Beginning of a tournament

bruno13xs

bruno13xs

Legend
Platinum Level
Joined
Apr 30, 2018
Total posts
1,538
Awards
4
BR
Chips
88
What better way to start a tournament.
I always have doubts on how to start, as the blinds are very low at the beginning of the tournament I do not know if I should take my chances betting big in the beginning to try to steal a pot
 
TheRealPage

TheRealPage

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Jan 16, 2019
Total posts
273
Chips
0
Well many BB doesn't mean many BB for long in tourney mode. Sometimes,
the blind structure cut in half your available BB everytime a level change..

I would say play smart.. the beginning of a tourney is the best time to practice two of the necessairy skills in poker: patience and self control*.


-TRP-

*Nothing forbids to push a bit higher then usual once or twice per level, depending on your hand and your read on players.
 
cranberry

cranberry

Legend
Silver Level
Joined
Nov 16, 2016
Total posts
1,588
Awards
4
Chips
0
At the beginning of tournaments you need to be concentrated and take your time, because it is at the beginning of the tournament that many make serious mistakes.
 
U

Ultfrozen

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Feb 14, 2017
Total posts
227
Chips
0
If speed is slow then it is better to play conservatively and with a good hand, otherwise can be foolish to lose chips.
But too tight is also not worth playing and periodically go to the Bank with an average hand
 
S

sheltowee420

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Aug 8, 2018
Total posts
252
Chips
0
The first level of a tournament is a good time to try for a double-up.
 
W

who115

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Sep 10, 2018
Total posts
107
Chips
0
At the start of a tournament I try to build up a good stack before the blinds get too high. I tend to take a few more chances early on.
 
Transcendence

Transcendence

Visionary
Silver Level
Joined
Feb 22, 2019
Total posts
963
Chips
0
What kind of Bank would you steal there? At first? )) 15 - 30 chips?? ))

The risk is justified either in the middle part of the tournament, to feel at ease on the bubble, or directly before the bubble, such as push fold, that would at least get into the prizes. And in the beginning to go steadily, there is no need to risk to increase the stack.
 
L

Ltech

Enthusiast
Silver Level
Joined
Mar 30, 2019
Total posts
95
Chips
0
Tight for me please

At the beginning of the tournament I usually do not overdo bets. But good hands deserve to be protected, high stakes I do not consider stealing pots but defend the best hands, because they are the ones that make their game.
 
tauri103

tauri103

Legend
Silver Level
Joined
Aug 29, 2016
Total posts
2,144
Awards
1
Chips
24
I always try to play a lot of hands at the beginning of an MTT. I'm still waiting for the right spot to bet big. at this time of the game I avoid bluffing too much because other players at the table usually play more tightly than me.
 
ssangyongpoker

ssangyongpoker

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Feb 21, 2019
Total posts
348
Chips
0
because the blinds are low, you should be seeing the flop with a lot of mediocre hands

play a little loose in the beginning and see more flops
 
R

r21sp

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Nov 8, 2017
Total posts
325
Chips
0
if you are afraid to take risks at the beginning of the tournament, then the option of registering for the tournament some time after its start is well suited for you - for late registration
 
Q

Queev14

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Apr 20, 2019
Total posts
107
Chips
0
In turbo tournaments, i would say play tight in the beginning and at higher BBs start stealing them and make some pressure. In the beginning, suited connectors will be great at the right price.
 
B

Blakepc91

Enthusiast
Silver Level
Joined
Dec 23, 2014
Total posts
65
Chips
0
You want to try and refrain from monster pots in the early stages unless you have the absolute coconuts. Early stages are great for opening up to a wider range and seeing cheap flops with speculative holdings. Just remember hands like AA are significantly weaker in early stages of tourneys compared to late stages. Early strong hands are pocket pairs for set mining and suited connectors for straights and flushes. I'm not saying to ever fold AA early in a tournament if you are unsure where you are at in the hand but always remember ranges are wider and you can run into a lot of two pair combos that crush you.
 
S

Seltz

Enthusiast
Silver Level
Joined
Apr 9, 2019
Total posts
30
Chips
0
Early Stage Tournaments

I recommend staying out of early action pots unless you have high quality hands. This is due to the stupidity that goes through peoples minds in early stages of the tournaments. This is definitely relevant in Free rolls the most.
 
