Making deep runs

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mastahbates

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Has anyone got any tips on making deep runs in tourneys? I have made several deep runs in tourneys previously in 888 freerolls (mid 20th finishes and a 1st out of 4000+ entrants) but struggle to make the bubble in paid tourneys. I obviously expect the standard of opponent to be better in paid tourneys compared to freerolls but I can never get a good enough run. I have started playing ring games a lot on a small poker site and I am up six buy-ins in a few days however I cannot replicate the same results in tourneys. I feel that in ring games people are reluctant to ship their chips whereas in tourneys the obvious mentality is that you won't progress in the tourney unless you bust your opponents. How can I overcome this and stop getting trapped? My understanding of equity and expected value is not upto scratch and is something I am working on - are these maths required in tourney play as well as cash games?

Thanks in advance.
 
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mu55

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In my experience (not that much that though since I play micro stakes on pokerstars) to get in the money you just need to be patient, play your position and don't take unnecessary risks. Play only monster hands unless you are pressured by the blinds and observe your table (see if someone opens a lot of pots etc.). That's just my strategy though and I am still a beginner, however it works more often than not.

Then I go to lose what I earned in MTTs in spin&go's or stupid decisions on cash games :p
 
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mastahbates

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My problem is I play way too patiently, as if I am playing a cash ring but then before I know it, I am down to 7BB and I am weighing up which two cards to shove with. A lot of the times I get disheartened by a suck out on the river - I think I need to be less passive and more aggressive with better than average hands to prevent river card suck outs...
 
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mu55

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I try to find some profitable pre flop calls (defending my big blind) or trying to steal blinds from good positions with subpremium hands. It is risky but imo it is equally risky to wait for the monster hands as well because there are cases that you might never get paid by those hands. Of course it depends by the starting stack you have in the tourney, how fast the blind stages go etc.
 
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JPainTrainSicko

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It sounds like you figured out the problem you can address now, playing too tight. I have and do at time fall victim to this too. Work toward identifying the players you can steal blinds from or the players raising too much you can 3bet and steal from. Do this with non premium hands and try using position and your snug image more to help exploit the others. Good luck and go get that win!
 
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ItryhardAA

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also using a HUD to know who is playing tight just like you who are only waiting for premium hands like AA KK AK or fishes who are in the pot 75% of the time. when you know who you are up against it makes it easier to push or fold
 
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mastahbates

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It sounds like you figured out the problem you can address now, playing too tight. I have and do at time fall victim to this too. Work toward identifying the players you can steal blinds from or the players raising too much you can 3bet and steal from. Do this with non premium hands and try using position and your snug image more to help exploit the others. Good luck and go get that win!

I am probably really unlucky as when I have a premium and and 3 or 4 bet, I get re-raised to all-in and they typically either have a better premium hand or have a really crappy hand and hit a set/boat.

also using a HUD to know who is playing tight just like you who are only waiting for premium hands like AA KK AK or fishes who are in the pot 75% of the time. when you know who you are up against it makes it easier to push or fold

My aim is to build enough of a bankroll to buy a license for PT4/HEM2 so I can hopefully exploit fish :)
 
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JPainTrainSicko

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You say you're really unlucky and typically lose to worse hands.... a couple points on that to consider. Tournaments are high variance especially if we are talking large fields and making a final table or more, winning. Because of this, we will typically lose and when we do it will be with the better hand before all the cards are run out, if we are playing great poker. When we get money in we want to be as far ahead as possible, but as anyone playing poker knows that is still not a guarantee. It would be worth looking at these bust out spots closely, journal or note take as much as possible. Confirm that you are getting in way ahead and look to see if you could have done anything different... example getting it in with too big of a stack preflop, in that case consider a lower variance style maybe more small ball. Food for thought.

Also one more note, I'm not sure I'm interpreting what you said correct but if I am consider this mindset quote from Henry Ford, "whether you think you can or you think you can't you're right". Think about changing your unlucky view of your self it does no good. Find reasons to consider yourself lucky and change your focus to that! Believe truly that you are going to win and that you are lucky. See if it helps
 
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