I play a very tight strategy in which I typically raise big preflop and fold the majority of everything else. Rarely will I call unless theres a lot of limpers. I give off the image of someone who only plays the nuts or close to it. People are typically scared to get involved with me in hands if they see me play for awhile but you'd be shocked how many players bet big or call me when it's pretty obvious I have a huge hand and they have a middle pair.

Lately I have been throwing in one or two slowplays per session with huge hands (AA, KK), knowing that there is almost no chance any 1/2 player is going to think I have something huge given my play style. I only do this if my table image is obvious(which shockingly a lot of people still can't figure out after watching me play two hands per hour)

Obviously this brings in the possibility of stacking someone if I flop a huge set or an overpair. It seems to work quite well against 1/2 players so far, but I am fairly new to poker so I am curious about whether or not this is effective long term.

Is this a decent playstyle for someone with super tight aggressive strategy? It definitely brings in the potential to stack someone since nobody expects AA or KK to be slowplayed by someone with my image.

Long-term, I wonder if this is a profitable strategy vs raising preflop and getting 2-3 callers. Honestly, I don't think in 1/2 I even need to slowplay anything since people call with absolute crap but I am still curious about what you all think. Thank you.

Playing like a super-nit can win at 1/2; it's incredible that people give action to players like you despite all evidence that they shouldn't - I laugh inside when I see it at the tables. Anyway, aside from being incredibly dull to play this way, you're missing out on a lot of riskier but profitable spots. Super-nit is OK if you're new to the game, though.

It's just so common for 1/2 players to call a single pf raise with all broadway hands, pairs, and suited connecters even if they know they are up against a nitty player. Sure, you can trap the ones that are paying attention every once in a while but in general I think you are just missing too much value from mediocre to bad players by not raising.

One thing you can do is experiment with different opening raise sizes until you find a sweet spot of getting 1-2 callers. If $15 opens are just winning the blinds too often try opening to $10 instead. Your cbets on the flop will almost always get called by all draws down to gutshots plus top pair hands. You might occasionally check turns when the board is very safe if you find you aren't getting value past the flop.

1/2 players are often way too lose preflop but tighten up a little postflop, therefore preflop is not really the spot to slowplay as I find that's when opponents put the most money in bad.

There's no need to bother slowplaying AA/KK at 1/2 no matter how nitty you are. Most opponents are just not folding Ax or broadways to your preflop raises ever, and they're putting in lots of money postflop with top pair. Sure, a few players who pay attention aren't going to give you action, but those players really shouldn't be your marks anyway.

I was never a nit, even when starting out with 1 -- 4 spread limit, 0.50 blind, though I was definitely nittier than I am now. I can't say this isn't a bad approach, especially for a poker n00b. There's still money to be made by playing it close to the vest. As you already noticed, it's amazing just how oblivious a lot of rec-fish can be, and they'll call off even if it should be obvious you're a nut peddling nit.

Sometimes, slow play, especially for a nit, isn't bad. However, it would be better to practice exploiting that image. Work in some c-bet bluffs, float a flop if you whiff and barrel the turn if the scare card comes, take a marginal hand (mid pocket pairs: 5's -- 9's, mid-suited connectors) on or near the button and pop it if there aren't limpers ahead of you and barrel dry flops. Occasionally, take a pure garbage hand like big/little offsuit and pop it from UTG or UTG+1. At first, once a session, take a hand you were planning to limp in and bang it instead. If you're gonna improve, try new things. Experience is the best teacher. You can still stay nitty most of the time while learning and building a 'roll.

In the general 1/2 game I think we are missing out on a TON of value by slowplaying these hands.

Playing nitty is fine, but if we are going to play only 2 hands an hour make sure we get paid on em. 1/2 guys don't pay enough attention to realize you are nut peddling.

HOWEVER, A case may be made for slowplaying big hands pre when you find yourself surrounded by fellow nits who will fold all of their dominated holdings if you raise.

Furthermore, If you find yourself in a game full of nits where you need to slowplay big hands pre to extract value from inferior hands post, just find a better @$@#ing game.

Not much point in slowplaying big pairs pre when you've already seen that you get action regardless. Open-raise a slightly wider range instead.

As de4df1sh says, if you feel you need to do this, change tables immediately.

You are losing a ton of value by playing this way. Slowplaying is a good way to minimize value and lose to hands that you should be stacking.

