This is geared towards playing against typical multi-tabling nits/tight passives we run into constantly at FR and 6MAX. It has use in mtt/sng too, assuming stacks are deep.

Nits will typically fold to 3bets with all but the very top of their range (AA-KK-QQ-AK.) We should consider 3-betting light more often than not in order to extract maximum value from hands that do not hold up well against the villain's range postflop. This works best against level 2 thinkers that will fold much much better hands than us preflop and postflop due to their nittiness and unwillingness to get involved with less than the near nuts.

6-max Example: We are sitting on the button with 45suited and a 8/6 nit comes in with a cutoff raise for 4xBB. We put his range on the top 9% of hands. QJs+, 88+.

Since we know he 4bets or shoves back over with AA-KK, we don't really care because we don't really have good implied odds to play postflop with suited connectors anyways here in a heads up pot. The majority of his other range (even QQ) he likely will just cold call as a nit.

Now what hands will he immediately think we have because we 3-bet? As a level 2 player you tend to think all other players do what you do. So he puts us on AA-KK-QQ-AK.. but he really really fears AA-KK here.

So what hands is he folding preflop? ATs, AQ, KQ, KJ, K10s, QJs, 88, 99, 1010, maybe JJ, AK. So all he holds onto is AA-KK-QQ-AK. 2 of those hands we don't continue with anyways because he 4bet us preflop and we folded.. so postflop we know he has one of two hands.

Let's say the flop comes J-9-5rainbow. We bet half pot (which looks like a huge bet to a nit now because of the action preflop)

He folds AK because he missed. So all he really continues with is one hand.. and even with QQ he is scared as hell about because we MUST have AA-KK right? And if the flop comes with an ace or king in it, we cbet and he folds QQ.

So a half pot bet breaks even by winning 1 out of 3. This play folds him 50% of the time or better, making it a winning play.

AND, he folds the better hand 70%+ of the time preflop... which is really where the profit adds up. Anyone want to do the math based on these ranges and the preflop/postflop action? I suck at math.

Additionally, sometimes we will hit our hand hard and stack him postflop.. whereas our hand is really easy to get off of should we meet resistance.

This may be an over-simplified example, but this is how I have been playing against overly tight players lately in the micros and it seems to be working like a charm.

My amount won without showdown % has stopped plummeting and has actually been break even or better for a couple of sessions. Best of all, I think the table fears me more and wants to get involved with me even less... and maniacs play even dumber against me now when they see me show down a weird straight after 3-betting preflop.

But how to play LAGGs is another discussion.

Of course, we worry that the table will adjust.. but since tables are like revolving doors and multi-tabling robots aren't really paying attention anyways, we only have to watch out for regs. And hey, next time we will have AA and we get paid.. which is the main reason for playing this way in the first place.

The main idea here is that you play each of your ranges to maximum profitability. (ABCD)

Use this strategy from anywhere on the table where you feel your range is too far behind the villains to cold call profitable but you have a sexy hand you can't lay down.