Biggest mistakes in MTTs

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peskey123

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What in your opinion are the biggest mistakes made in MTTs at varying levels?
Whether it be playing too tight/loose in early/middle/late stages, or Cbetting to high, not changing "pace" throughout etc etc.
Would be interesting to see what people think?
 
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RamdeeBen

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It's kind of standard to expect a c-bet by the pre-flop aggressor at 90% of pots. I think this is one of the biggest mistakes, when you're already quite short in general, you can't afford to be making c-bets then folding your hands, an example would be 20 or so blinds, someone opens up quite loose, c-bets regardless, gets called then end up check/folding causing them to lose 20-30% of your stack. People will often still be raising it up when they should be shoving but scared to busting so raise minimum for example, they are easy to spot and usually you can buy the pots from them (if it's bubble time)

People have an idea that a big stack is the way forward in the early stages so that's why you often see people with huge stacks, but fail to realize this is actually irrelevant to a degree. Of course having a big stack is nothing to turn your nose up to but I think again people will often get it in bad, risk their tournament life on something that will have a "little" edge on field. Playing tight is right in the early stages and your edge will be much more valuable as opposed to the donkeys trying to achieve that huge stack if you loosen up and become aggressive when it really matters.

Again, a lot tighten up on the bubble and I used to be one of those, but I'm not so much bothered about cashing as it's meaningless and you just about get your buy-in + half again at best most times. I'd sooner push on those who are scared and build up a huge stack prior to the bubble bursting and then it's time after the bubble to make well timed shoves hoping to double up a couple of times to be able to get a greater stack.
 
Poker Orifice

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Difficult to say (imo).. what are more common mistakes?.... not adjusting to different stack sizes (our own & the others on the table).
Some others >
- raising stuff like AQo, AJ & then flatting 3bets out of position.(in early levels in low buyin mtt)
- High blind limping
 
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tia5am1

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- bluffing others out of protected pots.
- minbetting for information
- missing CBet on dry flops
- Cbetting Air vs 2+ Players on wet flops
- Filling up the Blinds or calling small raises with shitty hands
- not folding AA when they're obv beat
 
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Eclipsenz

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- Bluffing others out of protected pots. - care to elaborate
- minbetting for information - people do that?
- missing CBet on dry flops
- Cbetting Air vs 2+ Players on wet flops
- Filling up the Blinds or calling small raises with shitty hands - nothing wrong with that if the values right imo. I've flopped many monsters no one would ever put me on.
- not folding AA when they're obv beat - easier said than done.


^^
 
thebigdawg

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-Playing too lose in the early stages
-Playing too tight near the bubble...this is when you should be stealing the most because for one the blinds and ates are usually pretty high so it really can help your chip stack and two the majority of people will tighten up on the bubble to make sure they cash...like ramdeebam said, does it really matter if you win your bi back?
-Like Poker Orifice said, don't limp when the blinds are high...if your going to play a hand during them levels your usually always better off raising.
 
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Steve922

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I think my biggest mistake in MTTs is playing at all at the first two levels. At my BI level, many people will call any bet with anything and any chips put into the pot can be expected to finish as an all-in if you want to see the showdown!

Steve
 
olliejjc16

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bluffing in the early stages when blinds are small, still flat calling later on in the tourney with high ante and blinds, and always calling possible bluffs "just in case"
 
Pascal-lf

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Not shoving wide enough in late position

Peeling then folding off short stacks

Playing suited connectors and speculative hands when you've got a shallow stack, whether it's HU or 2 or 3 bet. Saw someone earlier cold call a cold 3bet jam after someone raised some limpers with 76s, just lol

Peeling to defend blinds with too wide a range

Seeing flops with no plan

Raising pre without thinking about what you're doing if you get 3bet

Taking stupid lines post flop because they haven't thought about their opponents range - e.g. trying to bet for value when you should be check calling, bluffing in stupid spots when your opponent is always ridic strong

Not picking spots and adjusting probably; shove ATC over tight players but not loose players, 3betting light against loose players is fine but not having a plan when you get 4bet isn't good and they are likely way tighter UTG than they are in the CO

:)
 
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BigThingWithHolesInIt

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Playing JTo like it's a premium hand. This may be an omaha kind of thing, I dunno. Even nits often go haywire pre with this hand.
 
Pascal-lf

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Calling to see another card
 
MediaBLITZ

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Losing patience and deciding to gamble on a hand or hope for a draw
Not paying attention to your own table image (a lot of what good players are going to do against you is predicated on what they think of you and what they think of you is largely based on what you have been doing).
Not adapting to the different levels and stages of the tournament (until it's too late)
Too conservative in late stages (not having the balls to shove a stack of 12BB)
 
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Beej

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Finding yourself regestering to two more MTT as you have just sucked out near the bubble. Only to realise its 2am and you have work in the morning...
 
spunka

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Losing patience and deciding to gamble on a hand or hope for a draw
Not paying attention to your own table image (a lot of what good players are going to do against you is predicated on what they think of you and what they think of you is largely based on what you have been doing).
Not adapting to the different levels and stages of the tournament (until it's too late)
Too conservative in late stages (not having the balls to shove a stack of 12BB)
yeah.......
And no paying attention to other player table image, because you're doing something else, like surfing or watching TV
 
BrentD22

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I think as stks get shorter people flat call pre-flop not really getting the proper implied odds.
 
palmerd2

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One of the mistakes I used to make a lot was to "roar through the gate" during the earliest stages of the tournament, and then complain when my 6xBB raise from EP got four callers. It is usually better to play a tighter range at the beginning and then pursue stack-building once the table has tightened up.
 
Bwammo

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I'd say the biggest mistake people can make in MTTs is misplaying their stack size near or on the final table. By that I mean mid stacks getting gun shy and letting themselves bleed out or big stacks taking the aggression a bit too far and finding themselves go from a top 3 stack to out of the tournament in 8th place.

When you've reached the final table, mistakes are amplified due to the money at stake.
 
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FITEMAN

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Bwammo, have you been watching me play??? Thanks for reminding me of the obvious. I love your posts and commentary. Keep on postin'

Thanks,
FITEMAN
 
MidyMat

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#Number one mistake I make is taking to many risk when I find myself with a big stack. Playing a little loose in the beginning is a good way to build your stack, but be cautious.
 
TeUnit

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bet sizing and playing too loose early and too tight late

bet sizing and playing too loose early and too tight late
 
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kanselau

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playing too many hands, not only does it bleed your stack , it also gets you into alot of trouble, unless you are a master at post flop play this is a disaster and even then you will have some tough decisions to make
.
 
F4STFORW4RD

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- missing CBet on dry flops
- Cbetting Air vs 2+ Players on wet flops
So does this imply that as a general rule in MTTs (yes, I accept that "it depends") we should be looking at c-betting dry flops but not wet flops? I generally c-bet at microstakes when I hit or have an overpair, but any half-aware player will soon pick up on that.

-Like Poker Orifice said, don't limp when the blinds are high...if your going to play a hand during them levels your usually always better off raising.
Maybe I've misunderstood what Collin Moshman was saying in Sit N Go Strategy, but I thought he said that limping when blinds are large is much more damaging for smaller and medium stacks than it is for big stacks?

Calling to see another card
So floating is calling when you intend to bluff later in the hand, and happens quite a lot in cash games, but peeling is something different and is a leak in MTTs
 
jazzaxe

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Watching your stack/blind ratio and underbetting when stack shortens
 
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