What is a Nit in Poker and How To Play Against Them

If you’ve played poker, you must have heard how “nits” slow down the game. So, what is a nit in poker? A “nit” refers to a tight, conservative player who only plays premium hands and folds the rest. A nit will almost always fold their hand unless they are absolutely sure they have the best hand on the table.

Nits play overly safe, however, it also makes them predictable and an easy target to exploit.

Below, we’ll tell you more about:

• How to play against a nit in poker,
• Identifying a nit in poker,
• Strategies for beating a nit,
• And, adjusting to nitty players at the table.

Understanding the Nit Playstyle

Nitty players are unwilling to part with their chips. They play too tight both preflop and post flop. While a good player will focus on strategic aggression, nits take this approach to an extreme. They are unlikely to take calculated risks.

Nit in Poker: Meaning

Nits are set on avoiding losses rather than actively collecting more chips. For example, you are playing Texas hold ’em poker. A nit will play nothing short of high pocket pairs like QQ, KK, and AA preflop (meaning before the first community card is laid face-up on the dealer table) and fold the rest.

Nit is sometimes used as an insult at the table. If players at the table tell you, “Don’t be a nit”, they want you to loosen up and play more hands. A game full of nits can be incredibly dull as there is little action. It also becomes a grind, where everyone sits at the table for hours waiting for a good hand.

Common Traits of a Nit

• They’ll ignore fairly decent hands like suited connectors (two cards belonging to the same suit, such as 6 and 10 of hearts) or small pocket pairs (double nines or less). These can be good post-flop (after the first community card is dealt). However, nits like to stick to high pocket pairs and Broadway combinations.
• If there’s an aggressive player at the table, nits will fold instead of calling.
• You’ll find several nits in poker tournaments, where surviving the longest can yield benefits. As players approach the bubble (the point where only one player has to be eliminated for everyone else to be “in the money”), you’ll see everyone tightening up their game. However, as nits enter the bubble, they might loosen up because at that point they are assured of a winning.

Strengths and Weaknesses of a Nit in Poker

Being a nit is not always bad. You have to figure out which strategy works best against your current opponents and for you in general. Simply put, you should do the opposite of what everyone else is doing. So, if the table is too loose, the nit stands to win large pots with just a few hands.

Another advantage is that when your image is too tight, it becomes slightly easier to pull off bluffs. Suppose there are two suited connectors on the table. You make a continuation bet (c-bet) indicating that you too have the same suit and are looking at a flush draw (4 cards of the same suit). A flush draw is one of the highest-ranking combinations, so everyone at the table is likely to fold.

There are weaknesses to this approach too. The most obvious one is that your gameplay becomes predictable. If everyone is playing 50-60% of their hands, and you’re playing only 15-20%, identifying you as a nit in poker becomes easier. So, whenever you raise, other players are more likely to fold, because they now know you have a strong hand. This is a missed opportunity to win a bigger pot.

Additionally, with the right flop, even the small pairs can be an advantage that nits often ignore. So, while tight is right, playing too tight means missing out on several profitable opportunities.

Identifying a Nit at the Poker Table

You can spot a nit easily because they have certain tells. Here’s how to identify a nit in poker:

• They fold preflop. This means they are only looking at their hole cards (2 cards in hand) and making their decision. They might not even wait for the first community card to be dealt, as they want to preserve their chips.
• Every time at showdown, if you see decent hands being put down more than 5 times, you know you’re playing against a nit.
• They rarely bluff on multiple streets (also known as community cards).

You can also use technology to identify a nit in poker.

Low VPIP (Voluntarily Put Money in Pot) Percentages

VPIP (also known as VP$IP) is a tracking software available online. It calculates how tight or loose a player is based on the percentage of hands played and shows a percentage output like this:

• 0–10 VPIP: This is a player who only plays premium hands or very tight, aka, a nit.
• 10–20 VPIP: This player has a tight game but plays a slightly wider range of hands, especially when in position.
• 20–30 VPIP: A range that many good poker players fall into.
• 30–40 VPIP: A player who is usually loose and aggressive.
• 40+ VPIP: These are likely recreational players, aka fish, who may be “limping” a lot by calling many raises, and getting involved more than they should.

