I played live Holdem Poker this week in two different card rooms. If you have been playing poker for more than a year or so you know how the game has evolved. Holdem Poker played well means quickly adapting to different styles of play, and different strategies as players come and go. Occasionally players do not even need to leave to have the table change states in the span of two or three hands.

In the first card room it was about midnight and the game was slowing down. The table was a few seats short, and most of the players including myself were a little on the tired side. I find in games like this, the opportunity to profit comes from being able to wait for opportunity to happen rather than try to force the action.

In late night games when players who are normally in bed are at the table, two main threads are going on. Players are more prone to making mistakes. Mistakes are made both from what the players think is happening in the hand and what is going on in their head. Secondly most players are trying to win back earlier losses.

This mix of wants makes for an interesting game. There are more heads up battles between players. One player perceives another player is making a move, and is not willing to lose chips invested in the hand. The rest of the field folds and watches the battle. Tired players are correct about the same amount of time they are wrong. I think late night games in a small card room have a lot in common with an afternoon short handed game, only with more mistakes being made.

The second game was a Saturday afternoon game which is usually a good game. Players are generally loosening up, and making small moves in hope of building their stacks up for later when the lags and maniacs arrive. This was not that game, and it took me longer than it should have to adjust to the game. I made the mistake of deciding what the table was like before I actually was in the game.

This game was the largest collection of weak tight nits I have seen in a while! I did not know there were enough around to dominate a table. Yet here they were, in all their glory, folding hands waiting for big pairs, and checking unless they held the nut hand. One player proclaimed that he would never dream of betting second top pair. Three players showed some sign of agreement as if it was proclaimed from above.

I watched and listened as they chastised and ran off two players who were playing looser than they were comfortable with. It was too bad because at that moment the profit was coming from those players. The table went short handed after the second loose player was chased off and one of the nits left for other ventures.

These are hard games to make a profit in, probably the worst. If they bet or call they usually hold Aces and paint, or big pairs. If the board looks the slightest bit scary after the flop they freeze. They would rather dump chips down the rake vacuum than play against a coordinated board without the absolute nut hand.

These are the two worst games I know of for making a profit. Mistakes in either of these games are costly. In a game of tired players, one player winning a hand and leaving may cause the game to fold. When this happens you are out of a game until tomorrow.

Against experienced players who never progressed beyond weak tight, profit tends to be a small. Weak tight players take few risks, if they are in a hand past the flop, they have a rock solid hand. If you try to take advantage of this, they usually will not give you any action if you are first to bet. If you push them, they tend to leave the game for the day.

I will remember for a while anyway, to let the table do the talking, and not decide how the table is until I see or sit in the game. I also remembered why I don’t like to play late at night on weekdays, or early afternoons. Too many weak tight nits, trying to make the day go by, taking as few risks as possible.