Should You Be a Nit?

Should you fold marginal hands preflop? Uri Peleg breaks down the EV of opening ranges and explains why playing tight loses money long-term. Learn when to deviate from GTO ranges, how to adjust to different opponents, and why weaker hands protect your premium holdings.

Top hands make 93% of UTG opening profit, but folding marginal hands makes you exploitable and costs EV through reduced action.

Strategic Range Construction:

• Top 3-5% of hands (Aces through Ace-Queen) capture 93% of total EV when opening under the gun
• Marginal hands like Ten-Nine suited make only 0.01 big blinds but still contribute positive EV
• Playing only premium hands makes your range transparent and reduces action on strong holdings
• Mixing weaker hands into your range keeps opponents guessing and protects your value hands
• Seven percent EV loss from playing too tight is significant in a game where edges are thin
• Against aggressive three-bettors, bottom-of-range hands lose profitability and should be cut from opening ranges
• Exploit weak opponents by both widening ranges and increasing raise sizes when position and table dynamics favor aggression