How often have you had to get lucky to end up winning an MTT?

[Mordecoke]

I usually get lucky a couple of times. Or in other words winning flips!
You sometimes will suckout once or twice too!
It just depends on the stack you have etc.

 

[joe777]

Atleast one time.

 

[thefwa]

question to missjacki

also, regarding this statement. I love poker books, I've read a bunch, but it worries me that you're reading "a few" simultaneously. Poker is not something can can be downloaded quickly by soaking up large amounts of information in a short amount of time.

First you read a book, then you play some hands and try to apply things from that book. often times your game initially suffers while you perfect these new "moves" and concepts. That's normal and OK and part of the learning process. you add in a few new things to your game at a time and spend a little while "mastering" that concept or skill.

If you are reading multiple books then you will either be adding too much change to your game all at once, or you will be forced to ignore some important things because you can't do it all at once, and sometimes different books present competing ideas which is OK unless you're trying to learn them both at the same time....then your game can get schizophrenic in a hurry.

I'd recommend: read 1 book. make a few notes or highlights on new strategies and tactics you want to try out. play some hands. post some trouble hands in the hand analysis section. play some more hands. post some more hands. Now re-read either the whole book, or the sections that your made notes on, or at least just re-read your notes. Now repeat the above process. play some hands. post some hands.

NOW you might be ready to pick up a different poker book/author and see what he can bring to your game. But don't try to do too much all at once.

To clarify, I meant to say I've read a few books, Harrington on Hold em' both volumes. I'm just starting Kill Phill, but should I go back to Harrington until I have a lot of it down?
Sorry to get off topic (completely), but I'd rather not mess my self up on this.

 

[revskip]

To clarify, I meant to say I've read a few books, Harrington on Hold em' both volumes. I'm just starting Kill Phill, but should I go back to Harrington until I have a lot of it down?
Sorry to get off topic (completely), but I'd rather not mess my self up on this.

I've read both of the Harrington books and done the workbook (Book 3). Great books and very useful for live play in tournaments. A little too nitty for my taste in online play but still very good info in those books specifically the zone stuff. That is probably the most important thing I took away from those books, when and why to change gears as your M diminishes. I would recommend following missjacki's advice and really focusing on the two books before adding any new reading since there is so much material there to go over. If you don't read it several times you won't really absorb all the lessons he gives. I've reread it several times and always walk away thinking about something new I had previously glossed over.

Has anyone read his newest book? Modern Tournament Poker.
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Harrington-Modern-Tournament-Poker-Dan-ebook/dp/B00KVRO0BC/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1409820702&sr=8-9&keywords=harrington+on+hold%27em"]Harrington on Modern Tournament Poker - Kindle edition by Dan Harrington, Bill Robertie. Humor & Entertainment Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.[/ame]

 

[famfirst21]

yesterday i came in 1st in the 100K satty on ACR FaceLessTimmyJR is my SN on there and i played super super tight stealing more then showdowns but as the tourny progressed i began to see more opp. that i should or could be taken. so i learned the Low ball approach it allows u to be able to see more flops if u dnt have to invest alot preflop spec with low stacks ive gotten to the point im starting to see more straights flushes and sets then ever before winning where i should is almost obsolete for me as i am learning to pick up hands and play with weird ones like J9 off Q7 or even Q3 suited from Late position in hopes of getting the odds to bet into the pot for the flush draw and i usually hit it quite often but have gotten beaten chasing when i made the mistake of packin in early with a push. i like Lag with an aggressive approach to my game make me more of a menace at the Felts lol

 

[Sonaaaaa]

I finished 2nd in the 100k privilege freeroll on pokerstars a few weeks back and early on I had a few coin flips. AK vs 88 etc and I got lucky on a couple of occasions. Because I built a decent stack size I was then LESS inclined to take major risks even against short stacks.

I would play the odd J9 suited and flop two pair, flush and pick up my chips from there.

The only time I played like a moron was heads up. It lasted of all of 3 hands because I couldn't let go 99 and he raised me all in and I called and he has the nuts. I should of folded because I wasn't far behind in chips and was just a silly play. Cost me $70 as I should of won it.

But to clarify I do think in micro stakes and freerolls. Luck plays a major part.

If you are playing for serious money, smart plays and intelligent folds will go along way to succeeding in MTT's.

