what do you think?

[Remas367]

Ok, so I was always wondering... would it be better to play loose and add a little tightness when I have a good hand or should I play tight with alittle randomness?

[Cameron McCown]

Remas,
That's a great question, and in order to answer it, you need to answer some other questions. I'll tell you why afterward.
#1. Are you playing in a ring game or a tournament?
#2. If in a tournament, is it a turbo?
#3. If in a ring game, is there a lot of raising preflop?

If you are in a turbo tournament you almost have to play loose and tighten up with big hands in order to avoid being eaten by the blinds, and if you're on a ring game where everyone is ultra tight, raising pre-flop will often steal the blinds. If you're going to play loosely, though, you still have to have some rules. It's seldom ever a good idea to call someone's raise if you have a marginal hand just in order to maintain your loose image. You might flop the nuts 1 time out of 20, but those other 19 times are going to KILL you, because that player will push with his good cards every time. So only play loose-aggressive when there isn't a raise before you. Also, if you do get a caller and haven't hit anything by the turn, but he's still calling, you are almost assured that he's letting you feed him. Sometimes it's best to check on the turn and see if he bets to you. If it's significant (3xBB+), you have to fold it. Also, if you have nothing and he re-raises you significantly, it's really best to put it down. It sucks, but that's how poker's played. You'll steal enough blinds in a tight ring game to make up for it.

If you're in a regular tournament, a Sit and Go (my favorite), or a loose ring game, though, it's almost always better to play tight and be aggressive on the monster hands. This will assure you #1 You will win a high percent of the time. #2 When you win, you will win a lot of money. #3 You can avoid compulsive gamblers early on who just like to put all their chips in but have your marginal hand beat. There's no reason to get overly anxious in a tournament, because the blinds won't start getting your stack until later on. Wait for that AA - QQ, AK, JJ and AQ suited from late position, early on, and you will score BIG with them when you do play. Many times these are the only hands I play in the first three blind levels of big tournaments, and it has almost always helped me make money. Another great advantage of it is that it builds up a great tight-aggressive player image for you. That will help you in a ring game! Players will be scared out of their wits when you're still betting on the turn, but they just can't put their K/x or low pocket pairs down! Show them your cards when you win. They will respect you, and in a SnG, many times you will steal BIG blinds in later rounds because of this image. People don't want to mess with you.

So in summary, you have to adapt your playing style to the given situation if you want to be truly successful at this game. One style in a tournament will almost never result in your winning it. If you just want to get in the money, sometimes you can play tightly to it. You will have to change eventually, however, when the blinds start going up. It's no excuse to play 9/6s or Q/3o or just about anything from early position, but the later rounds of a tournament will have you changing your style somewhat. I hope this helps. Take care.

Cameron

[Remas367]

Thank you Cameron...great info i appreciate it =)

[pokerqueen10]

I don't think that question really makes sense. If you are playing "loose" then you are playing a lot of hands. You don't "tighten up" when you get a big hand, you play it aggressivesly.