How do you handle a great start in an MTT?

teepack

teepack

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Last night I was rolling early in a Bovada $1K guaranteed tourney. In the first hour, I won 2-3 multi-player all-ins and found myself with about 38k chips and in first place at the first break. I eventually worked that up to 43k and was still in the top 10 when the second break rolled around. Shortly before that second break, however, I went card dead. I did not win a hand the last hour and eventually flamed out 85th (top 81 made money). I lost with AQ suited twice to lesser hands (K-10 and K-8 suited). Both times they hit a king. I had several pocket pairs that could never hit, and I wound up chasing a flush once that cost me a significant number of chips. I royally screwed up what turned out to be my final hand with my second aforementioned AQ suited (clubs). The flop came up with 2 clubs, so I had a flush draw going. But instead of being aggressive, I checked it and the turn came up a King. Then I led with a big bet only to be countered with an all-in shove. At that point, I should have just folded, but I wasn't thinking clearly and called. No club came and I went out.

I didn't really change how I played in the third hour. I just went card dead and then on the few hands I did have cards, was always outdrawn.
 
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waterboy73

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That is unfortunate.. But I think it has happened to almost everyone. Sounds like the 2 flush draws were the real hands that cost you your tournament. When calling with flush draws, be sure you are getting the correct price to chase (or play it aggressively) otherwise, be willing to gamble with your chips... Not sure what your starting stack was that last hand, but I am probably folding to the shove. Hoping for a better spot, and probably trying to eek out a cash, especially if I had a huge stack early on. As I'd be heart broken that I didn't finish ITM, after a strong start. When I have a large stack early in an MTT, I try to just continue playing "the best I can," making the best decisions possible, given the scenario. I will admit, that I probably don't ramp up my aggression enough, when I have a stack.. That is something I have been admittedly trying to work on and change.
 
teepack

teepack

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I should have shoved after the flop on my last hand instead of giving the guy a chance to hit the King on the turn. I am reasonably certain he would have folded as he had neither a straight or a flush draw and would have risked about 70 percent of his remaining chips.
 
suby_rafael

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1. Just try and keep playing solid poker.
2. Find good spots to 3 bet especially weak players.
3. Find good spots to steal (either from the button or blinds).
4. Put pressure on short stacks and those who are weak.
5. Play aggressive when the bubble is around to burst without running into a higher stack (avoid playing hands against bigger stacks here).
6. Back to playing solid poker again.

and the most important
7. Run good and win your key flips !! :tee:
 
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PinkTriangle

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Just don't make any mistakes, and play effectively. you should be getting top hand 1 out of every person at the table in theory, so keep that in mind. If you go 40 plus hands without grabbing a pair then someone is most certainly cheating.
 
dino

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next time try to be more aggressive, and with semi bluff or bluff try to win few hands, and your luck will change for better
:)
 
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joe777

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Use your position to steal more blinds and ante.Need more aggressive approach.
 
trolaAa

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Just be more careful when you're the chip leader and try not to lose money easily..Try to play only hands that you deserve the rest is God's work
 
punctual

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Last night I was rolling early in a Bovada $1K guaranteed tourney. In the first hour, I won 2-3 multi-player all-ins and found myself with about 38k chips and in first place at the first break. I eventually worked that up to 43k and was still in the top 10 when the second break rolled around. Shortly before that second break, however, I went card dead. I did not win a hand the last hour and eventually flamed out 85th (top 81 made money). I lost with AQ suited twice to lesser hands (K-10 and K-8 suited). Both times they hit a king. I had several pocket pairs that could never hit, and I wound up chasing a flush once that cost me a significant number of chips. I royally screwed up what turned out to be my final hand with my second aforementioned AQ suited (clubs). The flop came up with 2 clubs, so I had a flush draw going. But instead of being aggressive, I checked it and the turn came up a King. Then I led with a big bet only to be countered with an all-in shove. At that point, I should have just folded, but I wasn't thinking clearly and called. No club came and I went out.

I didn't really change how I played in the third hour. I just went card dead and then on the few hands I did have cards, was always outdrawn.

there are different approaches to dealing with quick (i.e. early) quadruple (or more) ups in a tournament. Depending on the players at your table you either get more aggressive and push everyone around or you become conservative and wait until the bubble.

When the bubble comes you start to really push your weight around and you will quickly double up in most cases.

So many times have I earned a great deal of chips in the beginning of a tournament only to throw them away and not even cash by raising too often at an already aggressive table.

Being the table captain is nice but sometimes you have to just sit back and let other players duke it out rather than get overly involved. You look for players who are willing to give action and covertly plan on going head to head with him or her at some point but only with a strong hand.

And I am still trying to figure out the best way to play monster preflop draws like AK and AQ. I have lost so many tournaments because of my "undying faith" in those hands that I almost want to fold them whenever I get them....lol.....note that I said ALMOST becaiuse it is nice when those hands do prevail. What I have been trying to do lately is not play AK or AQ too aggressively if it means my tournament survival is at risk. So sure I will get aggressive with AK or AQ but if I am shortstacked I won't put all of my chips in preflop with those hands unless I have a particular read on a player. In this way, the "drawing nature" of AK and AQ will only serve as a non-fatal risk in my tournament play (i.e. I may lose a large chunk of my chips but at least I will not be eliminated from the tournament).
 
newbie in training

newbie in training

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youre goal is to win...
 
