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But I mean tight, like folding Pair a 9s or less in a long to medium table ( i typically don't see more than %20 of the flops) . and that was like hitting the jackpot. I was placing in the Top 3 out of 10 in 80% of all limit tables I played, and out of those times I placed in 1st place about half the time. The whole trick I found is the key to start tight and get more tight as the game progress down to 6 - 5 players then start loosing up when down to 4 once down to 3, be aggressive (you would have already establish credibility with the remaining players).

Playing like that seemed to be the sure thing for several weeks almost day after day. 3 and 4 tables at once. It was crazy, until it came to a stop...and thats where I found other players talking about the same problem I ran right into.

when I started stumbling in tables with terrible players, I started seeing really bad beats more frequently than the acceptable amount in my "discovered" method. Before I was accustomed to play with Average to tight players and maybe one or 2 bad ones at the same table.

I have noticed the big variations in the skill level of different tables $10, $20, $30, $50, $100, and $200, Problem is some of those go luck players win prizes and strat climbing to higher buy-in tables, which is usually the heaven from the totally unskilled players.Started finding myself in downward spiral, I am loosing so I have to go backwards from the $200 down to $100 and all the way down to the $5. and my luck was just dry, maybe finished in top 3 once in 10 games!.

The lower I go the worst it gets, Loosing with trip As for nothing with a flush draw in the river, several times!, I lost with straights to flushes. even to Quads on the turn and river!!!!. I thought I lost my mind!!, but thankfully I found your site. and I read some very helpful posts between you and some of your gusests. I believe the key here to be even more tighter, especially after the flop. and be ready to fold a pair AAs if the flop looks funny, cause 33 can gave that othedr player... who raised on a 23 suited a trip 3s or even a full house or better yet I get my trip As and he wins with a straight 1 to 5 :)....anyways ...whats your thoughts?

I am looking forward in hearing your take.

Happy Holidays!

Thanks

Aziz

Answer: Some good players, including my friends, think that if you just tighten up and play only premium hands in premium spots you can beat any game regardless of whether or not it is a loose wild game or a tight aggressive game. Their idea is that you may not win as much but you will lower your chance of losing (you'll just have more small wins instead of big fluctuations). I think there is some truth in that but that's not the way I look at poker. Let's try to dig a little deeper...

Why play only premium cards and not everyhand? The answer is obviously you can't consistently take hands that have a low mathematical chance of winning and be successful in the long run. Is the opposite true? What if I were only to play AA, KK and AK? I wouldn't lose as much as I would playing every hand but I wouldn't win either. The blind money and the bad beats would be too great for the few pots I would win. So the key question then is how loose can a person play and still win? You want to maximize your chance for winning as many pots as possible while at the same time keeping your risk low.

Hand strength is relative. It makes no difference if you have AA against 22 compared to 55 against 22. Likewise, if you have AK against A4 it is the same as AT against A4. In both cases you have the other hand dominated. Ideally, to make the most money, you would want to play any hand that is strong compared to the other hands in at the same time. What takes experience is to know how loose you can play and still profit. It is a balancing act and sometimes you are on and sometimes you are off. Let me give you some tips on how you can start developing this trait. First of all, when you sit down at a table, just play your A game.

Don't get fancy until you have an idea of how the texture of the game is. Next, watch how other people are playing and what they are raising with. If for example, someone hasn't raised in 3 hours and comes in for a raise, you can assume that person has something good. On the other hand if everytime the person plays a hand they raise, you can't give them as much credit. You need to use that information when deciding how to play your hand. In one case, you may dump KQ preflop but in another you may call because you most likely have the best hand.

Next, learn the difference between a multi-way pot hand and a hand that does well heads up or three-way. That will help your game immensely. For example, 88 may be a raising hand in one case and just a call in another. 78off may be a calling hand in one and a clear fold in another. Again remember that your hand's strength is measured against the other hands in the pot, your position, and how much money is in the pot.

Now to your initial question: Do I think that you should tighten up even more in those types of games? No. I think instead you should flesh out your understanding of the game and try to learn how to play more situational poker. Poker isn't won by only playing your cards, you need to take into account what other people are playing too. If they are making huge errors then you should be more inclined to play with them. Lastly, I would recommend that you don't play more than 2 tables at a time for a while.

When you play 3 or 4 tables, your attention on the players drops and it costs you money. You end up having to pay off more marginal hands and you lose money in spots that you might have been able to make more money with had you been watching. Playing 4 tables often turns you into a mechanical player that is just clicking buttons waiting for AA.

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