Poker Cash Games: Playing Too Tight

Cash Games
January 23 2009

Playing in cash games is a lot different from playing tournaments. In a tournament setting it’s wise to play a tight-aggressive style. In a cash game setting you can’t sit and wait all day for big hands to come because your opponents will know that you finally have something. If you sit out 20 hands and then make a raise, everyone will get out of the way and you’ll only win a small pot.

You have to take advantage of things like position and semi-bluffs to win enough hands to profit. Even if you get caught every now and then it will help your table image, showing your opponents that you have some play in you. If you don’t, the other players at the table will just keep raising you every time you’re in a hand. If you’re not holding a big hand you’ll be forced to fold again and again.

Good poker involves changing up your play every now and then. If you’re more comfortable playing a tight style, you should at least play loose for the first couple of hands at a new table. Your opponents will take a while to realize what you’ve done, and that you’re actually a tighter player than they thought you were.

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