In The Money Late Game Strategy

Hey card chatters! My question for you all is this:

When playing a moderate buy in solid guarantee such as the $11 8k on Bovada or the $11 10k on Cake, both on sundays, once you have made the $$ Do you stick to your basic strategy, or do you change it up? and if so, how?? Thanks !!!

I start out tight then loosen towards the bubble to put pressure on people wanting to min cash. After the bubble I tend to tighten slightly just to avoid the idiots that think 'I've cashed now so I'll gamble'. Still keep putting pressure on other stacks remember our MTT profits dont come from small cashes, they come from final tables so keep the aggression up.

Successful tournament play dictates an ebb and flow of changing strategies, so the answer is yes and no.

It doesn't change going for the win - but overall the strategy at this point is dictated more by stack sizes and table assignment. Not going to pretend being in the money has zero effect, but it really shouldn't. You are still trying to make the best decisions you can (within the circumstances at that moment) to outlast the field and finish on top.

If you are stuck on a "basic strategy" and find yourself min-cashing too many times it would be wise to consider adding some new strategies at different points. But again these are more about your stack size and your current opponents at your assigned table, in other words, doing what you can get away with.

MediaBLITZ said:

Successful tournament play dictates an ebb and flow of changing strategies, so the answer is yes and no.

It doesn't change going for the win - but overall the strategy at this point is dictated more by stack sizes and table assignment. Not going to pretend being in the money has zero effect, but it really shouldn't. You are still trying to make the best decisions you can (within the circumstances at that moment) to outlast the field and finish on top.

If you are stuck on a "basic strategy" and find yourself min-cashing too many times it would be wise to consider adding some new strategies at different points. But again these are more about your stack size and your current opponents at your assigned table, in other words, doing what you can get away with.

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Ditto, I like this approach for sure ... MB is 'almost' always correct as is PO.

One of the many strategies I use is to let others fight amongst themselves. On occasion I might be able to help that occur. For instance, I might not take a positional advantageous opportunity to punish a shorty if by letting him walk the blind he will have a few more chips to mess with other villains.

It does not backfire as often as even I suspect it should.

MediaBLITZ said:

Successful tournament play dictates an ebb and flow of changing strategies, so the answer is yes and no.

It doesn't change going for the win - but overall the strategy at this point is dictated more by stack sizes and table assignment. Not going to pretend being in the money has zero effect, but it really shouldn't. You are still trying to make the best decisions you can (within the circumstances at that moment) to outlast the field and finish on top.

If you are stuck on a "basic strategy" and find yourself min-cashing too many times it would be wise to consider adding some new strategies at different points. But again these are more about your stack size and your current opponents at your assigned table, in other words, doing what you can get away with.

Click to expand...

+1
The basic goal is to get deep with enough chips so you have a reasonable chance to win one of the large prizes at the high end of the payout table. That said, specific circumstances differ, so there can be times to consider adjusting your goal.

An example that comes to mind is if you've satellited into a tournament far above your normal level, where each step up the pay scale means significantly more money. How much is significant differs from person to person.

In my case, I've been in multiple situations where the next pay jump was low 3 figures, and I don't think I tightened up. I've never been in a situation where the next jump was thousands, so I can't be sure what I'd do. But I have no doubt I'd be tempted to try passively creeping up the pay scale.

that depends on table that I am playing at, if it's loose table, then trying to take advantage of, if it's more tight... then bet more carefully on to pickup pots, depends how many chips and how late am I ITM