MTT - Cash or First

This is something that always gets me in MTTs, should I be playing just to get in the money (when I play this way, I usually do) or should I be playing to actually try and win the whole thing (this play usually is looser with bigger tournies and gets me knocked out early or I get a huge chip lead early)?

How do most of you play? And what do you take into consideration?

Good topic. I have been adjusting my play lately to take a few shots to make a good run at the final table. The way i see it after playing that long it's worth a few risks to possibly see a huge payout compared to a slight profit, which i get in the sngos. my mtt roi has dropped since this new aggression late, but a lot of losses were bad beats...but i was money in where usually i wouldn't be. had I won these pots though I would have been stacked nicely. One time I will.

I try to get in to as many cheap pots as possible to see if i can connect on the flop! Make a large bet on the flop you'll always get a caller! MAKE THEM PAY TO SUCK OUT. You will loose once and a while but more often than not you'll have a big stack. Then sit out and wait for preminium hands make large raises make people pay to see. Test out a few bluffs as well.

Agreed. Good Topic. I typically play tighter the first hour, let most of the fish and donkeys get caught and knocked out while trying to amass at minimum 3x the starting chips.

After that 1st break, I'll start playing slightly looser position poker, and get a little more agressive post flop. While always trying to make it so I'm the first to act post flop, with any kind of good drawing hand (i.e. suited connectors) and put the pressure on the players.

There was a wise birdy that landed on my shoulder and said to play even more loose and aggressively (educated of course), right around the bubble bursting time. So far this has worked for me.

Made 3 final tables, and have cashed in about 70% of the MTT's I've played this week alone!

Today I'm playing in our freeroll to get in the money, but the way I play usually gives me a nice stack for a great shot at the FT.

I used to play to cash.
Now I play to win.

Playing looser around bubble is really hard to justify. You are either gonna steal a lot of blinds very easily (since everyone is playing tight trying to get in the money) or someone will have a good hand and catch you and you might loose a lot of chips.

I don't think freerolls count in this...

I absolutely play very tight in the beginning....I don't turn the aggression on till after the second break....

you'll lose money in the long run if you just play to cash. you're better off taking risks and putting yourself in a better possition to make final tables and at least possibly win

-n

Agreed. This doesn't really work in freerolls. It does to an extent, but have to be really careful with it.

I think you said this backwards. You lose more money in the long run trying to win, if you can easily cash in every tournie you will gain small amounts of money, but still gain.

If you try and win, there is a good chance of getting knocked out a lot earlier but of course 1 win can justify a few hundred losses......

No, actually NoD said what he neabt, and he's right. Playing not to lose is a break even proposition, especially in miro tourneys, where the pay out schedules are so top loaded that the only way to get a decent payday is to go deep. Play yer best game all the time, pay no attention to "the bubble"; in the long run, you're gonna be way better off, AND you won't develop near so many bad habits. If the difference between cashing and not is 10-11k, like the ME, that's one ting, but why play scared hoping to turn a 85 cent profit?

Early in the tourney you should be gathering info and accumulating a stack. As you get closer to the big money you can open up and make some moves but by then you should have alot of info on the other players at the table. I am trying to win every tourney I enter but there are times when I will fold a very good hand pre flop just because there are alot of people in the hand who are all in and I want to move up in the money.

I don't even have to look at the link... "YOU PLAY TO WIN THE GAME!"

LMAO... welcome back Van.

Play to win, of course.

silly topic,

of course you are playing to win, if you are playing to just cash that is just bad.


someone also said playing loose around the bubble is bad LMAO, are you kidding? if you have a good chip stack playing looser in position around the bubble is total +EV. Everyone is scared of bubbling out its easy to pick up chips unless you know your up against people that will play back at you a lot.

While playing tight gets you ITM, loosening up a bit with a few good reads on your table in the middle and late stages will take you further, I use to think the same way arkadiy but playing tight during the first hour or two is crucial to gain a large chipstack. In the 3rd hour you can loosen up a bit now provided you have good reads on your opponents and stay away from the stacks that have you outchipped 3-1 or more unless you have a monster hand(the nuts on the flop) and slowly reel the big fish in.
Here's an article for you to look over http://www.cardschat.com/tournament-risk-management.php

i always play to win. screw coming "in the $" seriously y play for 3 hours to make like double the buyin. even on the bubble im shoving around and reraising people. seeing flops in position and position position position is key to mtts. you have to know how to play the late game tho. so many people have no idea. ill say this much in the laate game its about your stack size and the other players. its better to reraise stacks that are similar than be the open raiser.

^^ this.

But that doesn`t mean be a maniac. You must take risks, but they must be carefully judged.

To reach the final table, all you actually need to do is to keep ahead of the blinds and stay around average stack all the way. There isn`t any need for heroics except possibly at the very end.