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Tgen

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Mtts are not about how good you start but how good you end , you can survive a bad start but not a bad end , i made more final tables when i started really badly but my luck hit at the end , there arent much you can do to maintain stack advantage with a good start , the best you can do is play looser at position and bully more postflop or even preflop if you know of course how to do it , this will give you a good amount of smalls pot or even lucky stack offs but overall your stack will drop because you cant keep up with blinds and you will need to get lucky....and win a bunch of flips. After all you only have to get lucky once to win an incredible amount of money , imagine if you could do that EVERY time you started with a big stack. that would be crazy right? not normall at all.

Just dont get emotionally attached to great starts because they dont matter to much , just pray to win all the coinflips , you just have to do it once.

After all my experience with mtts , i think knowing how to play loose offers an advantage but the biggest skill of a mtter is to know when to flip and play a big pot , if you achieve this skill and you are capable to avoid obvious coolers or spots where you are behind i think you will do well. Bluff a lot , flip less.
 
skiptomyloot

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Bovada MTT. What works for me on there is signing up Late Registration a few minutes before it closes . Usually i play Turbo MTT. I find that most players tend to fold alot right before the registration is closing, and shoving with shortstack with about 10bbs with 5,000 chips works well on taking down blinds and getting a caller . Since im barely getting on the table, no one knows how i play and i find that to be an edge sometimes on $10mtt buy in. Plus youll have less opponents to play against and its much easier to rank up in or near the bubble .

But playing early on, I usually go with a really nitty style against opponents and defeat the purpose of having a style . I focus taking notes and look for spots on where Im exploiting my opponent but at the same time purposely exploiting myself to conceal my strategie against everyone on the table. And usually if your way ahead and chip stackin, i think its ok to sit through and let your opponents play if the antes arent huge. if antes are up, play and attack smaller stacks, avoid calling all ins. I raise against them, but i avoid getting chopped.
 
developer716

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well when you have AA, AK, AQ forward map and then all-in,although sometimes it happens that play a 3bet even when the average card hands mostly it works =)
 
Martinez

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Getting off to a great start is a fantastic feeling for every tourney player as it lets you realx and are not forced into tourney life decision making at a very ealy stage.
Been there a few few times, then like you go card dead.
In those situations, I find it best just to wait it out sometimes playing as little as 2-4 hands in the whole session before the next break only playing tag poker and position. (it also gives you time to take notes on the other players)
Knowing when the rot is starting to set in can really help you to keep you in the game and hold onto your chips.
With such a large chip stack you can afford to wait out a lot of play, so play only position and quality starting hands and be prepaired to fold if you miss the flop.
 
Daniel72

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I don´t overestimate great starts in poker tournaments, it means almost nothing. (Look at Phil Ivey, all these articles about his chip leadership at wsop day 2 and some moments later he busted.) Too often i lose 2-3 hands after a great start and that´s it. My best results came unexpected, for instance when i was crippled and was able to fight back.
I always say to myself - when i have won a "lot" of Chips - that for the final table i need millions of chips, and it is a very long way (maybe 9 or 10 (?) won coin flips in a big sized field).
 
tARsh

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Just keep up your standard game, +EV plays are +EV plays... bottom line to me.
Granted with a larger stack your range can open a little bit; if you still have a potential for great Implied odds that is.
 
Katyushka4

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How do you handle a great start in an MTT?

Playing with small stakes on the contrary will make you very relaxed, and you can not play normally due to the fact that at stake are small amounts and, ultimately, you are simply wasting your time for nothing.
If I had a good start in the MTT, I click "Fold to any bet" and come back when my stack is slightly above average. This advice probably will not help you. I have a little experience. But this move is now helping me. In the future, I will try to improve your strategy. To increase his stack in such a situation. Instead of forced absence from the game.
 
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I've had the same issue pop up a couple of times. Get a real strong start where I build up a stack 6 to 7 times the starting stacks only to see it whittled down when I go card dead. What I look to do in those situations is look for opportunities to steal blinds from the tight players and play smaller pots with the looser guys. It costs me some pots but keeps my chip stack healthy until the cards start coming back around.
 
punctual

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I didn't really change how I played in the third hour. I just went card dead and then on the few hands I did have cards, was always outdrawn.

I think that is the problem right there. You should change your play if you are deepstacked IMHO. Decide if you want to just cash in the tourney or are shooting for number 1. If you are shooting for number 1 you need to wait for the bubble and get extremely aggressive there.

Use that stack to establish a menacing presence at the table even if it means donking out of the tournament without cashing; get to a point where people fear your bets and you can steal blinds easily. Unfortunately, there is risk to this approach but the best way to win when you are card dead is by creating situations where your cards do not matter.
 
PapaC

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Hi teepack. When I play one I'm either card dead to start with or the same late in the game. And i don't know which is the worst. At the start, if it's a rebuy, you can stay in the game at least. But I know how you feel when you have done so good and sit there for 3 hours and don't make the money. Late in the tourny when I'm card dead I start trying to make something happen and thats my worst mistake.
 
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After a great start at MTT, I usually play more hands like mediocre hands, small suited connectors where you can win big for few chips.

Also when you will get a great starting hand play it more aggressively (dont get upset if you lose few BB).You can even chase inside straight draw as long as they dont bet big.

Just avoid playing too many hands and losing your stack ;)
 
TeUnit

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after a quick start, i like to loosen up where i think i can get away with it and play small ball, its a great time to work on your image, and then tighten up after the blinds go up
 
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