Super Tight is Right
Ever since i started playing poker, i have heard the saying that "Tight is Right." Turns out to have been true all along. But up to what extent is being super tight aggressive considered effective? I have made ITM 3 out of 3 times in the last 2 weeks, all in 30 player MTT's. I bubbled once in a Sit n Go, but only because of a bad beat with QQ. 100% ITM is pretty good right? i mean, 3 games isnt enough of a sample, but it's pretty consistent. I also won in the last 2 ring games i played using the same strategy (a little bit looser though), making more that double and even triple my buy-in.
Last night, i played the regular monday MTT again, in which i placed 3rd last week. I decided to stick to my ULTRA tight srategy again, since it has been effective for me the last few games. 50-100 level i got Q-Q in EP, raised it to 500 and got one caller. Flop was 5-7-6, she bet 800, i raised to 1600, she called. Turn 8, she checks, i find it fishy and check too. River is another 6, and she bet 2000 which would almost put me all in, so i fold the Queens. She shows 8-6 suited for the boat. Damn. Nice call pre-flop hehe. I was down to my last 2K but managed to eke my way into the final table with a short stack, taking down small pots here and there, stealing and using my ultra tight image.
Near the bubble with a short stack, i shifted my play to ULTRA FRICKING TIGHT. I folded AK offsuit when i was UTG, didnt even limp it in! Raised with AQ in LP, got pushed all-in by a loose caboose in the SB who had about half my stack, and i folded it. "AA or KK only" was my mantra, and sure enough, KK came along and someone raised 4K, i pushed 11K in, and got another all in to my left. Initial raiser folds, and all-in guy shows JJ. Boom, almost 30K in chips for me total.
Then i got Q-Q UTG again, limped it in, since i knew for a fact that SOMEONE was gonna go all-in at this point (we had about 2 short stacked guys). Sure enough, guy on my left pushes all-in and everyone folds to me, so i happily called. I was goddamn ready to fold those ladies if one of the bigger stacks pushed! Guy shows K-Q and spiked the goddamn King on the flop. Lost half my stack to that. Got lucky on my BB when chip leader limped and i checked my Q-5, and flop came Q-J-5, checked it, he pushed me all in, i called and doubled up. When i got ITM (5 places), i was super short stack. Called a push with A-7 and the guy had A-10, so a 4th place finish again for me.
Ok, i was ITM in my last 3 MTT's, but 4th, 3rd, 4th place lang. I was going for the win last night, and i knew i could do it, but sadly the tide turned on me when my Q-Q got screwed by the K-Q. If i took that pot down, i KNEW i could win it.
So, do you guys think that super tight is right? Or will playing this way get me stuck in ITM limbo forever, never letting me win First Place unless i get lucky?
For now, i'm gonna be sticking to this gameplan. Super tight is right!
Last night, i played the regular monday MTT again, in which i placed 3rd last week. I decided to stick to my ULTRA tight srategy again, since it has been effective for me the last few games. 50-100 level i got Q-Q in EP, raised it to 500 and got one caller. Flop was 5-7-6, she bet 800, i raised to 1600, she called. Turn 8, she checks, i find it fishy and check too. River is another 6, and she bet 2000 which would almost put me all in, so i fold the Queens. She shows 8-6 suited for the boat. Damn. Nice call pre-flop hehe. I was down to my last 2K but managed to eke my way into the final table with a short stack, taking down small pots here and there, stealing and using my ultra tight image.
Near the bubble with a short stack, i shifted my play to ULTRA FRICKING TIGHT. I folded AK offsuit when i was UTG, didnt even limp it in! Raised with AQ in LP, got pushed all-in by a loose caboose in the SB who had about half my stack, and i folded it. "AA or KK only" was my mantra, and sure enough, KK came along and someone raised 4K, i pushed 11K in, and got another all in to my left. Initial raiser folds, and all-in guy shows JJ. Boom, almost 30K in chips for me total.
Then i got Q-Q UTG again, limped it in, since i knew for a fact that SOMEONE was gonna go all-in at this point (we had about 2 short stacked guys). Sure enough, guy on my left pushes all-in and everyone folds to me, so i happily called. I was goddamn ready to fold those ladies if one of the bigger stacks pushed! Guy shows K-Q and spiked the goddamn King on the flop. Lost half my stack to that. Got lucky on my BB when chip leader limped and i checked my Q-5, and flop came Q-J-5, checked it, he pushed me all in, i called and doubled up. When i got ITM (5 places), i was super short stack. Called a push with A-7 and the guy had A-10, so a 4th place finish again for me.
Ok, i was ITM in my last 3 MTT's, but 4th, 3rd, 4th place lang. I was going for the win last night, and i knew i could do it, but sadly the tide turned on me when my Q-Q got screwed by the K-Q. If i took that pot down, i KNEW i could win it.
So, do you guys think that super tight is right? Or will playing this way get me stuck in ITM limbo forever, never letting me win First Place unless i get lucky?
