Is it possible to play to tight?

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lost2qandisa

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Is it possible to play too tight in a ring game?
 
dmorris68

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Sure it's possible, but it depends largely on the stakes and skill of the player, and whether tight play is combined with aggression.

Beginning players, or those playing at the lowest micro levels, can seldom go wrong by playing a very tight game. But being a passive nit is definitely a bad and highly exploitable style of play, especially as you move up beyond the lowest stakes where few players have no clue about exploitation.
 
DrazaFFT

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It is possible, its called nit :D

too tight play would be lets say below 10% vp$ip meaning that you are willing to play, or to put money in pot beside being forced as a blind position,with lest than 10% hand you have been dealt...

being tight by itself is not that big of a problem but it is usually followed with being passive which creates a bad combination for you...

And little advise for you which can be helpful, try to involve more in treads you made, discuss with people that are willing to answer to your question, dont just post 3 word question and expect 20 or so answers, this way you'll get your treads locked or deleted and why would you want that...

Please dont take this as a unfriendly post, im giving you honest advise with what i think would be best for you...

Now to make things going and make this a live tread, im interested why you think that you are too tight???


EDIT: Damn David you are always faster and have better and shorter answer than me, im jealous :D
 
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lost2qandisa

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I play very tight in cash games / ring games. I am very aggressive when I have a hand. Just not sure how to keep my bankroll going because it seems I take 3 steps forward. Then I get a bad beat that takes me back 4 steps. I tend to shy away from these games because of that.

Tourney play, I am a little more loose. But still tight aggressive style. I just have a wider range of starting hands. What percentage of tourneys should I be hitting in the cash spots? Percentage to actually win them?
 
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dmorris68

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Tournaments require you to be able to shift between loose and tight play if you're going to be successful. In cash games you can pick a style that works for the table and stick with it for the most part. So it's easier to experiment with different styles while playing cash because you aren't under the constant pressure of rising blinds, diminishing stacks, bubble situations, and other tourney-specific stuff.

That said, cash players have to learn to adjust to each player's style to play to their max potential. The general rule is you tighten up against loose players, and loosen up against tight players.
 
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lost2qandisa

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My big problem is.... when I loosen up.... I go off a cliff!
 
Poker Orifice

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It is possible, its called nit :D

too tight play would be lets say below 10% vp$ip meaning that you are willing to play, or to put money in pot beside being forced as a blind position,with lest than 10% hand you have been dealt...

being tight by itself is not that big of a problem but it is usually followed with being passive which creates a bad combination for you...
**** we don't necessarily know this ^
And little advise for you which can be helpful, try to involve more in treads you made, discuss with people that are willing to answer to your question, dont just post 3 word question and expect 20 or so answers, this way you'll get your treads locked or deleted and why would you want that...

Please dont take this as a unfriendly post, im giving you honest advise with what i think would be best for you...

Now to make things going and make this a live tread, im interested why you think that you are too tight???


EDIT: Damn David you are always faster and have better and shorter answer than me , im jealous :D
That's because you need to 'tighten' up your response range. :D
 
DrazaFFT

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That's because you need to 'tighten' up your response range. :D

You Sir have a big + in my book :)

or i have to 4-response light more often...

:banghead:

damn it, im trying to hard...

:D :D :D :D
 
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Shooter74

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Of course, man!! but you should have very patience.... GG!!
 
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ph0n3_j4ck

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Depends on the stakes and how much $ you're currently playing. Patience is key, but you can't be too obvious where people can put you down to a couple hands. Most players online have HUD's, so they know a lot about your play already.
 
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Yes, It´s possible. But don´t expect win money playing that way. You have to switch to aggressive mode sometimes otherwise everyone in the table will easily recognize when you have a hand and you don´t want that, believe me.
 
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loomis311

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It is good to play tight, especially when first learning the game. But what do you mean by tight? We have to know more about your opening ranges. There is always a delicate balance. Like what is said above, we need to have more information.

You may be to aggressive post flop. Once again, you need to expand on this. But be careful, because to much aggression can put you in a lot of trouble. For example, at live $1/2 games people get married to big pockets. They give me good odds to see flops when they are deep stacked, because I know when they hit they are going to raise off all their chips.

What you may need to work on most is understanding peoples hand ranges and how to adjust accordingly. There are many great books and instructional internet sites. Study the game, understand more, and your win rate will increase.
 
steveiam

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Try playing a fold or raise strategy..Just to get used to being aggressive when entering a pot. If you are playing tight and call a lot you are being to passive. Sometimes a like to play games when i will only raise and never call.
 
