Why Playing Tight Equals Winning Poker

One of the biggest mistakes that new Poker players make is the assumption that the most important decisions that will be made in a game will come in the latter streets. In fact, the most pertinent ones will be made beforehand, when you decide to play the hand or not.

The decision of whether you will play a hand or not is something that will be determined largely by your playing style. This is where being too loose can lead you to trouble. Simply put, the more hands that you play and take to the flop, the more it will cost you. A lot of times the hands that you are dealt will be marginal, and by insisting on playing them you deplete your stack. If you play No Limit, competing with a weak hand can cost you your entire stack.

Here is where playing tight becomes part of a winning Poker strategy. By learning to play with select hands, you will increase your chances of making more money and losing less. You will hear that you should play AA-JJ and AK.

The reason is not only are these good pre flop, but at the flop, they are also strong. An Ace and a King for instance, means that if the board gives you the other King, you will not only have KK, but also have an unbeatable kicker.

A tight Poker playing style also means utilizing suited connectors. These hands are better than connectors or suited hands because they offer two draws: the flush and the straight. Of course, the quality of the suited connectors and pocket pair vary, and you should learn how to gauge which are suitable depending on the players on the table.

Of course, part of playing tight in Poker means avoiding other hands. Aside from the usual trash hands like low off suit, are those low and mid numbers paired with face cards.

For instance, a K6 or Q6 is a very poor Poker hand. Although it looks good because it contains a face, the fact is that it is not. Even if the flop gives you a King, the 6 is a very weak kicker, and as a two pair are not that strong, especially if the board has high cards. The reverse is also true; getting a 66 on the flop is not much either.

There are a lot of factors to be considered when playing tight but at its most basic, it involves knowing the winning hands in the game you are playing and playing them aggressively.

It also means having the patience to wait to fold other marginal hands, and because this is what you will get most of the time, you must be willing to sit out a lot of pots. With these basic principles in mind, you will know how to incorporate tight playing in your Poker game and win.