Winning in Tight-Passive Games

As one accumulates experiences in playing poker, one will surely encounter a poker table in which the kind of game being played is called “tight-passive”. Such a term describes two aspects of the majority of poker players at the table.

The term “tight” refers to the way the poker players treat their money and chips. Obviously, these poker players rarely raise, even with strong hands. Perhaps they fear that they can lose their money during a freak bad beat. Thus, to play the strong hands, they either check or call. But they never raise. And when they get moderately good hands, they may even fold.

The word “passive” refers to how the poker players act during their turn. That is, a poker player who is passive will just follow what most of the other players do. If the majority of the opponents have folded, a passive poker player will also fold.

The motivation of the players at a tight-passive game is to be entertained during the game. And while they are passing the time, these players like to gain profits. Thus, they are tight with their money. They operate on the principle that “a good poker player must lose as small amount as he can.” In such a tight-passive poker table, there is practically no competition among the players.

Therefore, how does a poker player win against such type of opponents? Here are some ideas that will guide the poker player.

• Tight-passive players stay in the game only when they have strong cards such as high pairs, Aces, or face cards. Therefore, the poker player should not entertain the idea that such an opponent is bluffing.
• Position is crucial in such a game. When the poker player is in the blind position, his pile of chips will be drained each round. Therefore, if a choice is possible, a poker player should avoid the blind position. But when the poker player is supposed to act after a solid player who bets only with good hands, then he already knows that such an opponent is holding strong pocket cards.
• A poker player can bet even when his hand is just moderately strong. While checking may be safe financially, checking will not bring in the maximum profits that can be gained. Therefore, a poker player should bet, even when the pot size is small.

Playing in tight-passive games can be quite financially rewarding if the poker player will just have plenty of patience. In such games, the defining strategy of the player is to win small amounts as frequently as possible. These small winnings will eventually become significant.