First off, I feel I have to give the token "don't play at tight tables" disclaimer, but I understand that sometimes, there's no option. Empire's tables are also often pretty shitty at the times I choose to play, and it doesn't help that I'm too damned lazy to use good game-selection techniques.
Anyway, I think I've played at enough of these tight tables that I can muster a decent winrate, and give decent advice...even though I occasionally get out of line and don't follow it!
Before I get into anything specific, let me give you a basic synopsis:
Supertight play will not earn a decent rate at a very tight table...but overly loose-aggressive play will kill your bankroll. You need to play more hands than normal, but playing like a complete maniac won't win you the money. You need to be more aggressive then usual in pots you've raised, and more cautious than normal in pots that your opponents are showing interest in.
At a loose table, marginal hands might show a small profit, but premium hands and strong drawing hands (small pairs in multiway pots, for example) will yield the lion's share of your winnings. At a tight table, you can't afford to wait for the best cards, because that's what everyone else is doing. You can't rely on making huge scores by raising AK, flopping a king and having two king-rag hands pay you off all the way. Instead, you have to throw in some extra hands (mostly in late position), and play them aggressively.
Point 1 : Aggressive is more important than loose
Most tight games you'll find will also be pretty weak and passive. For the most part, you're playing guys that have a decent grasp of starting requirements, but still don't show a lot of imagination or awareness. Therefore, you can pick up small pots fairly easily, and also get away from a marginal hand if your opponent gives you action. Here's some examples to illustrate both points. Hand 1 : I have A9s on the cutoff, with one MP limper. I raise, only he calls, and the flop comes up A-8-3 rainbow. He checks, I bet, and he checkraises. I don't need to pay him off, because I know he almost definitely has me beat. I'll call his raise and drop my hand on the turn without the slightest hesitation unless I hit my kicker. Hand 2 : I have QTo on the button, I open-raise and the big blind defends. No matter what the flop is, I'm betting it, and since these players can generally be relied upon to play in a nice ABC manner, I'll probably take the pot a good majority of the time.
Basically, my strategy at these tables is kinda similar to late-tournament strategy; I'm gonna be aggressive, but also willing to back down when someone plays back (unless I have a monster). You really don't wanna get in a big pot against these guys unless you've got the goods. In a loose-passive type of game, hands like AQ or AJ will often dominate your opponents. In tight games, it's a lot less likely.
Point 2 : You'll win pots by raising, not by calling
Cold-calling is bad. I know that, you know that, everyone knows that. In tight games, it's even worse. Be very selective aboiut which hands you play against a raise. These guys don't play a lot of hands, so if they come in with a raise, they're probably aiming to see a showdown. So that's a terrible time to try to bully them.
Raising preflop is a good idea under the following circumstances : (1) You have a rocking-good hand. Duh.
(2) You have a chance of stealing the blinds...but still, don't start doing this with trash. You still want to have a reasonable hand. (3) You can get it heads-up.
Every once in a while, you'll raise and still find yourself with a rather multiway pot even at tight tables. If this is the case, there's no need to keep on pushing if you don't hit. If you raise AK, and get 4 callers and a 7-8-9 flop, there's really no need to put another bet in. But usually, that won't be the case. Most raised pots will be either heads-up or 3-way. And in these cases, you should almost always fire at least one more bullet on the flop. If you're raised, or if someone bets ahead of you, then just play by the odds, drop if you missed.
For the most part, these guys aren't looking to make fearless call-downs with underpairs, or fish for gutshots. You're not gonna beat the game by only winning with the best hand, so you need to pick up some of the pots that no one else wants.
Point 3 : Focus!
Yeah, I know, you should focus no matter what game you're playing. Nevertheless, I believe that a tight game requires that you pay attention moreso than a loose one. For one thing, even tight tables often have one or two calling stations; make sure you know who they are, and just play solid straightforward poker against them.
A lot of these players won't really be aware of what you're doing; they're just playing their cards, looking to flop strong hands, and avoid tough decisions. These are the guys you can bully, within reason. Some of them will show a bit more imagination and playing back at you to keep you honest. Don't mess with tight aggressive players unless you've got good cards or a good read. Focus on the easy money.
You also need to pay attention to individual players so you can know when to shut down. When they call your flop bet, does that mean they're likely to go to the river, or will they frequently fold to a turn bet? In general, it's a bad idea to keep betting the turn on a straight steal, but if a player shows a strong tendency to fold to big bets, it may be a good idea to keep pushing a semibluffing type of hand.
One final thing I'd like to note: a trendy idea these days is that late-position is not actually a good place to steal-raise from, because it looks too obviously like a steal. Personally, I think that idea is bullshit. Yeah, some folks are gonna catch on to what you're doing, but most of your opponents still really don't want to enter the "gray area" and start putting moves on you. They'll try to hold out for a monster against you, but you're not worried about that because you're not gonna tangle with them once they start playing back. If you play an aggressive game, tempered with a lot of discipline, you'll win a bunch of small pots, until they finally hit their monster...and they'll only win a couple bets back anyway.
Finally, here's a couple of plays that can have decent success at these tables. (1) The paired board bluff. If you check in the BB or call in the small blind, it's often worth it to take a shot at a paired flop, especially if the pair is middle or low. A flop of 4-4-9 is a likely one to have missed your opponents in a fairly shorthanded flop, and they'll also be leary of calling with overcards...so toss a bet out. In a 4-way pot, your bluff only has to work 1 in 4 times; if you get called or raised, you're almost always best off just giving up on the pot. (2) LP big-card steals. Say you're in a 3-way pot, on the button, against an MP limper and the big blind. The flop comes up K-8-6. If it checks to me, I'll often bet this even if it missed me. Their checks tell me they don't have much, and there's really no draws that can call me, so I'll take a shot. BUT, on a flop of 7-5-2 or K-J-5, I'll be far less likely to take a stab with nothing. On the 7-5-2 flop, your opponents are more likely to call with overcards, and it's harder to represent a hand that hit that flop. On a flop like K-J-5, a steal-bet isn't as effective because there's two broadway cards, and it's thus more likely to have hit your opponents in some way.
Re-reading this post, I'm not sure if it was any help at all. Seems like I kinda went on a rant there. Oh well!
-TW
I like the advice you gave, and the funny thing is, that I seem to have been doing more or less what you suggest, subconsciously, at least. I think I could certainly use a bit more aggression in some of the situations I choose to play, and I think I need to work quite a bit more on my bluffing strategy. The problem has been that even if I try the "paired-board bluff", for instance (which I have certainly won enough small pots with to make it +EV), I invariably end up doing so against someone who'll fight back. This makes it very difficult to continue being the aggressor... 