For now, i'm gonna be sticking to this gameplan. Super tight is right!
Was sitting next to SuitedPairs in the first table, by the way. He got a big cooler on his first hand when he hit trip 2's on a flop of 2-5-2. He was BB. A player with A-5 called the flop bet, hit the A on the turn, and the other 5 on the river. it was boat vs. boat, and I was surprised they didnt put all their money in the pot. But suitedpairs managed to recover from it and make it to the Final Table too. GG bro!
Posted by
Maverick |
Tue Oct 10, 03:37:00 PM 2006
Tight is right!
But only in the first few levels. You got to start mixing it up or people will pick up on the fact that you are being a rock. Given that scenario, it would be very hard to get paid maximum value for your premium hands.
Oh and drop by the blog bro. We need you and Nick to plan the Blogger tournament. We got some opinions over at my blog.
Posted by
GameFrog |
Tue Oct 10, 09:49:00 PM 2006
Tight is always right... but like any other card game... it is gambling and you need to do that to increase your stack...
Posted by
Anonymous |
Wed Oct 11, 03:49:00 AM 2006
Yeah playing tight all the way will probably get you ITM more times but you'd need to get a lot of cards to win it all... I used to play that way also hehe... I think the better attitude is play to win not to place, one top 3 finish is worth 15-35 times an "ordinary" ITM (especially for those bigger field MTT's)...
Plus on the bubble is when you should loosen up I think because most players tighten up at that point.
Posted by
11Finger |
Wed Oct 11, 12:39:00 PM 2006
"Ever since i started playing poker, i have heard the saying that "Tight is Right." Turns out to have been true all along."
No it's not... LOL! :)
IMO, Folding AKo PF is too weak! Tight is good, Ultra tight is weak.
Posted by
ivegotdnuts |
Wed Oct 11, 07:40:00 PM 2006
Just "mind the gap". ;-)
Posted by
boy of destiny |
Thu Oct 12, 11:11:00 AM 2006
Ultra Tight is a nice strategy as long as there are a lot of players. But once you hit the final table and only a few players left you got to start loosening up. My only problem with the ultra tight strategy is on sng's when everyone in your table is playing ultra tight too what do you do then to increase your stack?
Posted by
Anonymous |
Thu Oct 12, 11:35:00 AM 2006
SNGPT ;)
Posted by
ivegotdnuts |
Thu Oct 12, 03:44:00 PM 2006
i folded it kasi i was UTG with short stack, with 2 of the biggest stacks to my immediate left. there were still about 3 players to the money and i couldnt raise with my stack, so it was all-in or fold at that point, and my assessment of the situation was that i can still wait for a better spot.
i used to have an image of a somewhat loose player, but now when people see me at the table they immediately think "rock" hehe.
In that game, after 4 lipmers on the final table with me on the BB, i pushed my short stack with 6-9 offsuit and got paid well hehe. my push was only about 5xBB.
the image works wonders hehe.
Posted by
Maverick |
Fri Oct 13, 12:45:00 AM 2006
Erick's right, and i agree with most of you that super tight is weak, but only when you are too passive. One hand i raised big from LP and got two callers, on from the blinds and another in EP. i dont remember what i was holding and i didnt really matter. Before the flop came out, i was holding my stack in mid-air as if ready to go all in, and when they both check, i dropped it in.
They both folded. Everytime i went to showdown, i had either AA,KK,AKs, or hit a monster flop. I would hardly play but whenever i did, THEY KNEW it would mean i was ready to go down with that hand.
Right now, it's also a matter of bankroll management for me because i have a non-existent one, so any ITM is good for me. It would mean two or three more freerolls into other tournaments for me.
Basta, when you see me on your table, just remember "aces or kings only!"
Watch your back! hehe!
Posted by
Maverick |
Fri Oct 13, 01:13:00 AM 2006
bottom line for me is, that way i understand poker now is that my cards dont matter. A-K or 7-2, it's the most irrelevant factor to consider in the long run.
the way i see it now is, poker is all about SITUATIONS. The whole picture, the bird's eye view of things. i folded the AK not because it was AK, but because my read on the situation was that i couldnt just call, or raise, but that i had to go all-in, and with absolutely no information UTG, near bubble, big stacks all over, i didnt wanna gamble just yet.
i wont wait for AA or KK, but ill make sure i get paid when i do get them hehe. position, stack sizes, who's playing, i'll consider everything BEFORE looking at my cards! But that's me, and that the beauty of poker, there are so many layers that youre never playing the same game twice.
Posted by
Maverick |
Fri Oct 13, 01:37:00 AM 2006
Mav's favorite hand is "big lick" (69o). LOL, that aint tight, that aint right. LMAO
Posted by
Unknown |
Sat Oct 14, 05:49:00 AM 2006
ok ok, Aces, Kings, AND 6-9! At least i have one more premium hand than most people hehe
Posted by
Maverick |
Sat Oct 14, 08:37:00 PM 2006