i don't think i'm a nit but there are long periods of time when i am card dead or have no cards by which to call raises with. I think i'm a TAG and that has now become synonymous with "nit."

I'm not suggesting you should change anything strategy-wise either. Playing worse poker so other people will like you better is dumb. (There are exceptions.)

You're only asking why boring players who win money aren't liked by the people losing. It should be obvious.

lols, this.

good point thank you for your feedback

Is this problem affecting your action? In a small market, it's the kiss of death to be known as a nit if you are one. If you're seeing a lot of different action players because of either tourists or just a large player pool in your area, it won't matter.

It's because nits are bad for the game. The game would die if everyone played super TAG.

It is the correct way to play in most cases, but that's only because most 1/2 players are the furthest thing from nits.

If everyone at the table played the same style nobody would win long term because they're all playing the same way. It's the same in loose games. A good player sitting down at a table of nits will win very easily, however. You speak as if the key to good poker is just player tighter than everybody else.

You're right that you only need action to win if you really are a nit. Fortunately nits are terrible players and we should all strive to be better than that.

It's unfortunate that TAG has become synonymous with "nit" to many of the action junkies. A true TAG may not play tons of hands, but he is putting in a lot more action than the passive players when he does. A real TAG will still triple barrel bluff/3-bet light, make big calls, etc. Nits are different. Nits can't stand getting money in bad, so they are generally much more passive than TAGs and aren't willing to bluff, raise/3-bet pre or make big river calls. True nits are both bad players and not really fun to have at the table. Unfortunately some action junkies just see tight as tight and lump all the TAGs in with the nits.

I'm probably closer to a LAG than a TAG and I still get called a nit by the degenerate action junkies if I go card dead for awhile.

If you think winning poker is boring poker, you're doing it wrong, IMO.

I can't think of a single world class player that is boring. Even phil ivey isnt boring. He has a sinister demeanor about him that i find interesting, even tho he never says much. Most of the big winners are articulate and interesting. They all probably played wildly loose when they got started. You cant make the next level playing tight.

I think "boring" is the kicker here. If you're simply playing TAG and provide some entertainment value or come across as a nice person willing to chat a little, you'll be welcome. That said, I have run into a couple players who themselves were nits and tried to misdirect by calling me out during a folding streak.

it's amazing how much subtle bad will there can be among your poker playing peers but not surprising when you consider that everyone wants everyone else's $. I am grateful for this forum and the advice you guys provide.

Man this is so wrong. Please put me in a game with 8 nits. Printing money with low to no variance.

@OP embrace being perceived as a nit. The recs will pay you off anyways and you can get the regs to fold ridiculous ****. Never show a bluff, complain about how card dead you are, do all of the nitty things possible except actually be a nit.

Because nits are bad for the game

I had a guy fold JJJ to me last night on a no straight, no flush board LOL. He showed his fold and i told the lad "guys are going to be going after you now all night!"

The people who play in Bobby's Room would tell you otherwise, I'd imagine.

OP you do you, man. Being outgoing and engaging can go a long way to help you eliminate the 'nit' tag, even if you still play a button down game.

Agreed.

Pretty sure I don't agree with this, especially at a low max BI + high rake game. My guess is the table full of nits will eventually overwhelm the good player who is constantly trying to steal pots off the world with constantly inferior holdings. He'll win a massive amount of pots, no doubt, but in the end, my believe (although I could be wrong) is that his constantly inferior holdings and the high rake will eventually catch up to him (although if the nits play poorly he might do ok). Even if I cave a bit and concede that *perhaps* the good player could win at these tables playing his method, at the very least I'm pretty convinced that playing tighter than everybody else (i.e. nitting it up) is also a fine way to beat the game as well.

Overall, DK nailed it above (i.e. of course losing players hate playing with boring winning players).

GcluelessnitnoobG

These are people who are stuck or dont know how to exploit TAG

Imagine a world where someone actually thinks most of the HS tournament players are "exciting." These are the best players in the world and they are by far the most mundane.

Pretty sure LAG is not that good at 1/2 due to rake structure.

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I get that too at 2-5 a lot.
All I keep thinking is, I play about 20% of hands, which means . . .
PP, SC's S1Gappers, Two broadways, and suited A or K from late position if it's cheap and it's multi-way.

What more do you think I should play?
Am I supposed to play K8 off? J5 suited? A9off?

I just ignore it and use it to my advantage, when it gets checked around I'll bet about 75% of time no matter what I hold and they fold to me.

Dont let their annoyance take you off your solid style.

More gamble does NOT mean, more manly.
It just means more stupid.
I lose plenty playing TAG, I dont need to add assuredly -EV hands too.

They just talking smack because they can't beat a nit or a tag.

If/when someone calls me a nit I complain about the cards I'm being delt but I talk so much they don't notice I'm not playing much.

Hey chicagodude did we play in the same room today?
Someone was on the list as chicago mike

I was playing 2/5 last night. Within my first orbit there were one or two limpers ahead of me and I turbo-mucked QTo from the LJ (4 off the BTN). The cards hit the dealer's hands as he was gathering chips into the middle and were exposed.

A whale looks at me and says "what a nit." I laugh and say "yah that's not good for my image." Whale goes on to lose 4k+ including a nice pot to me when I "squeezed" KK from the BB after he opened to 25 and there were 3 callers.

You're not good enough to make up for equity disadvantages. Positive variance can mask leaks for a long time, but if you are consistently playing garbage hands you are going to be a massive loser -EV wise.

Lol, I would have said "crap, I thought they were Queens, and I have no idea how to play those."

Basically +1 for the remark about not being good enough to make up for the equity disadvantages. Against a very soft field and in position, ok, fine. But otherwise, I think we overvalue our skill advantage (and most of our skill simply lies in playing better hands / in position / patiently waiting for our spot).

GcluelessnitnoobG

Interesting take. We can argue the merits of folding QTo in that spot versus over-limping or raising until the cows come home. But I think more importantly, each player has to adopt the style that suits his/her game/personality the best. There is no one "correct" way to get the $$ and the varying styles of many successful players on this forum is a good example of that.

Only caveat I would say is if you are playing in a severely capped buy-in game, then being a nit is probably the only way to play effectively. But once you get past say 150 or so blinds, IMO any style can be played +EV assuming you have a skill advantage over opponents.

So bottom line, do what makes you the most comfy and play how you play your best. F everybody else and what they think/say. Just fleece them with your style.

Shorn

People hate nits cause they know that nits are there to win, not gamble and are therefore not good for the game. I get mistakenly called a nit all the time cause I'm card dead, and if you guys have seen my hand histories, you'll know that nit is far from the truth. I usually just laugh it off and tell them I'm scared money. It's only an insult if you care what a bunch of random poker players think of you.

A lot of these people don’t even know what TAG play is. They will play way too many hands and usually play straightforward and passively and think they are TAG. When they see a TAG that isn’t playing the garbage they play, the TAG player will often look like a nit to them.

This thread reminds me of an older thread.