Just can't get stacked big enough to pass the bubble

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forexbrat

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Having some trouble with MTT

I am OK at SNG, rarely finish outside the bubble. But in MTTs I just can't stack big enough to pass the bubble. Sometimes I will but just not enough. I am trying to figure out where in my game I am falling behind on this.

I play TAG throughout all my games. I play 1c/2c NLH and 10 seater SNGs and the odd 1000+ MTTs. Can someone give me some guidance on how the MTTs might be played differently than the SNG? I know the field is large and varied and variance is undoubtably a factor in MTTs but should I play LAG in MTTs or stick to my TAG that is working in all other areas?

Many thanks.
 
lcid86

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change it up and play a couple super aggressive.
 
mk0523

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Don't worry about missing out on the bubble since all of the money is in the Top 3 spots. That is what you should be gunning for each and every tournament you play. Min cashing and going deep is not enough if you want to make any decent profit. Think of it this way, even the best MTTers in the world are only cashing about 18% of the time.
 
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forexbrat

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Excellent point, the only thing I find is that in the lower stakes MTT there are so many fish. I am saying this from the perspective of someone who is a complete amateur, beginner but still has a good foundation and understanding of the game.

I am talking about players who are raising in the SB with A5o and then sucking out on the river. I actually had the worst day ever for suckouts yesterday, bad beat after bad beat. I find the information conflicting with MTT though.

Should I be playing a LAG style? A previous poster mentioned I should play super aggressive, how do I do that if I'm card dead for most of the tournament.

I will say that since I learned about position my game has absolutely sky rocketed with results.
 
Dislocatio88

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I recommend you choose SNG, if you have obtained them to play well. Probably getting into the money - superior goal in tournaments. If you will be using statistics - you can steal the blinds and live up to the bubble.

I wish you sucсess!
 
ConDeck

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What type of tournament are you referring too? Are these freerolls? Turbos? Starting Stack? Rebuys? etc. Also what is your current opening range? Are you just blinding down or losing pots from early on? I take it since you are laying a lot of STT's you are comfortable in shove fold spots on shorter stacks?

All these have an impact, I would suggest widening your opening range a little and using selected aggression. I'd also recommend looking into pot odds and using these to your advantage, you will find a lot of limped pots or open raise, call call call spots where there are many hands you can play in late position here that flop well multiway that perhaps you are missing out on, and you can really build a stack in these spots as fish are rarely folding in these spots. Are you attacking the blinds and antes oten once they kick in from late position?

Regarding the A5, Im personally open raising A5 from the small blind as standard , very rarely I am open folding here. Your ahead of the BB range here a large percentage of the time and even some of those your behind are folding in the spot depending on the player.

Hope this helped some and if you give more information perhaps I can be of more assistance.
 
ghOst

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Use position. Be patient by not over betting. Scaring the villain constantly with over valued bets would hurt. 3 bet lightly on tight players and trap aggressive players with check raises. Stop flat calling so commonly because you want to build the pot. Open up your hand range in position. And learn how to value bet draws.
Hope this helps!
 
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MTTs have much more variance, just be ready for it. Too finish without cashing many times.

Also to make profit, you need to aim to FT, not just to ITM.

Play you best, and search your hand history for leaks. Be aggresive enough near the bubble. (of course if you are already on short stack, then adjust the strategy, wait a bit for bubble etc.).

Anyway, on those MTTs with such low buy-in its mostly about luck. CC freerolls are much more about strategy then micro-micro MTTs, so learn on those.
 
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thefwa

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Should I be playing a LAG style? A previous poster mentioned I should play super aggressive, how do I do that if I'm card dead for most of the tournament.

When card dead, I go ahead and raise anyways, in the hijack, cut-off and button. Some MP raises too.. a lot of the times you're going to get called by only 1 person. regardless of the flop, if I have position, I go ahead and bet 2 BB, so all in all risking 4 BB to win 5-6 BB, this doesn't have to work too often to profit too. And some times you'll get folded to, winning you ~2.2 BB (post-ante).
The way I think of it is, "I'm not losing all my money with Q5o, might as well try to steal some chips". This will generally keep you afloat until the money in many cases. I like to make sure I don't have to get too short by the time I have my next real hand, and when I do I'll most likely get action because I play pretty loose.
 
BentleyBoy

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In my opinion, the issue you are struggling with is knowing when to switch from TAG to LAG. You can't and won't win anything by staying tight all the time, and playing loose will bring huge variance which you need to be comfortable with. The aim is not to cash. It is to win. The key is determining at which stage to move your game play around. It will be before the bubble, and there are varying words about when to change, ie when the antes start or when you are at certain BB's. Do some reading or training video watching and see which style suits you. Give it a go and see what brings you most success.
 
JohnBoyWWFC

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I am talking about players who are raising in the SB with A5o and then sucking out on the river.

What is it about someone raising in the SB w/ A5o that you think means they are huge fish? If we can answer this, maybe we can plug some of those leaks you seem to have.
 
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forexbrat

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What is it about someone raising in the SB w/ A5o that you think means they are huge fish? If we can answer this, maybe we can plug some of those leaks you seem to have.

Is raising with A5o in the SB with a raise in front of you a winning play?
 
Erix2

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Maybe you play too tight, or making many calls with bad hands just to see flop... or not paying attention to position,,

i would try to change playstyle, or learn how big bets / raises you should make, it depents on how big is BBs
 
skiptomyloot

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its a whole different formula . SNG, i like to slow down and wait for good hands and raise when opponents call my raise then check the flop and fold to raises . With MTT you have to take in consideration, the blind level and time on blinds. Sng You can play and win in an less than an hour, with MTT you have to keep focus on pushing pressure and taking chances on more hands. I would say prepare for a MTT before you decide to buy in. So that you can be sure if your willing to go a few hours and willing to keep fighting for chips . its just a harder climb from SNG. Learn to walk the incline, youll understand how the path to building your stack.

Take in consideration , the varience, players, the mental process, the time, the buy in, the prep,math.. SKill is what pays at the end, with a little luck and correct flips/calls. youll find a way to the final table.
 
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I have a few ideas and suggestions that we can discuss in a PM if you'd like Fox. We both have pretty similar MTT styles. Most of the posts and suggestions here though are very constructive and conducive to a successful MTT style.

Good luck!
 
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