What is your general tournament strategy?

amxvulcan

amxvulcan

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When playing in a tournament what is the best/most likely to final table, strategy? I have read that you should play tight early, loosen up mid tourney then real aggressive near the money bubble. A lot depends on ur stack size but any other ideas?
 
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Ac3 Meister

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Thats correct.But i on the other hand have another strategy.I call it The Variable Strategy. In the first step of the tournament u play tight up until the midle stage.The second stage of the tournament is where you need to begin loosing up and pushing players because here you need to accumulate the most money for u to make it to the final table. in the final paying rankings you can go all in if you have the hands.People tend to concentrate more in final parts of the tournamewnt and with concentrating comes fear. Thats my oppinion.If someone has a better idea then let me know.
 
teepack

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Get maximum value/minimal losses out of the cards you are dealt! :)
 
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hffjd2000

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Agree above. Maximize all things.

Minimize mistakes if possible.

Lastly, have to have luck 5x-7x to be at the final table.
 
niphon56

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tight early, loosen up mid and aggressive near the money bubble.
it's a good point.
specially near the money bubble, most of people fear to be out.
as soon as someone ALL IN, most of people has first selection- give up , although a good cards in hand.
so, aggressive near the money bubble
 
TeUnit

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the best bet sizing is the smallest size that achieves the result you are after
 
dino

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don't be afraid to push near bubble, some other players will try to min cash and there you can take advantage of that
 
amxvulcan

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Played in a freeroll last night on Carbon. There was a guy who went all in every hand. Have seen that before but this guy knocked me out and was chip leader for most of the tourney. I beat him once and almost knocked him out but called him with AK and he sucked out. His play paid off. Is this just dumb luck?
 
arielakarel

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What is your strategy?

When you play a tournament online, with about 1000 players. Do you use the same strategy throughout the game? or change it wen you get ahed?
 
milka1605

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Throughout the tournament I change tactics depending on the size of the stack. In the beginning when all stacks same play very tight. If you can increase the stack quickly start to play freely. Still, throughout the tournament I try to play tight and carefully.Over the last table even stronger going into the tight. I try to wait when opponents kicked each other. Sometimes when a high pocket pair or AK, AQ I throw in Allin. At the last table bb always high, and the players often go to Allin.
 
PokerGrinder

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It depends on alot of factors. Generally, I'd like to play tight at first as you get a feel for the table; then try and loosen up a little as the blinds and antes rise.
 
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My strategy is always going to depend on the table i am sat at. Sometimes its a very tight table sometimes its a very loose table. For the most part i am going to see more flops early in a tournament and try to get in where i see a good opportunity for pot odds and implied odds. If there is a good bit of chips to be made during a hand i will jump in with a less than strong hand on a chance to get lucky and get chips later in the hand. If my chips start to dwindle or I start running bad, getting unlucky, or just getting card dead i will start to settle down and tighten up and try to get in isolation. If i am low stacked i will not go for pot odds or implied odds as much and i will try to get in isolation on a coin flip or 2 until i get some chips back. Many people think playing aggressive on the bubble is the best way to go, I dont subscribe to this method just because there is a chance to lose what you have worked so hard for, and i dont like to get myself in cooler situations late in tournaments. Once the bubble has broken i will then loosen up and try to play on reads much more than before, getting in against someone who is raising a lot and try to outplay them in isolation. Early in a tournament tho is the best part of the tournament for me, I generally will get in where i see implied odds and therefore end up becoming a chip leader early in tournaments, The best part is too look for your spots, dont get in against people who are just loose cannons ready to throw all their chips at any time, espeically if you arent ready to fight fire w fire. So know who your opponents are and keep your chips up. By that i mean control the size of the pots with your betting and the way you play your hands. Dont play too heavy w just top pairs and dont be afraid to play your really strong hands soft. There are chips to be made by plays all over the place in tournaments, so the best way is to make sure you keep your chips going up without risking too much at any time and you should do well. Once you are on the final table you have to play mostly on reads and play very very good hands. I tighten up quite a bit but thats the weakest part of my tournament so maybe i should be playing a little bit looser, I do know that playing on reads is going to be your best bet short handed though. So control the size of the pots you are in, look for pot odds and implied odds early in a tournament, and then be aggressive in situations against tighter players in isoaltion. Another way i end up getting a lot of chips without losing them is look for good races once you have chips, if you are risking 1/3 of your stack on a race i dont think its a good call. if you are only risking 1/8 of your stack on a race you have to go for it. Other than that dont be afraid to fold your 10,10, or JJ preflop against a low stack if they are somewhere near 1/4 of your stack. if it was a coinflip and you would of won, oh well, look for a better position where you know you are a 4-1 or 5-1 favorite against someone when you are risking 1/3 your stack or so. Wait and wait until you can get into hands where you have a chance to win without having to see all the cards played out. You can get chips so many other ways than racing when you dont need to. Be discplined and keep the pot sizes in your control in good position against people you have good reads on and you will do well. Good luck.
 
