After what feels like weeks of not getting hands I am starting to pick up monsters but now whenever I 3-bet I am basically playing my hand face up.

I am seen as an extremely patient winning player with a TAG image but due to the fact of being card dead for so long now when I pick up a hand I am getting next to no action which is just horrible for my game.

It should be noted this game is usually an action game even though almost 80% of the field buy in short they still play an extremely wide range, calling in most cases with mediocre hands. This makes my situation even harder to handle.

I know for the most part I am a winning player but things like this just seem to grind on me mentally. I am getting way too much respect but at the same time I don't want to open or 3 bet air just for them to get involved with me. With stacks so short SPR's are quite high so basically even a continuation bet could lead to an AI situation.

So how do I exploit my new image as a super-nit? If I am to open my range more which hands / spots are a good start? Also if I am successful bluffing should I show the bluff for advertising in order to try and secure action on my big hands?

Any advice is appreciated
Thanks
-CF

Your image is only as good as your last hand.

That is all.

What's wrong with 3 betting occasionally with a speculative hand? If your reputation is really as tight as you say... you should be able to pick up a couple of pots before someone calls or plays back. And you don't have to cbet if you miss (but I would at least some % of time).

You don't know if you're getting too much respect or just running poorly in 3bet spots. With that said. if you 3bet QQ+/AK, that is 32 hands, add Q9s, Q8s, K9s, K7s, half your ATo combos, 45s, 46s, 86s, this is 34 combos. Vs this range villains should be folding a very high % of the time, so if you get called light, that is ok (and once it starts happening drop the air out of your range, sounds like this game doesn't need it), while still allowing you to turn 40 0ev hands into +ev hands, if villains are truly folding too much to your 3bets.

@Chicken Feed - Most people here can give much better advice, but I am in a similar spot where I've just played really nitty/tight for awhile. Recently, I have been opening my range a little more. The most basic advice to follow I think is:

Start slow - as in start opening your range very slowly and see how it goes. Take note of these hands that are maybe a little out of your ordinary and post them and discuss them with people you know.

Pick spots - open these more speculative hands when you are in position. Also try to avoid playing them against stronger players. I started opening a lot more hands on the button/CO but keep my EP/MP hands relatively the same.

One thing I've also tried is floating the flop a little more with more speculative hands. I don't do this often, and will usually only do it when I have a good read on the villain and see them as weak/passive and I have a good image and have had good success doing this, but only when I pick out the right villains and decent spots.

Regarding bluffs, I posted a thread on it a couple months ago and most people feel you shouldn't show and I agree. There's just no real reason to give off any information, even if you want to show a bluff to try to break your nitty image. For the most part, people in LLSNL will just play their hands. And the more hands you win (even if you bluffed 0 times) people will naturally become curious and start getting suspicious and might call you down lighter.

Hope that helps a little.

jc315 gave very solid advice. At LLSNL, you don't need to put a lot of air in your range. Especially in a relatively short stack situation. Take the very top of your folding range in the situation and add one combo to your 3bet range at a time. For example, let's say you were only 3 betting QQ+, AK. You'd call all pp, all Ax broadways and a smattering of SCs. However, you'd fold A9s under the circumstances. Time to start 3betting A9s. If you take it down pf, you just turned a hand you'd fold into a profit maker. If you get a lot of resistance, you know you're no good and can get out fast from the hand.

I would start by analyzing when your getting folds with 3!..see. who there against. Positions your in. Depth of stacks.

Then try to find similar spots to 3!; regardless of your hand. Having static 3! Range is never a good thing. Trying to add specific hands to 3bet light is also not a great plan.

But just look for situations where you can 3bet profitably with ATC. Key is don't go crazy. Be patient. May take 2-3 hours to find correct spot. But you will find them. They will gradually add to winrate.

Then stop worrying about cards and start opening from Btn and co with atc and Cbet most flops until they stop respecting you

Jc and Venice said it best, I would suggest two options, Strictly in position CO or OTB start squeezing multiway pots with hands you would normally flat such as AXs or SCs, or if you prefer to play those for implied odds, as Venice suggests look for the HiGHEST possible value hands that you WONT play from that spot and squeeze with them.

Added note: if you do get called 3! Pots command huge initiative so Cbet almost all flops and 1/2 pot will likely always get it done no need for much more. Between squeeze and Cbet you will take down an incredible amount of the time against all but the nittiest players.

Learning about blockers as they pertain to 3! Light is helpful too, i.e. If you have A9o OTB and squeeze less likely for them to have AA or AK as opposed to if you had J7o