Early stage MTT and big hands

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WShanor

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I believe my hardest stage in a tournament is in the early stages. Once you hit middle or late it's much easier with push/fold for me. I was wondering if any of you can send me some you tube links or something that has good advice for playing big hands in early stages such as QQ, KK, AA, AK. A discussion on the topic is fine as well. I don't typically get "married" to these hands but. I find myself usually on the folding side after investing some decent chips from raising pre and continuation betting then folding to high pressure. Or just not making much with these hands when people just fold. I guess my issue is. I feel like these big hands are kind of dangerous for me to acquire in the early stages. Anyone else ever looked down at AK and just gone damn why did I get this hand now? xD
 
Dubstep

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Yea I get that feeling with AK even in middle/late especially with like 20-30bb... 10bb I love it. Ive been having problems with these hands too in the last few days . I think I have just been playing if there tight type of player or have decent stats I just bet one street and check and call and keep the pot small and pick of bluffs and with the loose players I will try to take there stacks.
 
TheBigFinn

TheBigFinn

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You are right when you are short stacked the decisions are easier, Playing big stack poker against good players is hard. Doyle Brunson doesn't like AA, because, "You either win a small pot or lose a big one." He also calls AK speculative hand that is best thrown away post flop 1/2 of the time.

The "Full Tilt poker strategy Guide: Tournament Edition" is a good all around starter book for poker. Despite messed up as the site was run, the book is very good and there are a ton floating around for sale for 1/4 price.
 
Farseer

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In weak-level, early-stage tournament with low ($5-$22 buy-in) I really like just to shove AA. Terribly exploitable ofc, but if you get called even 10% of the time with 150bb it is usually far more +EV than playing regular way. And in some sites during first level you can get called virtually with any 2 cards, especially if some players have got their tickets via some promotion so they're effectively "freerolling".
 
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waterboy73

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I would advise to either play them more aggressively pre flop (committing more chips) so your decisions are "easier" on you. That, or you can also limp, in hopes to check shove, again, making it "easier" on you with less difficult decisions to make. And if no one raises it, you can just muck on boards you think are dangerous, and have only invested the minimum in that hand. I personally wouldn't play big hands like this too often, but I think it will help you get away from difficult spots. If that is your goal. Otherwise, just take the lumps with the experience of negative variance, and try to learn from potential mistakes. Best of luck in the future.
 
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joe777

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you must not call an all-in against multiple player with anything less than AA in the early phase of the tournament.Its not worth it getting knock out that early.
 
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afsalagoas

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Premiuns, Hands not won tournament in early stage. Depending on avg buy-in, will not draw much except coolers.

I play depending on the amount of players in the hand.
 
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revskip

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I usually make standard raises with big premium pairs and hope to see a flop that isn't real wet and then try to take down the pot on the flop. You won't get a ton of chips with those hands early so take what you can get for them without committing too much of your stack with just a single pair.

I honestly prefer AK to the big pairs early in the tournament since it is so much easier to get away from. If you flop an ace or a king you are often going to be ahead with it and if you whiff you can either c-bet and fold or check and possibly see a turn for free if you were the pre-flop raiser.
 
knileh

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I used to play raise/fold poker early. Then I learned to play well post-flop. Now I call all my raise-able hands like AK top pair, kicker; read the board to know when the coast is clear and hope someone else made a marginal hand compared to mine.
 
horizon12

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Play only 10% range hands its 66+ A9s+ Ajo+ KTs+ QTs+ JTs , other fold, and u can limp 22+ and suited connectors, if have favorable situation...
 
Nevkryty

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Categories starting hands


The Big Three: A-A, K-K and Q-Q

A-K

Pocket pairs: 22 to JJ

mastevye Ax



Let's talk about how to play each type of hand.



Playing the hands of the big three, consider the average size of the raise at the table. The standard size of a raise pre-flop is the rate of 4-5 times the big blind. However, if the table "made" to do a big raise, do not stand out: place about the same as putting your opponents. On the flop, if no more than two opponents, you can always just do cbet.



If opponents on the flop is more than two, then there is need for CBET favorable board, which gives reason to believe that you have the best hand. Feel free to put these hands vlot to the river - in most cases you will win this hand, because they were still a favorite preflop.



AK is the type of hands that can provide either win the tournament or finish it. Normally, you should raise this starter, regardless of position, but having received a re-raise, you should immediately take a defensive position. Most can only put in when you are out on the flop your king or ace. At an early stage in the tournament usually has a lot of weak players who will Collie your bets on the flop with a variety of core and even younger couples. Therefore, if necessary, do not dump their stesnyaytes AK.



In fact, the only reason to play often allows AK, is that, once the flop in a king or an ace, it often gives the best hand. With AK well do raise to 3 times the big blind, as AK should play more cautiously.



Couples and mastevye Ax played simply, these hands are good for winning big pots against several opponents. Best of their limp in late position. If the bank has already entered a lot of people, you can also collie small raises in hopes of catching the flop a set or a flush draw. Such hands become useless as the blinds increase, since you often will not get the flop. In addition, as the flow of tournaments, short stacks are beginning to move all-in, so you can easily limp
 
Dubstep

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Nevkryty are you member in the donkey mafia?
 
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nygmen2007

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For me it is easy to get chips early in the MTT, it is keeping them and putting them to good use later on that hurts me. I make min cashes like 80 percent of the time, but nothing more. Then I blow it on playing black jack. which I need to control... I play on winning network so it is reentry for an eternity... Take advantage when you can. I would love to play the first 3 hours then tag someone else in to make me some money with deep deep runs.. Lmk if anyone is interested!!!
 
Dubstep

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I think poker pros get like 90% min cashes so you should be aiming for more than 80%... so this would mean taking more flips I would assume most likely when your the favourite or could mean you are playing a short stack sub optimally and need to push all in more frequently.
 
