Playing in a Tight-Passive Game
A tight-passive game has several tight-passive players, no more than two loose players, and no aggressive players. Lots of hands are not played at all, or there are only two or three players after the flop or on fourth street. Raises are rare, and reraises hardly ever occur. Most pots are trivial, hardly worth winning. Only a few hands go to a showdown, and there is usually only one caller then.
If the game is tight-passive, ask yourself a question: Why bother to play? You can’t win much; you can easily lose; and it’s going to be boring. It’s probably better to read the papers, take a walk, or change games.
But let’s say it’s raining and you’ve already read the papers. If you really want to play, and it’s the only game around (or you’re in a tournament and don’t have any choice), prepare for a long siege. Be prepared to wait and wait and wait.
Don’t Expect Much
If you want lots of action, or hope to win a lot of money, forget it. It’s not going to happen. In fact, don’t be surprised if you lose, and you might lose much more than you expect. This sort of game has little upside and lots of downside. You can’t win much, but you can lose quite a bit.
Control Yourself
Self-control is always important, but it is particularly important in such a tight-passive game, because it is so hard to beat and so frustrating. Your natural desire for action can cause you to play too many hands, and to play them too aggressively.
It happens all the time. The average player, sits down and plays his normal game. He does not lose a lot of money on any single pot; he just slowly bleeds to death. He loses one buy-in, then another one, then a third. He bets aggressively on aces up, but gets beat by rolled up eights. He makes a straight on the river, bets out, and loses to a flush that was made on fifth street. He wins a few pots, but does not win much on them, while losing again and again.
He slowly goes on tilt. At first, he just gets a little looser, calling with marginal hands, raising a little too aggressively. Then he gets mad at the “Damned Rocks” and at himself for playing in “this lousy game.” When that happens, he may be on his way to big trouble.
Do not play in such tight-passive games. If you play online poker, join a room such as Everest Poker where you will always find plenty of games to choose from in the lobby, and never need to join a tight-passive game.