Jackdaclown

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There times when being too tight can lead to your demise right around the bubble. I have done this too many times and after coming to cc I can say that this forum had helped me in this area. In those stages you should know the players at your table and be able to steal blinds against tight players.. Being too tight gets you in a position where paranoid feelings set in and you won't try to make any plays to increase the size of your stack. Getting really high cards or even pockets to play don't promise a victory in that hand, leading to bleeding yourself out because you missed and don't have a stack to play. "Too tight" just does not give you enough opportunities to build your stack in the middle to late stages so you can make run to go deep in the tourney.
 
blueskies

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Loosen up in late positions. Practice pot control.

It depends on villains at your table. Against observant villains you must mix things up a little or else you will get no action when you finally get a strong hand. You can outplay good players. Against morons, you need a little bit of luck.

I find it most difficult to play when the two people on my left rarely folds. Basically with no fold equity you must have some hand to win, and when you're running bad, you lose.

I.e., if you're raising with AK and they call ya with 85os. Flop's 8JQ. Villains chks, you cbet, he calls. Turn is another Q. Chk/chk. River is a 7. He chks. You chk. You lose.
 
spiderman637

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It actually depends on what type of table u r playing...i mean if u are playing in a table with many loose aggressive players u should play tight aggressive and if u in a table with tight players play loose but straight....
Its about mixing up ur play according to the players u r up against...
 
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lost2qandisa

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I think my biggest problem is I play a very narrow starting hand range at cash games. So, I fold a lot and then when one of my big hands gets beat by something stupid, I lose more than I have gained.
 
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rumsey182

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Is it possible to play too tight in a ring game?
the question should be is it profitable? and likely the answer is very mildly

next key is if it is optimal, and the answer is almost always no
 
blueskies

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I think my biggest problem is I play a very narrow starting hand range at cash games. So, I fold a lot and then when one of my big hands gets beat by something stupid, I lose more than I have gained.

If you notice everyone folding whenever you raise then you're playing too tight.

In that case, loose up your opening range.

If you notice the stations on your left calling every raise, then it's time to tighten up. ALso when you have the goods, raise it up big. Chances are these fools dunno pot odds and will call any bet to chase.
 
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Watch the flow of your table. Then adjust.
In tourneys tight play will pay. The big cash
comes, if you can change gear at the right time.
 
SANDYHOOKER KY

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In cash games tight is okay, as a general rule, but in tournaments it will kill you in the later stages. As mentioned above, you will need to make adjustments, or get picked clean by the aggressive players. You may actually lose more chips playing too tight than playing a little looser and seeing some flops.
 
U

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Yes, It´s possible. But don´t expect win money playing that way. You have to switch to aggressive mode sometimes otherwise everyone in the table will easily recognize when you have a hand and you don´t want that, believe me.

^

Poker is partially about varying it up. If you loosen up and go crazy, start paying attention to your hand. If you have JJ and you're facing a 10 9 K flop, ask yourself: does my opponent have the king? Is my opponent betting like they have the king?
 
Aces2w1n

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^

Poker is partially about varying it up. If you loosen up and go crazy, start paying attention to your hand. If you have JJ and you're facing a 10 9 K flop, ask yourself: does my opponent have the king? Is my opponent betting like they have the king?

Online. They seem to always have the king. But the question is what type of king do they have? Can you fold your opponent off a weak king? Will he pay you off with his king when you hit your straight?.... Kx hands really vary and depend perhaps he's got K4 ... AK or K10... maybe even suited. Well anyways you see the big difference in strength. To make the hand interesting perhaps the J comes out on the turn? :)
 
redcross

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I think it's possible because good players will learn to fold when you start to get involved in a hand. If you fold 20 hands in a row the raise. I'm going to be running and you just lost your nice starting hand that you've been waiting for. When I feel like I'm playing super tight and people know it, I'll make a raise preflop that I'm very sure will win then show my low hand. After that I go back to playing tight.
 
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detourglr

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I think it's possible because good players will learn to fold when you start to get involved in a hand. If you fold 20 hands in a row the raise. I'm going to be running and you just lost your nice starting hand that you've been waiting for. When I feel like I'm playing super tight and people know it, I'll make a raise preflop that I'm very sure will win then show my low hand. After that I go back to playing tight.
When getting to the table I start off by playing tight.. and watch the action.. If I think playing tight is profitable (loose table) then I will stay there.. However I will adjust.. But like you said about good players will notice this and fold when you are involved in a hand.. I kind of look out for players like this and try to set up a good bluff against them .
 
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