Tight vs Loose: Which is easier to beat?

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Dark Army

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In any poker game, you're going to face tight and loose players. Ultimately, you will need to beat both. But, which is more difficult to beat?

At a table full of loose, reckless players, a fine strategy is to play tight. The idea is to tighten your play in hopes of persuading loose players to continue with worse hands. Their hands will be worse more than half the time. The problem, is that multiple loose players are going to be chasing and fishing a single pot against you. They're often going to suck out and beat you with worse hands.

We always assume that it's best to play against bad players because they are easy to beat. In reality, a table full of loose, reckless players are often bad players but they aren't always easy to beat. Strength in numbers can edge you out.

Against tight players, the opposite of all this applies. The idea is to play loose in hopes of persuading (Scaring) your opponent to fold hands better than yours. The problem is also opposite. Tight players will simply have the better cards more than half the time.

So where would you rather sit? At a table full of loose players or tight players? Which one is easier to exploit?
 
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Dark Army

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Tight players are easier to beat.

Loose players are easier to profit off of.

Interesting point and obvious now that you mention it.

Seems like there's money to be made either way, but which scenario is preferred?
 
playinggameswithu

playinggameswithu

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I like em loose so they lose.
 
WhiskeyFix

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Loose players, harder to read the range.

Tight players are only playing top 13 hands usually.

I want to say a tight player is easier to beat.
 
ghOst

ghOst

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loose players are always hard to beat. tight players show with check/raises.
 
Misaki

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it's easier to put tight player on range. They are mostly capped with their actions postflop. About loose players it depends if loose player is a good player or not. Because if he is bad then it's easy to earn money on him. You play more tight, valuebet him a lot etc. But that requires more skills. so I would say tight player is a bit easier to beat.
 
Ropa

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I would say tight players are easier to beat, because they don't play that many hands as loose player, so u don't get called often and you can pretend good hand vs tight players to win pot (even if your hand is trash).
 
shykarno

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Everyone has their own style of play, which he is comfortable playing, and sometimes all players are lucky. mastery certainly wins more often. but luck chooses one and it doesn’t matter to the pros or newcomers.
 
John Turnner

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There are so many articles on this topic, video tutorials, almost every book tells about it. It's easier to play against a tight player.
 
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Good answers for sure. It makes sense that loose players are harder to beat.

The tight player is usually less experienced. They don't understand position or recognize opportunities to bluff. They'll tend to get bored waiting for good cards and bleed chips by playing marginal hands out of position, limping and folding to an open. They know nothing of ranges and calculating outs. Their tendency is to avoid risk, check and win at the showdown.

Loose players, at the very least, understand the value of aggression in or out of position when the cards are bad. They'll call at times when they probably shouldn't, which inadvertently induces a check. Their tendency is to take risks, raise and win before the showdown.
 
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CallmeFloppy

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I guess it depends on the reason that the opponent is loose. If they are passive and calling hands they shouldn't, they would be the easiest to beat. A good loose aggressive player who has a great feel of the table and able to control the action is very tough to beat.
 
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jbear54321

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I prefer that the table is mixed. My reasoning is that on a table of loose players you're bound to take a bad beat because more people will play against you. On a table full of tight players there's very little action.
 
Warriorasf

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I prefer a table full of tight players, it is easy to put them in a range of hands, playing in position and being aggressive you will win many chips.
 
pepsilv

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I would say tight is easy to beat that loose its crazy to believe it.
 
eberetta1

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It is easier for me to make money on a loose player. Especially if the table is alot like me, a nit. Then if this guys reloads about 6 times, us nits have had a fun night.

I make my money more from loose players.
 
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lezghin

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:call2:I would prefer to sit at the table where I have good cards ... sometimes a stupid player can answer, thinking that he is bluffing and suddenly he is very lucky ... luck is not everything in poker you need to have a strategy
 
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lezghin

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sometimes you think that the players around you are stupid .. but you don't think that you are a loser and a fool for them too .. self-assurance is a bad helper ....:cool:
 
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blata8ruga

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I would prefer to play a loose player and exploit them any chance i get
 
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whosdaboss25

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To me it doesn't matter I just adjust to either person and watch for the condition at the table. If I know I'm up against a tight player I loosen my range a little and if I'm up against a loose player I will become a Nit like nobody else like AK+ AKs+ and JJ+ type Nit and wait it out.
There is always a way to beat the player your up against and hey your going to get beat sometimes to it is just the way of the game that's why you have to have good bankroll management and can't worry about it sure I'd love to win every single time I go to play poker but it just doesn't happen yes it happen more often then I lose but yes sometimes I do lose I happens just control how much you do lose by bring a set amount or by saying hey I'm only going to play this amount online if your playing online poker that day. Control yourself and if you can't you shouldn't be playing poker to begin with because poker is a game of absolute control weather your controlling yourself or the other player. It is definaltely all about control.
You control the betting you control your hand you control the cards you play and you control the other player.
 
Peppinotom

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To me it doesn't matter I just adjust to either person and watch for the condition at the table. If I know I'm up against a tight player I loosen my range a little and if I'm up against a loose player I will become a Nit like nobody else like AK+ AKs+ and JJ+ type Nit and wait it out.
There is always a way to beat the player your up against and hey your going to get beat sometimes to it is just the way of the game that's why you have to have good bankroll management and can't worry about it sure I'd love to win every single time I go to play poker but it just doesn't happen yes it happen more often then I lose but yes sometimes I do lose I happens just control how much you do lose by bring a set amount or by saying hey I'm only going to play this amount online if your playing online poker that day. Control yourself and if you can't you shouldn't be playing poker to begin with because poker is a game of absolute control weather your controlling yourself or the other player. It is definaltely all about control.
You control the betting you control your hand you control the cards you play and you control the other player.
This is more or less what I wanted to say...
what do you do, if the tight player opens up or the loose player out of sudden has aces against you, next hand KK? I would not classify players that strictly, good players know both of them ;)
 
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buster1055

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Both each take a different strategy
 
andy112211

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I like a table full of loose players. When the table is loose I like to tighten up a little bit. However, I saw a guy call with 7&2 off suit pre flop and win a big pot with a full house. Sometimes loose players win with nothing.
 
cranberry

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I like to play with loose players. I think it's easier to win tight players.
 
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bakreni

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easier is to beat loose players its stupid to think that tight players are easier to beat..yes you have some loose players ho are realy not loose but good players..but most of them are just loose end bad they will bluf to much ,when the blinds go up they will still limp call reise even with 10-15 bb,they will reise from utg with bad hands end ect...look poker videos with good internet players to they play loose ofcourse not
 
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