Dubstep

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and when i mean favourite i mean like. you are either ahead and flipping. rather than you being behind and flipping. an example of this would be when you have 10bb and are on the big blind and someone from the button goes all in on a wide range and you are dealt 22. most people would call here a lot of ammeters. but you are 50/50 at best. he could have 33 and your crushed. its best to wait until you think you are ahead of there holdings and are not 50/50 at best.
 
Dubstep

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A lot of tournments on pokertars is based on good short stack play... middle and late stages is mostly this. when you get to a final table even with the blinds being regular speed with 10bb that's why mastering you short stack play is very important in tournments.
 
Dubstep

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So I think especially at the micro limits and low limits. you shouldn't really be focusing on the early stages and big hands. that's not what will win you the tournament.. the more high stakes you go the more this statement would be Incorrect. but at low-micro stakes you play AA like AA against fish/donkey and against tight player you play check/call and try to keep the pot as small as possible and really wait until the blinds are bigger until you start to play poker. I think for me anyway my strength is short stacks and turbo/hyper turbo. just focus your learning on 20-5bb esp in micro stakes that's all that's really needed to beat them. Especially mtt. but mtt I think are mostly about volume rather than skill especially micro-low limits... I think a player who can grind a shit load of games with a basic skill level in mtt will do a lot better than someone with a lot of skill who plays small volume. so this would mean Its better to play 20 tables with an average basic skill on mtt compared to someone playing at the same stakes with a much higher skill level who can only play 5 or 2 tables or something.
 
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bnasp2

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you must not call an all-in against multiple player with anything less than AA in the early phase of the tournament.Its not worth it getting knock out that early.

I definitelly dont agree. KK and QQ are also possible for call, and against some of those players also AK.
Unless you have great edge post-flop (and from first post of this thread, the Wshanor has no edge postflop) then you just have to take every +EV spot preflop. I dont know what MTTs you are playing, but in mine you can easily see preflop all in with 4 players with cards like TT,JJ,AQ,AK.
So QQ,KK still have great pot equity against average players preflop all-ins.
And dont forget that usually in such spots you already have 4-6BBs already in the pot, making it even more +EV call compared to fold.

There are very rare situations where Im folding QQ, usually its someone seting trap from early position. Then Im putting him on KK/AA and often Im right.
(its even more rare, considering that I have said myself many times that I should fold and made stupid call anyway)
 
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I would give you advice to play them aggressively. When u have KK and there is A on the flop and you were the pf aggressor, conti bet and if u are raised or called then give up the hand. Same with QQ...
When you hit a set or you have overpair bet enough to make them call you and build the pot (for value). Some of them will call and even reraise with top pair top kicker and you can earn some easy chips.
When the flop is a scary you may consider big bets or even a shove in order to protect your hand
 
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PokerStars - $0.25+$0.02|15/30 NL - Holdem - 8 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: 92.67 BB
Hero (SB): 93 BB
BB: 113.5 BB
UTG: 102.67 BB
UTG+1: 94.83 BB
MP: 96 BB
MP+1: 97 BB
CO: 96.83 BB

Hero posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has 8:heart: 8:spade:

fold, fold, fold, fold, CO raises to 2.5 BB, BTN raises to 9 BB, fold, fold, CO calls 6.5 BB

Flop: (19.5 BB, 2 players) 8:diamond: 5:spade: A:club:
CO checks, BTN bets 19.5 BB, CO raises to 87.83 BB and is all-in, fold

[spoil]CO wins 58.5 BB
[/spoil]

i was gonna call the 2.5bb raise

but the 9bb reraise make me fold

what do you think guys? too tight?
 
Dubstep

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Kozong there is another place to post these hands. you go to tournments and then go to a sub forum called hand anylasis and then you prss new hand and make your own.
 
Jacki Burkhart

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PokerStars - $0.25+$0.02|15/30 NL - Holdem - 8 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: 92.67 BB
Hero (SB): 93 BB
BB: 113.5 BB
UTG: 102.67 BB
UTG+1: 94.83 BB
MP: 96 BB
MP+1: 97 BB
CO: 96.83 BB

Hero posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has 8<font color='red'>♥</font> 8<font color='black'>♠</font>

fold, fold, fold, fold, CO raises to 2.5 BB, BTN raises to 9 BB, fold, fold, CO calls 6.5 BB

Flop: (19.5 BB, 2 players) 8<font color='red'>♦</font> 5<font color='black'>♠</font> A<font color='black'>♣</font>
CO checks, BTN bets 19.5 BB, CO raises to 87.83 BB and is all-in, fold

[spoil]CO wins 58.5 BB
[/spoil]

i was gonna call the 2.5bb raise

but the 9bb reraise make me fold

what do you think guys? too tight?

No, not too tight it's a good fold. 88 is in pretty bad shape vs a raise and reraise plus if you flat the original raiser can still 4bet. You only really like 1 in 8 flops. I'd expect you NEED to hit a set to win this hand
 
Jacki Burkhart

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Regarding the OP: I think the trick here is to revisit your definition of a "big hand". The deeper the stacks, the stronger your hand needs to be to be considered a big hand. I mean if you have 7bbs then pocket nines is a monster. If you have 200+ bbs then 2 pair in the flop is just a good hand.

So...retrain yourself to think about hand strength relative to effective stacks.

For instance if I start the hand 200bbs deep with AA then I'm gonna raise or 3bet preflop, I'm gonna bet most flops and then I'm gonna slow way down and try to get to the river as cheaply as possible unless I improve. I'll rarely value bet the river with 1 pair hands...since there are no draws to protect against anymore I'll usually check call or check behind on the river with top pair or even overpair type hands and a deep stack.
 
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