Only instances I can see where slowplay = good are when you flop full house plus...and not even necessarily all full house plus depending on circumstances/dynamics, etc.

I'll give one example where I decided to use a slowplay from a session tonight:

Two limps, hero overlimps 66 in MP, HJ raises to $15, call, call, frustrated guy says "All in" for $17, two limpers call, hero calls, HJ tries to 3bet but finds out that is illegal, call, call. So $119 going to flop; set mining odds covered pretty well.

Flop 6 4 4. Check, guy who says he just learned which hands beat which bets out $15. Hero counts his stack and sees we have roughly $250. Call. HJ emphatically declares "all in" for $14 more on top. Folds back to newbie who calls, hero calls. $206 in pot.

Turn J. Newbie leads out for $50. Hero raises to $125. Newbie scratches his head and calls. $456 in pot.

River 6. Newbie checks, hero bets last $100, newbie hesitates and eventually calls with 42o.

Against players with even a slightly higher skill level I probably play the flop more aggressively, but call/overcall allows HJ to deposit all his chips with AKo and also allows the newbie to feel invested after he bet/calls flop and leads the turn. He has seen me c-bet bluff a couple times but doesn't realize that I basically never make the turn raise without a boat. Since I hold a hand that can only be cracked by two outers I don't mind playing passively on the flop before waking up on the turn...BUT I would definitely consider playing it differently if I thought the newbie could put the pieces together more effectively.

You should always be raising your premiums pf, slowplaying is missing out on value. If you have nitty image and nobody is calling then throw in some bluffs.

Absolutely agree. Though i think AxelFoley shows a good example of a premium slowplayspot, i very rarely slowplay my big hands.

If you have trouble getting action i for sure prefer to mix in some bluffs compared to start slowplaying as a habit.

For a long time i played a little bit too nitty, especially my first year of liveplay. I adjusted to that by playing big draws more aggressive, and widening my preflop 3 betrange so my opponents cant put me on KK/AA everytime i show big aggression preflop. Those changes have helped my game tremendously: 1) I get paid more easy on big hands and 2) My hand isnt face up as an overpair when i continue to bet postflop. Especially when playing deep this is huge.

if there are loose players fancy stuff like this is not necessary. If people are calling your 3 bets with crap then reraise to as much as possible. Its how you make $.

I would only slow play a big hand like this if there is a maniac on my left.

If they are paying attention then the fact that the table nit is all of a sudden coming alive will make the wonder and slow down and likely not give you as much action.

If they are not paying attention then they will pay you off when you raise pre flop anyway.

So, raise.

In before you post a hand where you slowplayed those aces, sprung the trap on the river, and Villain turns over some gutshot or backdoor draw that got there for cheap.

Seriously, the only hands you should be slowplaying is where you flop the mortal nuts and it's unlikely Villain has anything. Like when you hold JJ and flop comes J52rainbow. In this example, Villain is unlikely to have a whole lot he'll call much with, so you check hoping he'll either pair ott or at least try to bluff you off it.

Slowplaying is generally FPS, or Fancy Play Syndrome. Do yourself a favor and stop. Seriously, just bet your hand. Especially flopped trips and sets (excepty maybe top set as shown above).

I started an ubernit too. Then I read Gus Hansen's Every Hand Revealed, and for 3 months I was a LAGtard spew-monkey.

You can open your range by playing sooted connectors, broadway- and bicycle-aces, and baby pocket pairs in position (meaning HJ+). And leave the limp pots to the weak/passive fish. Punish the limpers, dont join them.

Slow playing is good. If you know how to play after you have slowplayed.

Also if you think slowplaying aces is about popping them on the river then you haven't thought very hard about it.

Long-term this is very bad. Aside from missing so much value, slowplaying monsters PF is a surefire way to let someone in with garbage and value own yourself when you get cracked. In short, you will always win the minimum and lose the maximum.

Sure people will give you a call here and there, it doesn't mean they don't realize you are a supernit. On the contrary, if they are halfway decent they know this is a hand you are willing to get stacks in with. That's what we came for right?

My advice would be to abusé your supernit image and change gears every so often. If you aren't confident in your postflop play with anything but the top 5%, then just play fit/fold.

Slow playing AA or other strong hands preflop has made me extraordinary amounts of money, actually. You just need to know when and how to do it.