Is tight always right?

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German0815

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The name says it all: isn't it the goal is to remain in the game for as long as possible? How does playing tighter accomplish the goal of getting #1?
 
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dannystanks

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The problem with playing this way all the time though out the tournament is you will be so exploited that when you enter a pot you are going to have a hard time getting action. Without action you can’t accumulate chips.
 
TeUnit

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That sounds like a holding your breath contest. In poker your goal is to accumulate chips. Often when players play ultra tight they suffer the same fate as Uncle Broomcorn....they get Ante'd to death. Another thing to consider is that other players or their HUD will notice you are playing ultra tight and when they see you raise your aces ...they will fold.
 
Luvepoker

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Playing super tight will get you far in many tournaments. The problem is your also slowly bleeding chips and once you have a hand you so short you may get called by trash and you big hand will loses. If your deep enough to not get called to light then everyone knows you will have a hand and fold hands you would be beating and make money off of. Even thougt you may say alive longer and go deep into a tournament with this style is does not even garenty you will made the money.
 
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Playing tight is fine and will get you far in a lot of tournaments, but sooner than later people notice the way you play and start exploiting the way you play. Also as people mentioned, by playing tight you won't be able to generate action most of the time and when you do, you're usually also playing against a person with a very strong hand.
You must learn to read the board and adjust your game. It's also good to switch it up a bit. And especially at the final table or towards the end of tournaments you must adept your game and start generating stack to push with it in the end. You can't just always wait for good hand and go allin with it, hoping that post flop cards are in your favor.
 
kon44

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For me the most exploitable players at the table, I began playing poker with an uber tight playstyle. It paid to in the smaller comps I was playing, however transferred very bad,y to anything else which is when I started playing the complete opposite at times too lol. Trying to finalise the idea that there is a balance that is met but can’t if I’m honest. Maybe for someone who is engulfed in GTO 🤷‍♂️

Though when I consider that the players I feel/need to target and manipulate are those players of very tight GTO, they must be a threat for my dedication in thwarting then lol,
 
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mattiebumpo

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It depends. It is right in some situations but you need to be able to change gears versus different opponent types and different table/tournament situations. I think playing in position is more important than loose/tight.
 
Kenzie 96

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The name says it all: isn't it the goal is to remain in the game for as long as possible? How does playing tighter accomplish the goal of getting #1?
No style is ALWAYS correct & indeed making the "proper play" based on the information you have at the time, will not ALWAYS result in a win.
 
okeedokalee

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Play loose against tight players you can exploit, those that won't compete ie fit or fold. Be much tighter against loose player s who raise and 3bet.
What ever you do don't bluff calling stations, you can't get them to fold.
 
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The short answer is no. The best tournament players try to build a big stack early, and if they succeed, they use it to "bully" other players later, when there is more risk aversion. But playing tight can be a good strategy in some situations. Like early in the game, if the table is very loose. In that situation there is not much point in raising A4s from UTG and get 5 callers, 3 of whom have position on you.

It can also be correct to play tight, if you are a middling stack on the bubble or final table, especially if you have a big stack on your left. There is no point in opening a hand like QJo or 66, if you know, you are going to get 3-bet or floated a lot, and you are just going to end up folding and donating more chips to the "big stack bully" on your left. Good winning poker is all about thinking ahead and predicting, what will most likely happen, if you do Y or X :)
 
Poker_Mike

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The name says it all: isn't it the goal is to remain in the game for as long as possible? How does playing tighter accomplish the goal of getting #1?
These are great questions.

If you are new to poker then I would recommend playing tight. As you gain more experience you will find spots where you can play loosely profitably.

I read this post and it really explains why to play tight.

 
Baldy86

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me personally i have learned for myself at least that being tight is good but being tight the whole time is not good and you will miss out winning pots .

i am playing pretty loose in late positions

i still remember in a real life cash game where i folded Q-7 on the button and the flop came Q-Q-7 . never again will i fold such hands on the button again as long as it is not too much money to call
 
Gallarado777

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you can't hide all the time and not fight for chips, and when you have a strong hand you can just lose your hand to a weaker hand and be eliminated right away from the tournament I think you should always think about and plan how you will play in the tournament
 
akmost

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I think a good player is a dynamic player , I mean if you can't adapt they will label you and in the long run they will exploit you more easily!
 
I Live Poker

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We generally have this habit of naming all things, but styles and their identifications only serve as a standard basis for identifying players' tendencies and developing a profitable counter strategy based on that. There are tables that it will not be profitable to play tight, there are phases of the tournament that it will not be profitable to play loose, there are stack sizes that will not favor NIT strategies. It is a matter of knowing and adapting.
 
rivermipasion

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Playing tight means being selective with the hands you play, only playing strong hands and avoiding risky ones. This helps you preserve your chips and minimize losses with weak hands. Higherprobability of winning: Playing tight focuses on strong hands, increasing your chances of having a winning hand. On the other hand, playing aggressive involves taking more risks and playing with marginal hands, which can lead to more chip losses in the long run
 
Igor Popadyk

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as for me, tight game is good, but good cards don't come in so often, so playing from opponents and position on the table - it will be more profitable at micro limits
 
Goggelheimer

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Hi here my 5 cents,

tight is right. Depending on Stack size and tournament development there are adjustments needed.
There are situations for switching the gears, in tournaments there are phases of complete card dead, then there sometimes the gods decide to give you one good hand after the other. It's like the old song: " you got to konw when to hold them....."
 
wBoop

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I am somewhat tight EP. I might play too many hands from LP though :) Still working on my own personal ranges.
 
werty328

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no, not always sometimes a tight player plays a good map)))) sometimes he freaks out)))
 
Banjois

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The real trick is just playing sloppy loose, for ages, and then getting super tight, all of a sudden, and cashing in on the resulting confusion.
 
BelFish

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It's especially hard to play too tight in heads-up ))))

P. S. I once played such an overly tight player. It was not a game, but just a fairy tale ))
He folded almost all hands :D
 
Amanda A

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Sometimes tight is right, especially on the bubble, but if I late reg and need chips or if I'm in the blinds with 20BB and a decent hand facing an open raise from a splashy player in late position those chips are going in the middle :) The game is fluid and opponents are varied so tight isn't always right.
 
yuriko oyama

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being tight with no luck, or loose with no luck, you don't get very far either way.
 
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