play tight in a loose game and loose in a tight game???

[jordiepop]

i have a question as usual. Ive heard your supposed to loosen up in real tight games and you should tighten up in real loose games ...... i would think in a tight game you would want to start with premium hands just like everyone else ... and in a real loose game you know people are starting with crap so you can loosen your starting requirements up a little bit
now if this saying talks about looseing up as far as your aggresion goes in a tight game because you can easily put people on hands and steal pots and blinds ... then i understand ... but as far as starting requirments ... im a little confused.

[mikever]

Here is my thinking, and I will let someone more experienced correct me if I'm wrong, so take this with a grain of salt. You tighten up preflop in a loose game, but play a little looser than you might normally post flop ... and vice versa. Why? Because if you catch something like TPTK, and your opponent plays back at you hard, you may still have him beat because he is so loose, whereas you would normally fold against a tighter player.

[csuf_gambl0r]

what the hell?!

loosen up in a loose game, tighten up in a tight game

[somapopper]

You raise more hands preflop in an exceptionally tight passive game because people are folding their blinds too often, and that's a lot of money just lying there on the table.

In a loose agressive game, it is sometimes appropriate to play tighter, because you expect the betting to be capped (or close to it) preflop, so you'd like your hand to be pretty good if you know you'll be investing a lot without seeing the flop (and on subsequent streets).

Notice that the agressivness of the game is the main factor, not if it's tight or loose. For instance in a loose passive game, you'll probably limp in with more hands, as you're getting good pot odds, your hand probably has an equity advantage, and you can outplay your opponents post flop.

I'm afraid to ask how you got the title "simple."

[DcifrThs]

[ QUOTE ]
i have a question as usual. Ive heard your supposed to loosen up in real tight games and you should tighten up in real loose games ...... i would think in a tight game you would want to start with premium hands just like everyone else ... and in a real loose game you know people are starting with crap so you can loosen your starting requirements up a little bit
now if this saying talks about looseing up as far as your aggresion goes in a tight game because you can easily put people on hands and steal pots and blinds ... then i understand ... but as far as starting requirments ... im a little confused.

[/ QUOTE ]

looseness/tightness are not as important determinants of your hand selection preflop strategy as passiveness/aggressiveness.

personally, i play wayyyyyyyy looser in loose passive games and looser but not way looser in loose aggressive games than my normal 16-18/12/2.8 10handed ring game stats.

i play looser in tight passive games, but mostly for raises when first in (its important to not come in, even in late position after limpers with hands like JTo b/c the TIGHT AND PASSIVE previous limpers likely have you crushed. id come in with JTo ont he button in the loose passive game). in tight passive games i loosen up alot preflop in position with raises. since opponents are tight and passive, you stand a higher chance of winning the blinds outright. further, you know easily when to fold postflop b/c you are likely against a made hand if you meet resistance.

in tight aggressive games you see the real poker players separated from the ABC Tags that populate this site (except for one catagory of poker success: game selection...nobody should theoretically be in those games if an easier game is available). in these games its all about balance and optimal strategy vs. specific oponents involved. elindaur's tripple is of most clear use in these games. if you dont know, just search for the post in high stakes limit holdem.

doing action "X" at one time in position "Y" may be totally correct and justified, but change one or two tiny determinants of that decision and you may have to come to a different conclusion. these games are about swift and upredictable (by your opponents) adjustments. id recommend staying away from tight aggressive games.

good luck.

Barron

[iagainsti]

This is an interesting one. Yes, the traditional advice was to tighten up in a loose game and vice versa. I think it was Caro who talked about this being incorrect in one of his books--though I don't take Caro too seriously.

Trying to play by the SSH starting hand requirements at a typical low limit B&M game would be a mistake. These loose passive games feature very poor players. You must play a few more flops against these kinds of players than the "book" advises--particularly in, say, middle or late position if no one's raised.

This can be especially true in a loose passive no limit game where you can break someone if you make a raggedy two pair against someone's TPTK (I know this as I was the guy going broke with TPTK in my early days) I've since learned my lesson.

[DcifrThs]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm afraid to ask how you got the title "simple."

[/ QUOTE ]

id bet lots that its due to the difficulty level of the questions in an average OP's post.

Barron

[SoftcoreRevolt]

You do realize your chance of hitting two pair or trips is around ~2%.

[highlife]

[ QUOTE ]
Here is my thinking, and I will let someone more experienced correct me if I'm wrong, so take this with a grain of salt. You tighten up preflop in a loose game, but play a little looser than you might normally post flop ... and vice versa. Why? Because if you catch something like TPTK, and your opponent plays back at you hard, you may still have him beat because he is so loose, whereas you would normally fold against a tighter player.

[/ QUOTE ]

uhh no. why would you tighten up in a loose game? your normal starting hands are already way better than the loose players in your game. this also depends alot on whether the game is passive or aggressive. if the game is loose passive you can limp with a few more hands (lower suited connectors, small suited aces) because you will get good multiway action if your hand hits. if the game is loose aggressive you can three bet with more hands to isolate because you know that the open raiser is raising light. on the other hand if the game is tight passive, you want to limp with less hands, but can actually open your range for preflop raises because you have much better fold equity than normal.

the only game you actually want to play tighter than normal is a tight aggressive game, but in that case you shouldn't even be playing at that table.

[Yads]

This advice generally applies to No Limit games as opposed to limit. Although the part about loossening up in a tight game is definitely applicable as long as you become loose and aggressive.