How to Play Against a Nit in Poker

Nits are somewhat predictable. Here’s how to play against a nit in poker and capitalize on their weaknesses:

Steal their Blinds with Bluffs

Let’s say you have two nits in the blinds who you know will only call or fight back 15-20% of the time. Raise 100% of your hands when you are in the late position – even if you’re bluffing. Statistically speaking, you will win more hands than them, irrespective of your cards.

Now, let’s assume they call instead of folding. You still have the advantage because you are playing in position.

3-Bet on the Preflop

3-bet, or re-raise preflop. Nits don’t like getting involved in big pots unless they have a strong hand. Use a wide range of hands for the 3-bet, and the nits will fold while waiting for a better hand.

C-Bet the Turn

Use the Poker Tracker to check how frequently the nit c-bets the flop vs the c-bets the turn. “Turn” refers to the fourth community card that is dealt face-up. If they are shying away from raising at the turn, then place a c-bet when you are in position, especially if you have some equity. For example, if you have 6 and 7 diamonds and the flop is Q spade, 8 club, 4 diamond, you still have equity for a suit.

Avoiding Common Mistakes

Don’t overestimate a nit’s weakness. They may simply be baiting you to make the pot bigger. Here are some common mistakes to avoid when adjusting to nitty players at the table.

• Every now and then, a nit will show aggression. Theoretically, it means they have a very strong hand, but statistically speaking, strong hands like AA, KK, and QQ are a low possibility. Given they rarely bluff, it would mean they are betting on a low-rank hand like a low pair. So, don’t fold immediately. Analyse the table before deciding whether to raise, or fold.
• Don’t misinterpret a tight play as a weakness. While developing strategies for beating a nit, take into that nits are disciplined and patient, and can capitalize when opponents get reckless.
• Raise instead of calling. Nits like to preserve their chips, so they will be forced to fold.

Adjusting Based on Context

In cash games, stack sizes are deeper and you have the option to rebuy. Here, you can afford to put consistent pressure on nits by raising and bluffing. In tournaments, however, you should focus on stealing blinds early on, to raise your stack.

In both cash and tournament games, nits are passive in the beginning. Steal pots in a low-stakes game, to steadily increase your stack.

Can a Nit Win in Poker?

Now that you know what is a nit in poker, the question is can they win? The answer depends on some context:

• If it is a table with unobservant opponents who are gambling without thought, then a nit is in a position of power. They can patiently wait for a good hand to win a big pot.
• Playing a nit can be profitable if your entire table is LAG (loose-aggressive). Just fold and wait for strong hands to pick up some money.
• If you are short-stacked, playing as a nit is a good idea. Keep it tight and don’t lose chips unnecessarily

However, this can’t be your only strategy. Nits should adapt so their game remains unpredictable. Strong hands are rare to come by, so widen your range slightly, especially if you are in late positions. If you are not comfortable bluffing, then use a semi-bluff, where you may not have the best hand at the moment but there’s a good chance to improve it at the turn.

Advanced Tips for Adjusting to Nitty Players at the Table

• Mimic their tight play early in a session. This creates your table image as tight and opponents will seldom challenge your bets. Switch to a tight-aggressive game, to steal pots uncontested.
• Exploit their fear of losing chips by bluffing.
• If a nit raises from a late position, re-raise (3-bet) them. This puts constant pressure.
• Nits will call your raises if they have to defend their big blind. However, they don’t like to fight for pots too much, so they may fold at the turn.
• Keep a balance between exploiting nits by shifting some of your focus on the mistakes of other players.

Embracing or Beating the Nit Playstyle

Nits are good at minimizing losses with their conservative play. So, this approach is effective at tables filled with LAGs, or if you are short-stacked in a tournament.

However, don’t be too rigid and overly cautious as you can be targeted by aggressive players. If you are looking for strategies to beat a nit, focus on raising their calls, and pressure them to fold.