Donking off chips

Hi, i would say i'm an ok player far from great. My biggest weakness in tournament poker though is donking off chips. I play great as a short/medium stack but if i win a couple big pots and take a chip lead i'm liable to donk them off in 2 hands. Sometimes it's a bad beat, but i do it too much to be about the luck. Any tips to help solve this. I play low buy/freeroll tourneys maybe thats the problem? Cheers.

i find that the same thing happens to me, i think that patience is the key p.s. that was not supposed to rhyme.

Maybe, i suppose i probs take it upon myself to bust people, my game probably alters in a negative way, its just so annoying working hard to achieve an impressive stack, to go out in 2 or 3 hands. especially 3 out of the money .

Maybe when you're ahead you start thinking you can loosen up, see more flops, or try to be too aggressive in wrong situations. Also pay attention to what tournament phase is at the time, people act differently in the begining and mid - end of tourneys.

When you get ahead of the average chip stack by 2-3x most people will tell you to play tight. However, this is a great time to continue to push your lead by using your stack advantage to start picking up blinds and pushing passive people out of the flop. I usually can double my chip count by playing great hands and then using my "image" to push people out of blinds/flops.

Once you've gained a big stack, don't start making unnecessary steal attempts. Use your chips as an advantage, but don't start spewing all over the place.

When you have a big stack do not feel that you have to play more hands than you would otherwise, you don't have to eliminate other players, just be around at the end of the tourny.
Having a big stack means you have won some big pots, obviously, this can make us feel as though we cannot lose and the poker gods are smiling on us, this can have the effect of making us play as though we are on tilt. I would say when you have a big stack slow down, be careful in your decision making, you have an advantage but there is still along way to go, the fact you have a big stack means you have time in the tourny so don't be in a hurry to risk your chances of going deep by trying to bully the table with marginal hands.
Chips you have are worth more than chips you might win.

One of my problems that I`m trying to get to grips with.

It is my opinion now that when I get a big chip lead I will tighten up for a while, observe more and limp in late position more with a wider range of hands.

As has been said, no need to take unneccesary risks.

Yeah, spewing when short with mediocre holdings is a problem but spewing when holding an above average stack is worse. Some days I feel like i cannot hit a flop let alone get a hand to push.

maybe just sit out a few hands and let your brain chill and decide how to use your new big stack to help get you to the final table

Thanks for the advice guys, all the negative things above i've pretty much been doing lol. Oh well pokers about fixing the leaks i guess. Cheers.

Wait for the bubble then start bullying maybe?

i have the same problem but after reading all the threads marvinas had the best advice i will do that for now on

this problem used to happen to me alot and still does now and again depending how i feel .now if i get a chip lead i will watch other players and try to plck the best slot

Another thing came up in my mind: when I have chip lead, I too often try to solve all my problems swith my chips, rather than with my cards & play. This is not loosening up, this is somewhat much more loose and agressive, like pretending I have pocket aces every hand. I come to situation where I assume others have pretty much nothing, and if I, having nothing too, will bet heavily, they will fold. Usually it does not take long for my stack to shrink to mediocre size

Yeah I know how you feel. Most ppl who play tons of tourneys and like the "ABC" style will say sit tight and snap up the small stacks who are shoving light by only playing the nuts. But then again, tourney pro's like Ivey and Hanson will swing their big stack around like a bloody hatchet. But I suppose that comes with experience and knowing which spots are right to show aggresion!

Got it one...

If only I knew which spots were right..

I had the problem for a long while, especially in freerolls. I trained myself to finish the game the same way I started it. Remind yourself that "If it ain't broke...don't fix it". Playing that way got u the chips and it will take u to the final table hopefully. I'm still working on it. Play a little to tight at the end. I cash but I don't win the pot so that has to change. Good Luck

but you have to take into account that other people are playing differently at this stage in the game.

Do you not have to alter your game when the table is completely different?

I know if I am short stacked towards the bubble I can be more aggressive against the other short stacks as the want to place higher than me. If I push all in they cant call.. they hope someone else does and knocks me out....

So if you do have chips.. be prepared for short stacks pushing with very little just because of position.

I know how you feel, Whenever I get a big stack, especially if Im playing Matrixs, I feel that I almost have to call some short stack all-ins. I've tried to keep myself from making mistakes by playing even tighter when I have a chip surplus. This means I'll miss a few hands I would have liked to see the flop on, but it also keeps me alive longer

I think when u r the big stack u should make the decision for yourself, not the tourny.

It is not your problem to take out the short stacks, so don`t make it your `role`. Let the other short stacks fight their own battles, look for ppl who r trying to hang on and bully them.

when big stacked of course you can see more flops, but that doesnt mean call of any raise with moderate hands. if people see your playing constantly good they will respect your hands and lay down theres. so i fell being tight agressive is the best way to play.

i always seem to raise when i am the button or the small blind and then walk into monster hands and lose parts of my stack... or try an aggressive c-bet on the flop and then get re-raised

It happens to me all the timee in freeroll,moslty bad beats but i try to force hands sometimes that eat my stack.Patience is the key,wait on em to come,having a nice sstack just buys u more time to catch good cards.

this is a good strategy but it backfires spectaculaly sometimes ,this is what the op ,s problem was ,getting a decent stack then donking it off by loosening up.greaT hands play themselves ,but i agree in principle ,in a perfect world thats the way to go.

when i become chip lead, i still stay tight. when i'm gonna play to see the flop. I raise regardless of what i have. it kicks some people off. advantage of chip lead is, u can play very tight-aggressive and raise pre-flop every often to kick people off.

i sometimes have that problem when i get over confident.
low and mid stack i'm still on the fight and paying more attention, maybe tighter or looser depending.
sometimes it's like i can kick back when i get a lead and not play as many hands. this is not good.
i'm working on it though.
gl on working it out.

Usually when you take a big lead in a tournament or get alot of chips your play always changes to become a bit more loose I find a good way to up with those chips is most blinds you should call you tend to want to fold when people raise and you always are representing strong since you have chips but that doesnt mean that if you bet the pot and the kid triples your bet you must call... Another thing you want to do is that when you get that lead is focus more on the bigger stacks that can impact you and see if you can pickup on his playing style like when he bets big with a weak hand or with a strong hand