Can a player whose only strategy is playing tight starting hands make money in the long run?
I know there is a lot of strategy involved and as a newbie, I may not be able to beat all the experienced players post-flop. If I just stick to playing tight pre-flop can I expect to make consistent money?
That depends on a lot of factors (as most things in life and poker too).
In some games playing very tight might yield some nice profit (for example the microstakes online). But anyways, if the players postflop play is shitty, there is no way he will win even if he playes the tightest range.
In more advanced games, playing only the top combinations will get you read really fast and you will end up getting folds a lot when you make aggression. Thats not good.
In general, being balanced is the best way.
But being balanced doesnt mean playing shitty hands. It only means that you mix in some weaker combos, which have lower
equity preflop, but on certain boards make nuts and their equity is realised easily, for example suited connectors.
Good luck at the tables all!