Tips for Playing at a VERY tight table - 24% Saw Flop

[CanadianAmy]

Lets start by going over Ed Millers clear comments on preflop play.

Link to Ed Miller Post on Pre Flop Play

"The goal of preflop play is to maximize your time spent playing after the flop against weak players and weak hands and minimize it against strong players and strong hands."

I think that he is 100% right on this one. So I guess the question becomes, in a tight enviornment where on the flop it is usually heads up or three handed, what tips to modify your play become most important?

I would appreciate comments on what people have done to successfully beat these games.

I will start off with what I think become important (if I am wrong, please comment).

1. Raise more pre-flop, especially with Marginal starting hands in Middle position, quite often you will win it right there, before ever seeing the flop (only works if you are first in).

2. Reads become more important, usually at this level of saw flop, you have many at the table seeing 15% or below, just avoid these players unless you have AA - JJ, AKs - AJs, AKo - AQo, or KQs. But you really need to determine who is the losest player and attack them, and then hope that your post-flop play is better than theirs.

Amy

P.S. this is at absolute 1/2, compare this to the 20,000 plus hands I have mined at Party where the SF % is 35%.

Edit: I am not saying that these games cannot be beat, I am just looking for tips on how to beat them.

[BatsShadow]

I am struggling at Absolute as well.

I think the answer is mostly to just follow the tight chart.

Also, I remember reading in various places that in tight games like this, you really only win money off of your bluffs. Correct use of blind stealing, semi-bluffs, and even just good bluffs is what profits.

[kapw7]

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I think the answer is mostly to just follow the tight chart.

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What advantage is this going to give you? They probably follow the same chart

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Also, I remember reading in various places that in tight games like this, you really only win money off of your bluffs. Correct use of blind stealing, semi-bluffs, and even just good bluffs is what profits.

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I think -but I might be very wrong as I haven't played there for a long time- the players there are tight passive post flop so you won't make a lot by bluffing.

I think generally you need to vary your play a lot. These players are very easy to read. You can have an advantage over them when you use the reads and when you are hard to be read.

[topspin]

It's not too late to edit your post to use the [URL] tag ...

To address your point though: given the high rake at 1/2, is it really possible to be more than a breakeven or marginal winner at an ASF of 24%?? That's less than 3 people to the flop on average, which has to be a table VPIP of 15 or something. I guess if everyone is really weak you might be able to do it by blind stealing a lot.

FWIW at Party 1/2 my SF% over all tables was 40%+, and at Paradise it was 35%+.

[kapw7]

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To address your point though: given the high rake at 1/2, is it really possible to be more than a breakeven or marginal winner at an ASF of 24%??

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No.
But you make money from bonus+rakeback. I'm not sure how much though. I hate Absolute graphs. If anyone has any tips for mods then I might try it again.

[Aaron W.]

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To address your point though: given the high rake at 1/2, is it really possible to be more than a breakeven or marginal winner at an ASF of 24%?? That's less than 3 people to the flop on average, which has to be a table VPIP of 15 or something. I guess if everyone is really weak you might be able to do it by blind stealing a lot.

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I would think it almost certainly is beatable. Unless you're up against all TAGgish postflop players you will still make your money when they make their mistakes. The difference is that you're going to need to force the issue a bit more compared to the loose games.

Not only table selection, but seat selection is important. You would like some weak tight player on your right so that you can often raise to isolate and steal the pot away from him. Tight tight players on your left helps you steal more often.

But I think the main thing is that you have to pay attention to the types of postflop mistakes they are making. Find out who is tight passive and value bet less into him. Find out who gives up lots of free cards by refusing to bet and who checks behind on the flop when he's not interested in it.

Tight players tend to be more disciplined and play in a much more "regular" manner.

[CanadianAmy]

No more comments or tips?

Also, any tips on table selection?

Amy

[Bodhi]

Absolute 1/2 is a harsh transition if you're used to playing at party, at least it was for me.

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1. Raise more pre-flop, especially with Marginal starting hands in Middle position, quite often you will win it right there, before ever seeing the flop (only works if you are first in).

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Even better, raise more from every position if you're first-in. Raise with all sorts of hands utg because everyone folds most of the time. The problem with absolute is that you often don't get action with your best hands, so you have to start raising a lot more of them before the rocks start to catch on. Raise JTs utg, raise KJo utg, heck, raise 98s or even 77 utg. Your opponents will fold so often that you can get away with it. The catch is that when you are called expect a very strong holding from your opponent, and you may want to give up right there if the flop doesn't hit you well.

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2. Reads become more important, usually at this level of saw flop, you have many at the table seeing 15% or below, just avoid these players unless you have AA - JJ, AKs - AJs, AKo - AQo, or KQs. But you really need to determine who is the losest player and attack them, and then hope that your post-flop play is better than theirs.

[/ QUOTE ]

The real importance of reads is seat selection. There are a few maniacs at absolute, so try to get a good relative position to them at the table.

Lastly, a huge portion of your profits at absolute should be from steals and semi-bluffs. When you go to showdown, you need a stronger hand than normal, because your opponents will be playing better hands than you on average. I remember a guy at Absolute bragging that he only plays 11% of his hands. [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]

My final piece of advice is that if you're attached to your 3bb/100 winrate at party 1/2, then don't play at absolute. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[tiltaholic]

absolute 1/2 full is beatable. or, i had a good run while i played there.

you are on the right track.
raise more when first in. cold call less, if ever. pay attention to the bad players and put them on your right. isolate them.

steal blinds more. learn who is trying to steal your blinds and who is "steal raising" with legit hands. pay attention to flop texture. attack the weak players who likely missed the flop.

i tried to play during prime time hours when the ASF were in the mid-30s. my average over 6k hands is 30%.

[rollingdirty]