In this lesson we’re going to focus our attention on how to play against tight poker
players. Being tight or☀️ loose doesn’t necessarily refer to how somebody plays their
hand, but merely the selection of hands that they play. Tight☀️ poker players tend to be
very selective with the starting hands they choose to play and unless they have learned
☀️ how to change gears, these players are often predictable to play against. But
ultimately it’s their level of aggression that☀️ is going to dictate how you play against
them.
In our earlier lesson on poker playing styles we discussed the two☀️ main types of
tight players you will encounter, which were:
Tight-passive (weak-passive)
Tight
aggressive.
We’re not going to focus on the tight-aggressive players☀️ in this lesson,
since you should generally stay out of their way unless you have a strong hand. They
are☀️ capable of being bluffed, but it is infrequent enough where trying to look them up
isn’t profitable.
Instead, we’re going to☀️ focus on the tight-passive players, who are
much easier to play against.
Playing Against Tight-Passive Players
Tight-passive
players don’t play many pots☀️ and will often just call pre-flop. If they do raise
pre-flop, they often check it down if they missed with☀️ over cards, such as when they’re
holding a hand like Ace-King. They will often raise the minimum with marginal hands☀️ for
fear of losing chips if they get beat and will frequently fold to scare cards. Above
all, they play☀️ with a fear of losing and will only stay in a pot if they have a strong
hand.
Let’s examine some☀️ strategies for those times when you’re involved in a hand with
a tight-passive player.
If They’ve Not Been Aggressive, Then Bluff
You☀️ can bluff them
at will – because weak-passive players are the easiest players to bluff. As mentioned,
they play with☀️ a fear of losing. If they limp pre-flop, or even when they bet a small
amount, you can raise with☀️ a wide variety of hands.
Bet Scare Cards and Represent
Monsters
If there’s an Ace on the board then you can bet☀️ it, and they’ll fold if they
haven’t made a hand. Likewise, you can bet scary boards like made flushes –☀️ and you can
also use scary bet sizes that represent monsters – this could be overly small or big
bets.☀️ Of course, it will depend on the individual tendencies of your particular
opponent.
Call and Outplay them on the Flop
You can☀️ even call raises from weak-passive
players when you are in the blinds, and subsequently bet at the flop. Let’s take☀️ a look
at an example hand to illustrate.
No Limit Hold’em Tournament Play
Blinds: 100/200
You
and your opponent both have 4,500 in☀️ chips.
Your opponent sitting four seats to your
right hasn’t played many pots, but in the ones he has played he☀️ has usually folded to a
bet. In two others he raised pre-flop and when someone did call them, he checked☀️ all
streets when he didn’t pair his AK and AQ. Your table image is pretty solid and there
is no☀️ reason for him to think you are playing overly aggressive.
Pre-Flop
It folds to
your opponent in the cut-off seat who raises☀️ to 600. Since you know he is a tight
player, he likely raising with a narrow range of hands here.☀️ The button and small blind
fold and you are in the big blind with XX (XX = any two cards).☀️ Should you play this
pot?
Figure 1
On the surface, it might look like the answer is an obvious no. Why would
☀️ you want to get into a pot with someone who is only playing premium cards? But let’s
look at the☀️ hand again. It folds to a player who has been tight, but has also played
passively. We can use his☀️ passive tendencies as an opportunity to bluff him out of the
pot. Just because he’s raising doesn’t mean he has☀️ AA or KK. He is in late position, so
his range of raising hands probably includes AT – AK, KQ☀️ (maybe KJ) and pocket pairs
from 66 – AA.
So if you are going to play this pot, should you re-raise☀️ or call?
Re-raising is certainly an option since we would be representing a big hand, but we
don’t really have☀️ enough chips to make that play without committing ourselves on the
flop and we aren’t short enough to push all-in☀️ pre-flop without it being an overbet
(meaning it is high risk for little reward – we are risking our whole☀️ stack to win 900
chips). It’s best to play small ball, risk less chips and look to outplay them on☀️ the
flop. In this situation, calling is also better because we know he likes his hand now,
but he plays☀️ the flop passively and that will give us the best opportunity to take the
pot away.
The Flop
The flop comes .☀️ After your call there is 1,300 in the pot and our
opponent has 3,900 left. Against this type of player,☀️ that Ace represents a good
opportunity to bluff:
Figure 2
Since our image is tight it is going be easy for us☀️ to
represent having an Ace and we should know if he has an Ace or not depending on how he
☀️ plays the flop. I would bet about 800-1,000 chips. Not only does that introduce doubt
in our opponent’s mind, it☀️ is also a tough bet for him to call because it represents
about 25% of his stack. He can’t stand☀️ another bet on the turn and he would have to
commit most of his stack to raise you here, forcing☀️ him to take a huge risk for all his
chips.
If we were playing a more aggressive player I wouldn’t suggest☀️ a “probe bet”
like this. It can look weak like we are trying to see where we stand and an☀️ aggressive
player will often raise on a bluff here. But against a tight/passive player it would be
really hard for☀️ them to make a play unless they did have a strong Ace like AQ or AK.
You bet 900 and☀️ your opponent folds showing .
Conclusion
Our example hand is just one
method of how you can take advantage of a tight-passive☀️ player – and although it was a
tournament example, the same strategy can be used in a cash game to☀️ good effect.
Remember that timid players are often paralyzed with fear and won’t take shots because
they tend to play☀️ with a fear of losing. If you’re an observant player, which you
should be, then be on the lookout for☀️ these weak, predictable players. And when you
find them – lookout for the situations within the game that can be☀️ exploited.
Let’s
finish with a note of caution about all these poker strategies – and that is to stay
out of☀️ their way if they show strength in hand. If they are betting or raising strongly
then you should steer well☀️ clear unless you have a very strong hand yourself. Also,
while you should be bluffing more often against these types☀️ of players, make sure that
you are mixing up your game enough so that your aggression does not become
predictable.
