Playing in Extremely Tight Games

Play Texas Hold’em The First Two Cards: Early Position Part Five Playing Short-Handed What You Must Realize The Hands to Call With Another Problem Calling or Reraising Before the Flop What If It Is Three-Handed ? When the Blinds are Very Loose Leading on the Flop Calling on Fourth Street Slowplaying on the Flop Fifth Street A Note on Tells Playing Short-Handed Afterthought Part Six Playing in Other Non-Standard Games Wild Games Playing in Extremely Tight Games Playing Against a Live Straddle Strategy of poker of News of poker And is much another about poker



An extremely tight game can still be profitable, unless the game has no significant ante and/or blinds. The profit comes not so much from stealing blinds before the flop, but rather from stealing on the flop and on fourth street. In a very tight game you almost always should bet against one opponent when you flop little or nothing. When you are against more than one opponent and have nothing, the better play is to check on the flop — especially if you are in early position — and see whether your opponents bet. If they do, you should fold. If they don't, you should try to steal the pot on fourth street, except perhaps if an overcard falls.Realize that your profits from these extremely tight games come mainly from your bluffs. You can't expect to do much better than break even on your legitimate hands, since your average starting hands will be worse than your opponents' starting hands. (You want to play as many hands as you can in a game like this to give you maximum bluffing opportunities.) One word of warning: If your opponents are tough players, as well as being extremely tight, forget about the game. The strategy given will now fail, as your opponents constantly will trap you into bluffing by checking good hands. Leave that game to the world champions.