Can you actually beat poker by playing tight only

used to think the answer was just to fold anything but absolute premium hands and then go hard when you hit, but now i’m not so sure. at my local game, the tightest player always ends up getting short-stacked or blinded out if cards don’t come their way. i get that playing tight keeps you out of trouble, but sometimes it feels like people just pick on you if you never show any action. not to mention you barely build a stack unless you run super hot.

i can see merit in being tight for some situations, especially if the table is wild and people are donating chips. but like, doesn’t being predictable just make it easy for everyone else to play against you? i’ve started mixing in a couple random hands just to see if it helps, even though it feels weird after all the bankroll management stuff i drilled into myself playing blackjack. anyone had long-term success sticking mostly to tight play, or is it just a meme for beginners? how do you know when to loosen up?