C

c0rnBr34d

Visionary
Silver Level
Joined
May 6, 2019
Total posts
991
Chips
1
It depends

It depends is probably always the right answer to most questions. I'm not much of a tournament player but I've been playing free rolls online and plan to play a 5k GTD on Wednesday. From what I have seen online the first level many players are ridiculously aggressive in free rolls. I assume the same holds true to a lesser extent in normal tournaments. I would focus on top 10-15% hands in position and feel out the table for at least the first level or two before getting to aggressive.
 
T

Tk_Poker

Rising Star
Bronze Level
Joined
Apr 5, 2019
Total posts
14
Chips
0
I am taking Daniel Negreanu's Master Class and this is what he recommends :

"Daniel advises you to play conservatively early on in a tournament, before the antes kick in, because the early stage of a tournament is more about survival than about getting value. You can’t win the tournament in the early stage, but you can lose all your chips. Daniel explains how doubling up your chip stack is not as valuable early on due to ICM—Independent Chip Model—which affects the value of each chip as the tournament progresses. If, however, your opponents are all playing extremely tight as well, then it makes sense to open up your game as a counterstrategy and steal their chips. Just remember: it’s a marathon, not a sprint.

The hand types that are best with the deeper stacks early on are those with the most postflop potential. Suited connectors and pocket pairs hands such as 33 and 7s 6s are great hands that carry minimal risk for a big reward. A hand like A 9o, by contrast, has more equity but much less potential. Later on, when your only realistic options preflop are all in or fold, offsuit aces can play great as shoves from late position with shallow stacks, but during the early stage they can get you into some trouble. The speed at which the size of the blinds increases should inform how aggressive you are in the early stages. In a turbo tournament, where the blinds increase quickly, it is more important to focus on value than survival."
 
RagNar87

RagNar87

Legend
Bronze Level
Joined
Feb 10, 2019
Total posts
1,164
Awards
3
RO
Chips
43
well freeroll tournements at start?? i see many All-ins hahaha , like evrey hand
 
Alex70793

Alex70793

Visionary
Bronze Level
Joined
Nov 18, 2018
Total posts
835
Awards
1
Chips
0
I'm at the beginning of the tournament when the blinds are small and the stacks are big I play more loose than in the middle or late stage of the tournament. Why not for a small fee to enter the game and see the cards. The beginning of the tournament is a good time to collect more chips, because in the late stage of the tournament they are very necessary. :D
 
S

Seltz

Enthusiast
Silver Level
Joined
Apr 9, 2019
Total posts
30
Chips
0
Beginning of tournaments

I find the beginning of tournaments to be the most frustrating thing as a lot of people just open face shove. This ends up making you either fold your good hands or flip early. This is why I usually limp with hands that I will only shove with in the beginning and middle stages of the tournament.
 
Pimp 007 x

Pimp 007 x

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Mar 19, 2019
Total posts
448
Chips
14
Hello!

I like to start by not participating into much action in the first stages of the tournament, unless you have a monster hand preflop. The reason behind this is because even if you get lucky and double up in the first couple of hands, in several rounds your chip stack will not be as impressive. Besides, would you rather double up in the first stages of the tournament or in the later stages?

My strategy, is to play tight in the beginning and then play aggresssive in the later stages of the tournament. This has proven to be an effective and overall safe strategy...
 
dedok0525

dedok0525

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Nov 19, 2018
Total posts
222
Chips
0
At the beginning of the tournament did not need to steal the blinds. The stakes are too small. You will lose the stack. And when will the ante and you will be in a small stack of your stack will melt even faster.
 
A

AJantwan

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Feb 13, 2019
Total posts
116
Chips
0
The first level of a tournament is a good time to try for a double-up.
I disagree. A common saying is that you can't win a tournament in the early stages, but you can lose one.

Obviously, if the opportunity presents itself, sure, go for the double up. But if you're just playing lots of pots with your suited connectors, waiting for the double up, I don't think it's going to be +EV. Obviously just an opinion.
 
Austria7

Austria7

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Apr 24, 2019
Total posts
179
Chips
0
At the beginning you can play in different ways. I like to take a look to other players and study their playing style. You can call more often as well to pick up a monster. ;-)
 
milka1605

milka1605

Legend
Loyaler
Joined
Jun 1, 2014
Total posts
2,183
Awards
2
Chips
104
At the beginning of the tournament a lot of players who play poorly. They can call you with an average card or connectors. It is at the beginning of the tournament you need to be careful.
 
T

Tyler Finnimore

Enthusiast
Silver Level
Joined
Jun 24, 2015
Total posts
78
Chips
0
I like playing aggressive early to target weaker players
 
Top