 

[rytciaq]

I have won 618 player tournament with 10min blinds, and I have not had a better pair than Tens, no better Ace than Ace 7. That tournament motivated me to not blame anything on the luck. "The skilled ones are always lucky" . Not saying that i'm super skilled, but you get what I'm saying.

 

[TheFreakShow_NY]

I won $70,000 in a live tournament. I was down to 5 blinds. I shoved and got 4 callers. They checked it down on a rainbow Q27TT board. I had AQ, beat out JJ, 99, AK and AJ. Next hand I got KK and flopped top set, getting called by AK with top top and took it down. I coasted from there and played excellent poker but if I didn't get lucky to get a stack I would not have won.

 

[Salvete777]

I think that 10% of pokers is luck and onlu 90% skill. Even pro's can't win hand against totally nuts.

 

[JPoling]

Yes you do need luck. Yet, skill will always prevail. Even if we don't win. Trust me fish get lucky and win sometimes. Yet, most of those "winners" are actually losers in long run. As poker players, we are trying to minimize luck as much as we can and use skill. Luck, really is just variance basically. Yet, if you do get lucky, make sure it was just luck, not bad play and then getting lucky to win. Many times I will see people that get lucky, e.g. last night in Nightly 500GTD at carbon, guy came in last minute with 5K before late reg ended. ran it up to like 100K and was chip leader in no time all from horrible plays and getting lucky. I was like wow this guy sucks he must be a loser. Lo and behold, I sharkscoped him when he busted my AKs v 97o. Dude was HORRIBLE. I mean like seriously his graph went down like basically straight down like -$300-$400 and I think the most positive he had was like $20-$50 I just laughed it off and went to bed.

 

[MTCashman]

A big part of going deep in an MTT is to have your hands holding up, winning your coinflip situations and getting lucky always helps too.

 

[itsmebobd]

I'm reading a few books on tournament poker right now, and a lot of them mention that in one way or another, you have to win a few hands you outright shouldn't have.

I'm wondering, have any of you won an MTT without that happening? If not, how did that particular winning hand play out?

Every time you win you have to have SOME luck, an MTT just cant be won without getting it all in a few times and dodging the imploding donks and other players who, on occasion, will flat outplay you.

 

[mojoe2209]

guess it is fine if u reach a ft in one of thirty cases

 

[razshahan]

I've never won an MTT, but been to the final table 5/6 times beating 5000+ field, and i was lucky in several conditions for example beating set aces with k5 ... playing straight, or stealing blinds etc etc wont work in a large tourney, there will be stages when u need to double up or triple up to stay in the fight. so, obviously need luck

 

[pete mara]

not that easy to remember i think

 

[mrbiggles]

The only two times I came close to winning a tournament was when my time was limited & I had to leave before the tournament was likely over.

I started just doing stupid things to give away my chips, going all in & raising like a crazed nutter.

Won nearly $1000 in one & $600 in the other - both at the same time.

They were like a $16 & 30 buy in so the return was pretty good

As soon as I start caring & trying to play properly, I seem to lose hand over fist.

*** I have to say there was this one move I made that I was pretty proud of, the guy was better than me without question & we were on the final table. He made this large bet & I was pretty sure he had a better hand however I just went all in with something like 120K of chips & he folded. He still ended up beating me but I suppose the point is if I cared too much about the chips I would not have done it & would have lost from memory around 35K in chips.

 

[RaizeR1205]

If you aren't winning those coin flips then you aren't winning a MTT. Luck matters EXTREMELY!

 

[Nevkryty]

Only downside luck + skill = WIN)))

 

[Jull30]

I took few times in multitable tournament the second places... at the beginning of game I wait a good hand. you have to conduct game if you answer whose that ollun as you lose the rule... the main thing to keep bank, to watch as opponents (I do notes on players who as plays) play

 

[teepack]

It doesn't matter the size of the tourney, you have to have luck on your side to win it. That doesn't mean there is no skill involved, far from it. But you are going to have a series of coin flips (AK vs. 10-10) and you're going to have to win more than your fair share of them to win a tourney. Luck also comes in many forms. For instance, you get AA in the BB and then somebody with Q-9 in the cutoff decides it's a good time to steal blinds and shoves all in. That is luck for you in that the other person made the wrong play when you had a monster hand.