thetick33

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i go in with zero expectations i watch every hand early and study opponents patterns do they have a betting style which forces them to always make a move at end im a trapper type of player

so i use this data as i go longer in the field

i dont have any stratgy so to speak but i try to stay in the top 10 to 15 range and make a few moves as needed to achieve that when get down to money top 30 range i start really playing and tighten up my play by position a lot more if am catching obviously i push luck as i can etc..

i do not play the same way at any time for any event they are all different but if can get good details on other tendencies of my field of people im against i can be pretty dangerous most times have to have good reads we all make errors and forget them and move on i dont need the chip lead need to reach the final and go from there ive won as many tournaments from ninth as all the other positions put together is what im saying is about getting on a roll building confidence catching some cards and hands using everything i learned that day on these opponents the interesting thing is realizing is a lot of others like me out there who do change tactics and play and do not always play the same way style so have to see what they are doing im looking for

fourth place that is what im shooting for if get to top four i win more then lose dont need the chip lead need to have those last 3 guys or girls figured out:)
 
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Having a general strategy is a good idea, but I find that too many people stick to that strategy regardless of what is happening on the tables. Every tournament is different and every table is different. I find it better (at least for myself) to go into a tournament with a mindset to adjust my play according to the play around me. I have to be willing to adjust on the fly, and I find it better to do so without any pre-conceived notions.

Just my 2 cents.
 
VizziVizo

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Be tight early, play suited connectors and small pocket pairs in position for cheap, do not call all ins from short stakes with bad hands, steal blinds and protect them, use bluffing and keep calm. And never play on tilt, it kills your bankroll.
 
rohankamble9

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i play tight in the beginning and try to find a fish on the table....sometimes with monsters i go all in beginning( when the starting chips is around 1500) when the tournament is not deep stacked..in the middle stage i mostly play when i'm in good position....and if by luck reach the final table i play a very tight game..and seek for spots to steel the blinds.....
 
AvaPoker13

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The idea is to be conservative at first, as you gain hands you will feel more confident and will be releasing will play quieter but without losing concentration.
 
Henry Minute

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Be tight early, play suited connectors and small pocket pairs in position for cheap, do not call all ins from short stakes with bad hands, steal blinds and protect them, use bluffing and keep calm. And never play on tilt, it kills your bankroll.
I agree mostly but in the general run of freerolls (DonkFests) be very careful about bluffing. The typical freeroll player won't fold if they hit even bottom pair, have two overs or any A.
 
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I could write a college thesis on MTT strategy but I'll keep it simple and just say, as with any type of poker, pay attention to villains and adapt accordingly.
 
FromHereOn

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Have 'modes' and be ready to adapt over and over again,

Use your # of BB's and average action to determine how to play each table. It's tough to move around a lot.

If hands are trending expensive, tighten up, slow-play, and snipe big pots. Play tons of hands if you can limp the BB and have 30+ BB but be ready to fold anything but a real monster.
 
lcid86

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survive and advance... try to maximize my strong hands. You cant win it early, but you sure can lose it.
 
Shumkoolie

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My strategy is fluid, in that I want to adapt my play to the situation in front of me. Generally speaking, I want to make the best decisions possible. Of course it will never happen 100% of the time, and sometimes my reads are wrong. It sounds really cliche, but I try to take it one hand at a time. Of course, during the course of the tournament, I am noting players that I have played against, especially big hands that occur (regardless of the outcome).

I try to forget about things like field size, when the bubble occurs, things that I have no control over. Of course, I will tighten/loosen my player as the situation calls for it. Around the bubble, I will try and pick my spots, but not get too reckless, especially against stacks that can bust me.

In short, just trying to keep in the moment and not let the situation become too big.
 
Mason Pye

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You should play tight in the early stages of the tournament- playing hands straight forward and only calling if you have the right odds. During the middle stages near the money bubble, you should loosen up a bit by opening a wider range of hands and stealing blinds as players start to tighten up, hoping to cash. Towards the end of the tournament you should still be opening a wide range of hands trying to steal the blinds but you don't want to jeopardise your stack by flipping with the short stacks. In heads-up play, you can hopefully use your commanding chip lead to put pressure on your opponent and in the end, just pick your spots, make the correct decisions and you should come out on top. Hope this helps.
 
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