Strategy help(low stakes, live action, small field MTT)

T

TonyClifton

Rising Star
Bronze Level
Joined
Dec 18, 2013
Total posts
3
Chips
0
So, in my area there are several poker tournaments run a week, at various pubs and clubs. Generally there are 30-45 players at each.

Buy in is $2 (players start with 14k), with a $2 add on(20k) at the 1hour mark. Blinds start at 100/200 and increase at 20min intervals. (If you bust within the first hour you are given a free 5k).

Prize money is paid to the top 3. There are leader-boards for two month periods for each individual venue (500 for 1st, 400 for 2nd etc. 15 for 9-16), with the leader getting $100 for leading at the end of the two months (1200points is usually enough to win).

Play is often a mix between tight (seniors) and very loose (drinkers). I usually try and vary my play, as the seniors always assume I'm loose (I'm 21, so they profile me) and the drinkers don't bother to assume anything.

Now, I'm usually quite successful, but I would like to know what you all think would be the most profitable strategy? My overall strategy is to play almost every hand in the first set of blinds(especially with connectors and suits), and then tighten up until the add-on period, play a bit more aggressively during the first set of blinds again, and then tighten up, trying to make the final table and the points.

Is this correct? What would you do?


-Thank you, and may your rivers be profitable.
 
Jacki Burkhart

Jacki Burkhart

long winded rambler...
Silver Level
Joined
Oct 12, 2013
Total posts
2,960
Awards
6
Chips
0
playing almost every hand early on is too loose, IMO.

early on, play only strong hands and speculative hands vs. the tight players

vs. the drinkers you can play speculative and strong hands, and you can also add in medium hands when you have position, but exercise pot control when you have top pair type hands and value bet them to death when you have 2 pair or better.

with only paying top 3 you really need to play to accumulate a big stack...but this is not done by brute force playing every hand. This is done by value betting the calling stations to death and cracking the monster hands of the tight older players who won't want to believe you, and bluffing the heck out of the tight players who are capable of big lay downs.

So as usual poker advice goes....play the player.
 
T

TonyClifton

Rising Star
Bronze Level
Joined
Dec 18, 2013
Total posts
3
Chips
0
Thanks for the advice, it has been helpful.

Another question: Is playing small pockets (2-6) profitable during the middle stages of short-stacked, short-handed turbo's like this? Are they more profitable against tighter or looser players. Also are King/rag type hands playable in the middle stages against tight players?
 
O

oooo

Enthusiast
Silver Level
Joined
Aug 15, 2013
Total posts
92
Chips
0
Easy question to answer. Small pockets will play better against tighter players. King/rag against tight players is a bad idea, you can loose big bugs playing this kind of hands against tight players. For example:

You have KT

The board comes 7 2 K

The villain has AK or even KQ.

But like it was said, you can get good reads and perhaps avoid this kind of things, but I think you will be loosing a lot. The best way to play is playing the player, not the hand. Know the range of your oponent and then make your decision if it a good hand or not;

Good luck! :)
 
T

TonyClifton

Rising Star
Bronze Level
Joined
Dec 18, 2013
Total posts
3
Chips
0
I made a horrible fold tonight. It was just entering the middle stage (just before the rush of eliminations) I was to the right of one of the better players, who plays quite tight. We were both quite deep-stacked at about 50BB. I get AQ(o/s) utg and raise to 3.5bb. He flat calls me. Flop is; A J 9, I check he bets 8bb, I call. Turn is a 10, I check he pushes all-in. I consider the way he played the hand and determined that he had either KQ, JJ, 1010 or 99 and after calculating that I'd be left with just enough to cover my big and small blinds the next two hands fold. He shows me A8. I would've had a sizable chip-lead over the remaining players had I called (at least 30-40bb).

The question is, how should I have played that hand? Was 3.5bb a big enough raise with AQ utg? Should I have led out on the flop against the other big stack at the table? Should I have led out on the turn in an attempt to control the pot size? Should I have called his push with top-pair, top kicker against a tight player?



Your advice is appreciated.
 
Last edited:
Jacki Burkhart

Jacki Burkhart

long winded rambler...
Silver Level
Joined
Oct 12, 2013
Total posts
2,960
Awards
6
Chips
0
I don't think folding the AQ was terrible, it just so happened that THIS time you got bluffed....most of the time that is a good fold.

What beats us? AK,KQ,JJ,TT,99,AJ,AT,JT...in fact it's easier to calculate what he could possibly have that DOESN'T beat us.... the only hands I can imagine are small pocket pairs and hands like KJ, KT and if you respect his play I think you should give him credit for a big hand and fold. I'd personally put him on a set, something like a set of tens because if he had the straight he probably would bet smaller...

either way I think it's a good fold....don't be results oriented, be decision oriented. At that moment in time with the info you had, you made a good decision.

How to play the hand differently? preflop is fine. I would lead on the flop, then when he calls it might slow me down a bit...i'd definitely fold to his shove.
 
Jacki Burkhart

Jacki Burkhart

long winded rambler...
Silver Level
Joined
Oct 12, 2013
Total posts
2,960
Awards
6
Chips
0
also, if you were a player who could never be bluffed, then you would be a calling station.

we all get bluffed sometimes.
 
A

adepoker11

Enthusiast
Silver Level
Joined
Oct 31, 2013
Total posts
74
Chips
0
is a game good decision in continuous action, however you can easily fall and lose more than the account
It will be a game where the variance and luck will define the tournament
 
O

oooo

Enthusiast
Silver Level
Joined
Aug 15, 2013
Total posts
92
Chips
0
also, if you were a player who could never be bluffed, then you would be a calling station.

we all get bluffed sometimes.

Lol

Great point! I totally agree with you on every single post!
 
Organize a Home Poker Game
Top