There’s lots of slang in poker, and this can be confusing for players who are new to the game. It’s not that the concepts are necessarily complex to follow - often, they’re pretty straightforward. It’s just that the word choice can be stranger than late-night trash TV.
Ever stopped to consider what a poker muggle hears when you say something like, ‘I was dominated in middle position,’ or ‘I backdoored broadway,’ for example?
- A ‘double belly buster’ probably sounds like a pretty decent meal deal to most normal people.
- How the heck are they supposed to guess what ‘sucking out is?’
For the most part, poker lingo is illogical and random, and the term “nit” undoubtedly falls under ‘WTF?!’.
But what is a nit, how do you identify one, and how can you deal with them at the tables or in poker tournaments?
Let’s take a look.
What Is a Nit?
In its simplest terms, ‘Nit’ is a very tight poker player. They rarely get involved in pots, especially against strong players, and always have a monster hand when they do.
Nits are very patient and rarely gamble. Typically, they will avoid any side bet, and you’re unlikely to see them straddle unless the table has agreed to a round of them.
Nits are also very boring to play with because they fold most hands preflop.
Some people get frustrated when playing with nits because they win most pots they choose to play post-flop.
Good preflop poker hand selection makes stronger post-flop hands on average.
Since nits only play the very best hands, they are likelier to have the strongest poker hand post-flop.
They are also likelier to be on the right side of coolers when one player’s powerful hand loses to a slightly more powerful hand.
How Do You Identify a Nit?
Spotting a nit isn’t rocket science, but it can take a little time. Thankfully, however, there are a few things you can look out for to help.
- Nits often do something else to fight boredom at the table, for example, watching a movie or reading a book.
- Mike Cairo identified that they also tend to stack their chips in neat, organised towers.
The Difference Between Rock and Nit
The only real difference between a rock and a nit is the spelling. However, the choice of poker term can indicate the speaker’s attitude or intentions.
The word ‘nit’ more likely refers to when a player is tilted or frustrated by a lack of action.
It can be playful among friends. But outside of this, ‘nit’ is often a passive-aggressive insult.
How to Play Against a Nit
The best way to play with a nit is to avoid paying them off. When they wake up and play a hand, it’s safe to assume they have strong cards, and you can fold.
They will go back to sleep again on the next hand.
Take them on if you have a very strong hand. However, since nits only play premium cards, it’s essential to remember that the criteria for ‘strong’ goes up quite a lot against them.
A hand like A9 or QJ becomes weaker versus a nit. They are likely to have a lot of hands like AJ, AQ, and KK, which dominate yours. This matchup sets you up to lose a lot of money when you flop second best.
If you do find yourself in a pot with a nit, there are ways you can use their tightness against them, though.
Their cards dictate their game, meaning they fold very easily when they’ve hit nothing on the poker board.
You can often use small bluffs to steal pots with little to no resistance or risk. This approach works very well in tournaments and enables you to slowly erode a tight player’s stack.
However, if they call your bet, it’s a strong indication that they have a solid hand, and you should tread carefully. It’s usually a bad idea to run big bluffs against a nit.
Typically, poker players hate to fold strong hands, and nits are no different. It’s best to stick to small, frequent bluffs.
Giving action is the biggest mistake you can make against a nit. The closest a nit gets to bluffing is betting a big draw. You should be very careful when calling a nit, mainly when a nit raises.
When to Play Like a Nit
If you’re reading this article, you’re probably relatively new to poker. Playing like a nit could be a good option because it makes the game more straightforward.
There are three kinds of poker hands: strong, weak, and those poker combos somewhere in the middle.
Poker is easy with strong and weak cards:
- Try to get some chips in the pot when your hand is good.
- When it sucks, you can fold easily.
Things are a lot tougher with medium-strength hands because the right decision can change based on subtle variables like the following:
- Your opponent
- Your opponent’s stack size
- The game flow
These factors make it much easier to screw up.
Nits don’t play many middle-strength hands. So, they find themselves in fewer of these tricky, middle-of-the-road spots, which leads to fewer mistakes. Playing like a nit is very effective for new players who don’t have the skill set to make tough decisions yet.
Is Playing Like a Nit Profitable?
Nits are no match for good, disciplined players. However, a nitty playing style can be effective at low stakes where people focus on their hand strength rather than what other players are doing.
They are unlikely to realise that you’re playing so tight and pay you off with hands that better, more attentive players would fold in an instant.
This strategy won’t work as you move up in stakes. However, playing like a nit is the easiest way to make a profit and reduce poker variance at the micros.
Where Does The Term Originate?
So now we know what a nit is and where the word originates. Like most poker slang, the origins are difficult to determine.
If you ask Google, you’ll get definitions that range from “a stupid person” to “the eggs of young parasitic insects” - neither of which relate to poker.
More than likely the term originates from the parasitic definition. Remember, a nit’s MO is to sit around waiting to make strong hands against new or weak players.
It’s all take-take-take with nits, which is parasitic behaviour.
Like parasites, nits can annoy people, too. They play a very boring style and occupy a seat that a more exciting player could fill.
This scenario is especially true in live poker, where the hands are slower, and boredom builds up quickly.
What are your thoughts on the origins of the term ‘nit’?
See Also
LAG, TAG, Calling Station, Fish, Donk
