How to become a winner not a player

[NorthernRed2]

Just an open question im starting to do well now in tournaments. Say 600 enter i normally make the last 100, with tips from Jez about being aggressive and playing tight early on. But i can't seam to make it from the fringes, i get bullied in the middle part of tournaments therefore i never become chip leader. Jez u mentioned in an another thread about bluffing online, but what can i do if i don't get any cards for an hour or so and get left behind.

[Jezza]

Re: How to become a winner not a player Hi Northern. When you reach the middle stages of a MTT tournament you must be careful not to drop too far below an average stack like you say. Its a gradual change from the tight stages earlier on into a more willing to play frame of mind. You should slowly start to raise more preflop to prevent this from happening - especially if noone has limped in before you. You can steal the blinds like this to prevent you from slipping when you are not getting any cards. Try to pick your targets (tight players - loose players who call anything you should not raise their blind unless you have something good) and don't necessarily do it from the button as a lot of common theory goes. Button raises invariably look like a steal when noone has limped in before them and this is usually what they are - you can get away with it one or two places off the button also. Sometimes I play back at someone putting in a button raise on my blind by reraising them large regardless of the cards I hold however this is a very volatile and dangerous play - basically you are crossing your fingers and hoping they were stealing (which is probable but not for sure - it helps if you have a good stack). Jez