One of the most common questions that gets asked by players who just start to appreciate the differences in styles that it is possible to play at the poker table is whether or not loose aggressive - or LAG - poker is the most profitable style.
The answer to this is that it depends purely on your skill level, and understanding why and how LAG can be more profitable - but also possibly more damaging - is crucial to understanding which style will suit you best.
LAG players can make more money than tighter players simply because they are involved in many more pots. As a good poker player simply makes money each time they make a decision (as they will be making typically better decisions than their opponents), playing more pots will usually lead to a better player winning more money. There is a limit to this - no player can battle the mathematics of poker totally - and even the best loose aggressive players are still folding a large percentage of their hands pre flop.
One of the key points (and one which catches many players out) about this extra number of decisions is that the extra choices you make are much harder choices than when playing tight. LAG players have to be able to make very thin calls and bets with marginal hands to balance their game, and this is where it can be a very dangerous style to a player not skilled enough to take it on.
Lots of difficult decisions are fine (and very profitable) if you are good enough to be on the right side of them most of the time, but are a recipe for disaster if you lack the skill set to cope. No one loses faster in big bet games than bad loose players, and it is critical that you have a solid working knowledge of the key nuances of poker before attempting this style.
Like many things in poker (and life for that matter) LAG can be a two edged sword, able to both increase your wins massively as easily as it can double your losses. One of the most satisfying and interesting styles of poker to master - LAG poker is an essential part of all good players toolbox, and one that can hugely increase your win rate if played well in the right games.