Multi Table Tournament Advice Please ?

[Jonny1723]

Hello, I wonder if you can help me improve my tournament play please ? I'd appreciate any advice you have. I do really well at cash games (although only on .10c / .20c), but when I enter the MTTs I seem to struggle. I seem to get down to the final few hundred (out of about 1500) by playing very tight, but never seem able to kick on from there. At the start, although the blinds are small (say, 10 / 20) I try to keep to my tight strategy (which I use after reading Lee Jones' book) and I see a lot of people go out early on by hoping to get lucky. This seems ok, but it means that unless I get a lot of really good hands (AA, KK etc), I end up just floating along with an average stack until the blinds slowly eat at my stack. This leads me to the stage where I have say under 600 chips, and the table high stacks are almost 10000. Therefore I really need to double / triple through soon. So I usually wait until as late as possible before committing all my chips in (most of the time if possible I'll wait until I get a PP > 9 or Ax) I then find myself going all in when I see a hand like this, getting maybe 1 or 2 callers, then occasionally I'll double through to 1200 - 1500 chips (other times I'll bust out) However, the big stacks are increasing all the time, so I find myself in the same situation again not long after. Eventually, I'll bust out when down to the last couple of hundred. What I'd really like to know is how my tactics should change for Tournament Play over Ring Games. Is my Tight Strategy the way to go ? Personally, I feel I need to open up more, but not too much. But I suppose it's where the balance lies. I also see the chip leaders on my table get what I would call lucky a high amount of times. What I mean by that is that they will raise almost all of their chips, or go all in with something like JT, then find themselves called by say AQ, only to spike a T and have their hand hold up. This leads me to believe that I should maybe play more of those types of hands KQo, JTo etc - However, when I have tried it in the past I seemed to see the best hand holding up a lot more against me. I also feel I am too negative in places, and I don't really know how to rectify this. I also don't protect my blinds (I don't think I know how to) For example, if I'm in the SB with something like Q2o, I won't complete (or call any raises), even though I've already got some money in the pot. Should I or not ? Again, the reason I ask is that I see a lot of people around the table going in with exactly these sorts of hands and coming out on top. (obviously they may not win the tournament or anything, because I stop watching when I bust out) I also feel I don't know how to steal blinds (unless I have a good hand of course), but I'm assuming that stealing blinds is when you have not much ? I also think stealing blinds etc is easier to do if you have a large stack, as I always see the table chip leaders buying pots by putting in bets of about 400 (when the blinds are say 50/100) so everyone folds to them. Obviously their stack of 4000-5000 can withstand losing a couple of these if they do get called (which is very rarely), but I couldn't do this as it is always about half my stack. I think I really need to improve on these aspects of my game otherwise I will never be able to compete in tournaments properly. Therefore I would appreciate any advice anyone has on any aspect of the above post. Thanks in advance. Jonny.

[hearts]

Re: Multi Table Tournament Advice Please ? The one major mistake your maiking m8 is your not thinking for yourself. Yeah read the books and and learn the ropes but when you get rightdown to it its a game of chance and you aint taking any. You want advice. TAKE A RISK!

[chala]

Re: Multi Table Tournament Advice Please ? I have to agree with Hearts there mate. I'm no great player myself, but your competitors will be watching you, just as you watch them. If you only ever play the best hands, their only gonna take you on when they think they've got something that'll beat you. It's always worth staying in the odd small pot when you haven't got a lot, just to show that you don't only play the best hands imo.

[Jezza]

Re: Multi Table Tournament Advice Please ? Hi Johnny, Of course everyone has their own strategies for MTT's but I hope I can point you at least in the right general direction. At the start of one when the blinds are very low in relation to the stacks I would play as you do and be very tight. There is nothing wrong in seeing a lot of flops at this stage, infact that is something I would do for certain however after the flop I (and I would recommend anyone!) won't become involved in a big pot with anyone unless I have REAL reason to believe I have the best hand. I won't call a lot of raises preflop and I wont reraise or even raise much. Basically as the saying goes...you cant win a MTT in the first stages, only lose it. However later on as the blinds get large and start to eat at players you must change. I will raise preflop more often with lesser holdings, especially targeting players that are obviously tight or whos stacks are dwindling. Going for outright steals is good obv dont do it all the time or people will reraise you and pick your victims well (the tight players). You dont HAVE to be on the button to do it either, 1 or 2 off is a nice place to try it. Be mindful of pot odds for calling short stacks all in once you have raised, frequently the best play in the long run is to call regardless of the crapness of your cards. Watch who is doing a lot of raising preflop and pop them back with a reraise now and again, a reraise is a super strong move at this stage and they must lay down to it unless they have AA or KK practically. Watch who never raises and fold instantly if they do! Try never to let your stack drop below 10 times the value of the big blind, if that is coming close then I would become very aggressive, taking chances with suited connectors etc rather than become the short stack I would prefer to gamble and go out or be a big stack Jez

[mrmuzeman]

Re: Multi Table Tournament Advice Please ? To be honest mate I think youre doing okay. You say the tournies youre in are featuring 1500 players etc, you cant expect to do really well in big tournies like these that often, its just not feasible (unless youre really really good). Try some of the ladbrokes poker tournies at night. I play in late evening and night at Ladbrokes and I rarely play in tournies with more than 200 people, sometimes only 30 people. They are very cheap to enter as well, only $1-$6 etc. :) Ive been playing nearly a year and am a little up over all on prize money compared to my entry fees. Ive played in about 40 and placed in the prizes about 6 times winning once, coming 2nd I think twice. When you do place high (which is not often when your learning) you make a great return to pay for you to enter another dozen tournies. Plus you feel like a king! (or a cowboy :tongue2 ) Anyway im babbling, basically I think just keep trying hard and play tight aggressive but try some smaller tournaments to see if youre playing well :ok