subject: Tight is Right so the Saying Goes [print this page] Tight is Right so the Saying Goes Tight is Right so the Saying Goes
There is an old saying in poker, tight is right. Even players who appear loose, entering a lot of pots, are disciplined within a range of hands with which they will open a pot. The difference is the truly tight player has a smaller range of hands that he will open with so that post-flop play seems to be a no-brainer while the good loose player depends on a rather tight range of play post flop. No one, however, should play only one style or the other. Observant players will pick up on that pattern and simply take advantage of an unwavering pattern of betting.
Mixing Up Play
I tend to be what has been classified as a semi-loose, aggressive player. I like to see flops and I tend to play post-flop quite well. Sure, sometimes I get caught with my hand in the cookie jar, but even that works to my advantage. When I am playing at a very loose table I tend to tighten up and, conversely, at a tight table I tend to loosen up a bit.
I want to disguise the strength of my opening hands so if the hand is folded to me, no matter what position I am in I tend to raise to an amount equal to 3 times the big blind. If the BB is, say, one dollar I will make it three dollars to go. If I intended to open but there was a limper in front of me, I add the limper's bet to the BB and raise 3 times the new amount. For example, if the BB is one dollar and there was a limper in front of me, I will raise to 3 times the BB plus the amount of the limp or six dollars. Two limpers, and my hand is one I would raise with I would raise to 9 dollars to go. The only caveat is that if I am raising, my hand must be better than the hand I would have otherwise opened with by at least one position category. If I am in late position the hand I would raise with if there are limpers ahead of me would be one I would open with in middle position. In middle position my hand has to be at least as good as one in early position. I almost never raise a limper if I am in early position unless I hold a hand as good as AA, KK, QQ or AKs. Tight is right.
The way I tend to mix up play is to randomly choose to enter the pot with speculative hands. Because I keep my betting patterns constant while mixing in speculative hands from time to time, there is no way for an opponent to put me on anything other than a range of hands he knows I am willing to play. Unless he has x-ray vision my betting pre-flop is unlikely to give much more than a range of hands. To make sure opponents know that I am willing to play speculative hands I will advertise early in the game, but only if my opponent folds on the river to my small, speculative bluff. Once I make that initial bluff, however, I tighten up considerably so as not to give away too much information because tight is right.
Post flop Play
For the most part, post flop play is fairly straightforward. If I was the pre-flop raiser and the field folds to me because I was the raiser, no matter if I hit the flop or not, I am likely to put out a continuation bet, or c-bet of from half to two-thirds the amount of the pot including any bets made in front of me, if any. If I am challenged, however, if the board is highly textured to straight and/or flush draws, I may re-raise looking for information. If called, I generally think about hands that would fill in a draw for either condition. If I have a hand at this point I definitely play back. If challenged again, however, I am likely to just get out of the way and wait for another situation. Raising for information is a time-honored strategy that is profitable if you are paying attention to the meaning of bets made.
When you do not have a made hand, it is in your interest to keep the pot small. With a made hand the opposite is true, play for a big pot. If you are clearly beaten, then go away and save some money.
Preparing to Play
Playing poker is not a sprint, it is a marathon. Poker is a game that places mental demands on a player, requires constant, determined focus, a willingness to take risks, and the courage to walk away. In order to play your best game you must be well prepared. Tired players are losing players, so don't play when you are exhausted. Angry players are losing players, don't play while on tilt. Predictable players are losing players, don't be predictable while at the same time don't be a maniac either, play within your comfort zone.
Well rested, level headed, unpredictable players tend to do well playing poker. All this is accomplished through constant preparation and adjustment to current conditions. Perhaps the most important quality of a consistent winner is the ability to be flexible within a framework of play. Determining what starting hands are within your comfort level and playing mostly those hands with a few speculative hands thrown in to reduce the possibility of being observed as predictable and then mixing up your play post-flop within a planned strategic approach based on percentages and instinct is a powerful road to profits playing poker.
