide range when taking an aggressive action. One weakness of the aggression factor stat is that it doesn’t incorporate folds into the calculation. If a player were to fold everything and only raise the nuts he would have a high aggression factor but it doesn’t mean that his range is wide.
What a Low Aggression Factor Reveals
A low aggression factor refers to any value below three (especially if it is lower than 1). A low aggression factor is not necessarily a reliable indicator that our opponent has a tight range when he takes an aggressive action. This is because the AF calculation does not take into account folds. A player might hence be raising with a very wide range, but because he also calls a lot the calculated AF ends up being quite low.
Key Takeaways: Aggression Factor in Poker
Aggression factor in poker is a ratio that compares how many aggressive actions (betting and raising) are taken for each passive action (calling). Although it is traditionally used as one of the main stats on an online player’s HUD, AF has severe limitations because it does not incorporate folding. The result is that a passive player may end up with a high AF while an aggressive player ends up with a low AF.
