keeping momentum going in a MTT tournament...

M

MIShroomer47

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Nov 14, 2012
Total posts
127
Chips
0
I generally don't have a problem accumulating a stack of chips in the first hour or so of MTT games (NLHE). However once i start to get a stack, say 3x average stack, I notice that I start to overvalue my chips and become more frugal with them. This can be good and bad.... but lately I find that it's costing me some crucial pots that would be sustaining me much longer in the game. Dumb stuff like folding a mid PP even though a limp would have got me into the pot, and I would have ended up flopping a set... and then I beat myself up over it.

Do I need to obtain the mentality of "it's just a $2/$5 buy in, and there's no reward with no risk"?? I'm generally a nit player, but I will play marginal hands like suited connecters if the pot odds or position is right. But when I start a pile of chips... I become even more nit, and end up with a low stack by the time the bubble is approaching or just burst. IMO it seems the most important time to get a stack going is when the bubble is approaching. Just tired of making the money to miss the FT by 10 ppl and being eliminated with a big hand because big stacks can afford to call my all in.
 
itsmebobd

itsmebobd

Enthusiast
Silver Level
Joined
Dec 21, 2013
Total posts
89
Chips
0
I generally don't have a problem accumulating a stack of chips in the first hour or so of MTT games (NLHE). However once i start to get a stack, say 3x average stack, I notice that I start to overvalue my chips and become more frugal with them. This can be good and bad.... but lately I find that it's costing me some crucial pots that would be sustaining me much longer in the game. Dumb stuff like folding a mid PP even though a limp would have got me into the pot, and I would have ended up flopping a set... and then I beat myself up over it.

Do I need to obtain the mentality of "it's just a $2/$5 buy in, and there's no reward with no risk"?? I'm generally a nit player, but I will play marginal hands like suited connecters if the pot odds or position is right. But when I start a pile of chips... I become even more nit, and end up with a low stack by the time the bubble is approaching or just burst. IMO it seems the most important time to get a stack going is when the bubble is approaching. Just tired of making the money to miss the FT by 10 ppl and being eliminated with a big hand because big stacks can afford to call my all in.
I would watch the Video from Gripsed (youtube it) about where he talks of just this problem.
I noticed that ever since I have gotten better at poker in general, I tend to like to take less chances and be more tight. I used to kill it in tourneys, playing with almost reckless abandon, but I cashed a LOT of them and won quite a few too. Nowadays I have had less late runs, mostly because I am letting my stack go down too far. I loved in the video that he said "When you get into a tournament, you double ur stack up and then u put ur pedal to the medal the entire way and never let up until you've won it"
 
K

Karametric

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Nov 11, 2014
Total posts
192
Chips
0
I have the opposite problem, I loosen up a little too much with a big stack. There's a balance to be reached here. Generally i think it is optimal to be slightly looser, not much. You larger stack needs to be used to leverage to get more (sensible) chances at more chips. They help have a better threat to steal chips with.
 
LinkornU

LinkornU

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Nov 30, 2014
Total posts
343
Chips
0
I know that situation. So many times I've been in the same position. If build up your stack quickly in the beggining then you're maybe known as an agressive player. So use your image and try limp in to more hands later.
 
T

Tgen

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Mar 20, 2012
Total posts
196
Chips
0
There is no momentum at mtts or poker , if something is +ev then you do it , if its not then you dont , if its the most +ev option to play like a nit on your table then do just that , winning an mtt requires incredible luck , loosen up doesnt speed up this process , if you loosen up at the wrong time then you basically lose chips in the long term and if it happens to have a positive effect on your results then it was just luck.

A case can be made on spots where you are unsure about what play offers positive expectation , if you think all plays are close then you might choose the most aggressive one because people tend to fear to lose their chips or bust at mtts , anyway in a mtt where everyone plays perfectly against each other you would need to win a lot of flips and fall to push/fold mode area inevitably.

Just think about it , if we all started with 3k chips and we played perfectly against each other then we would break even against each other in the long term which means our 3k starting stack would remain the same but the blinds would keep increasing , we can keep up with one level but its impossible with increasing levels and if we try then we will cost even more chips to ourselves due to loose -ev moves , its very possible for you to go card dead in a mtt and simply be unable to do anything about it. MTTs require luck.


Just find the best strategy for your table and pray.
 
T

toshiba

Enthusiast
Silver Level
Joined
Dec 11, 2014
Total posts
45
Chips
0
I have found that if you stay around 25+ bbs then you are fine. One person talked about watching the gripsed video. Waddup gripsters. Yes, he hits the nail on the head. You have to be willing to take chances to chip up with less than premium holdings. Sometimes when you know a bigger stack is trying to run the table, just pick a playable hand and ship it in his face. Won't work every time but if you do it once or twice they should tighten up. One of my favorite things to do which I'm working on getting better at is abusing people on the bubble. You can't make it completely obvious, but you can double or even triple your stack by putting pressure on the smaller stacks. Even if they have KJs, they can't afford to call for their tournament life.
Play more pots in position. Find the those limpers, bet folders, and people that fold on the flop. What i have been doing over the past 2 weeks is decreasing the amount of tournaments I enter but pay attention to each table. Build a player profile. Who is loose, who is tight. Who likes to fold. Who can i bet bet bet against. Lots of good chances to pick up chips. Just have to be willing to take them
 
C

cotta777

Visionary
Silver Level
Joined
Dec 27, 2012
Total posts
868
Chips
0
Generally what you guys describe early on is pretty standard accumalation which is pretty easy if you play a solid game and you respect the rule of position and staying out of multiway pots Nits tend to build stacks easily and graudually in wild tournaments.
Until
we reach a transitional period in the tournament in late play where the risk is higher and the chips have more value, you have a choice to either grind out a small cash in fear or put your lives in risk to make those big
plays.

the two or three players to your left will play an important role to your game also the overall table dynamics will dictate the best strategy to play,

If you want to guarantee you maintain a stack your going to have to make some brave moves against the players on your immediate right if they are quite active, also raising wider inf you go card dead, broadways, some Q-K rags, not every king rag.

but just being creative, if you've been quiet you can get credit for raising in early position... you know any 3-bet then is genuine
but also if you balance your plays, sometimes folding a to a small blind raise, but then another time you could 3-bet that same hand from a Late position raise.

I tend to Shove QA - KA regardless in late play, if you miss the flop it's just too much drama :D , Lots of worse hands calling it also looks quite weak going all in late play like hoping to take down a blind but if called you have a fighting chance kinda hand, like medium to low pairs, or a weak Ace A-10 AJ, if you double up your in great shape, Big Pairs I view as more value hands, great value post flop as well when you do get in good shape and Villain has a piece.
 
Top