Busting Mr.Tight

One of the hardest things to do in a ring game is to bust a tight player. Tight players are always looking for a reason to fold and only bet when the are pretty certain they are ahead. I like to think I'm a tight player but I've seen some guys and gals fold forty or more hands in a row, patiently waiting for something really strong to play.

At the casino I most frequently go to, I've played at the same table a few times with a guy who I just call "Mr. Tight". Mr. Tight is a rock. He plays only premium hands. When he bets (which he might do once every hour) - you get out of his way. He tends to only make money from players who don't know how tight he is - people who have just joined the table, or have been drinking, or are just plain stupid. A few weeks ago I saw something I didn't think I would ever see: I saw Mr. Tight lose all his chips in a single hand. I would like to relate the hand because I think it is an excellent illustration of a good way to play against super-tight players.

Pre-Flop. When the following hand occurred, Mr. Tight had about $250 in chips. He was the first to act (Under the Gun) and raised the $2 big blind to $15. Now unless you are unconscious, you knew that Mr. Tight had a hand - AA, KK, QQ, AK, AQ, or maybe JJ. That's how tight this guy is. One good thing about playing against super-tight dudes is that it is pretty easy to guess what they have. Everyone folds except one guy, a really good player named Tom. Tom calls and the two of them see the flop.

The Flop: Ah 6c 6d.
The pot was $32 so Mr. Tights' bet of $20 here was pretty standard. I expected he had an ace pre-flop, and the continuation bet he made me even more certain. I expected Tom to fold, so I was very surprised when Tom immediately raised it to $80. Huh? Immediately I thought Tom was trying to push Mr.Tight out of the pot. Tight players fold easily right? Mr. Tight looked like he had something very sour in his mouth. Finally, after agonizing over his decision for a minute, Mr.Tight said something I will never forget: "If I can't call this, then I have no business being at this table," and he pushed the balance of $60 in.

The Turn: 9c.
Mr. Tight checked. Tom reached for his chips "If you can call $80," he said "Then you should be able to call $160". This $160 just covered the rest of Mr. Tights' chips - a call would put him all-in. In my head I was sure Tom was bluffing. I knew Mr.Tight had an ace, but could he call all-in with just a pair, even a pair of aces? After all, Tom could easily have a six. Mr. Tight, looked like he was going to throw-up, but after a minute he said, "I call." By making this call, Mr. Tight was all-in. As there could be no more wagering, the two players showed their hands; Mr. Tight showed he had A K and Tom showed 8 6. I don't think a single person at the table really thought Tom had the 6. Why bet so much after the flop, against such a tight player if you didn't want him to fold? I couldn't make sense of it, but there it was. Only another ace on the river would save Mr. Tight now.

The River: I don't remember, but it wasn't an ace.
Mr. Tight, to his credit, didn't whine or complain or get angry. He gathered up his things and left quietly.

"Seat open!" yelled the dealer.

I turned to Tom, who was stacking his chips to my right, and said "When you made that big bet after the flop I was sure you trying to get him to fold."

Without looking up at all, Tom replied "I was trying to get him to fold." Words which really puzzle me. Did he really want to win the pot right there? Maybe. The comment seems weird to me.

So what exactly happened here? I don't know what went through Tom's mind, but my guess is something like this: When Mr. Tight raised pre-flop, Tom wasn't afraid to call him knowing that he stood a good chance of bluffing him off on a later street. When the flop came, Tom knew he was ahead of everything but AA. So why the big bet? Tom bet so much that it looked to everybody like an obvious steal attempt. This is, in my opinion, an absolutely brilliant move! Disguising a strong hand as a bluff in an obvious bluffing situation is not a move I have witnessed often, and it requires having a very good read on your opponent to pull off. Tom was actually betting that Mr. Tight would find the guts to make a tough call on the flop and an even tougher call on the turn. Mr. Tight was betting on Tom being a bully. Tom won a massive pot because he read his opponent correctly, and Mr. Tight lost because he read his opponent incorrectly. Poker is about people.