MTT strategy as a new player at local casino.

K

Kyle Fowler

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Hey guys,

I just want to talk about what happened to me at my local casino last night and see what others with a little more experience have to say about it.


So to start, the tournament was a $100 buy-in Deep Stack turbo w/rebuys up until first break. 15K Starting Stack. 10 min levels.

I am a new player at the casino (3rd MTT at this/any casino), none of the players at my starting table knew me, but almost all of them knew eachother. So right away I knew I was at a disadvantage having no previous information on any of these players. I started off the tournament very slowly, playing tight but also getting card dead - making me appear even tighter than I am.

Shortly before the first break (rebuy cut-off), on my BB, cut-off position min-raised and dealer/SB fold to me and I defended with A7s heads-up. Flop comes 8-8-2 with one of my suit. I check-raised his min bet to 2k. Feeling that I could bluff this player off the pot (3k in the pot prior to my 3-bet) since he was a little more aggressive with out of position raises. He 4-bet me to 6k and I folded the hand - knowing that his 4-bet range should better than A7s+ against me if he's reading me as a tight player. Now in hindsight I realize I may have been good against this player. Just before re-buy cut off he shipped all his chips blind against another blind player so one of them could re-buy. Knowing his plan was to try and re-buy anyways I speculate I may have had a better hand with my ace - even going as far to mention re-buying after he won the pot.

After this hand a separate player commented on the 4-bet "smelt something fishy?". The player responded that he noticed I was a very tight player and wasn't even defending my blinds up until now. Right then and there I felt I was outted as a weak player to the table - which my own mindset ultimately defeated me with a poor read later on...

My strategy now going into the next levels was to raise heavy on a suited connector hand basically anywhere from T6s+/67o+ something in that range. Hoping a player will call thinking I have paint or better. This way, if the flop comes paint, I should be able to bluff him off. Or if the flop comes mid-range, I will hit and be able to win the hand.

Is this a sound strategy for the circumstance I was in or should I have just continued to wait out the dead hands until I hit a monster or could play the lower part of my range for a decent price?


Unfortunately I never got an opportunity to execute my plan. At the $300/$600 level not long after the break (I had approx 18 BB in my stack). My position was SB. UTG min raised with 2 out of position calls. Dealer folds to me. I call the min raise with A4o. BB jams the 5.4k Pot for 10k+ (just barely covering my stack) and everyone folds to me. I made a poor read believing he was trying to buy the pot. Called and ran into AKs. Flopped a wheel draw and missed.

I felt like such an idiot walking out of that room - my worst placing in the 3 MTT's I've played at this casino.

If anyone has any advice for me I would love to hear it. Thank you.
 
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Weee3eee

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It reminds me of the very first couple of times playing the daily tourneys at the casino I played. Couple of things that I read... "card dead" and "tight image". Those two things are things that I said alot especially at the tourneys.

I don't know if you play online and live games. If you play any sort of online games, and you hit a live game, it's night and day different. There is an adjustment most definitely. The play live is slow (even though it's a turbo). The blinds catch up rather quick so you have this feeling your card dead.

Here are tips that I would say.

1. Don't blame being card dead. It's just that the game is slow. It's not uncommon for you to not have a hand in range for an orbit or two or even three.
2. While card dead, watch the players in their position and mentally note the first person who opens and in what position. Then the fun part, count how many limpers (a lot of limpers in live games).
3. Never limp... Especially trying to trap in early tournaments. Raise for value.
4. Avoid playing speculative hands in Early position. FOLD.
5. POSITION IS KEY. For beginning poker players, I get it, it's a scary for you are calling a bet and committing yourself to the pot. We hear this position thing is important but I'd rather just be the first to open and "see this flop". Well, keep thinking that and your chips will slowly deflate and move away from your table to the in position. Be that person, the one taking chips.

In turbos, open wider in position. What I mean is sooted connects, gappers, monsters. have fun with poker in position. Play tight early, open late. If you can be in position and play aggressively, that is key. Most people who are opening in early position alot "to take control" is who you want to play against. You will gain a ton of chips this way with a ton of equity that you may not think of in your hand.

Early- Tight . Late - Open a ton (Especially against limpers). WHen open, raise raise raise never limp!!

Chow!
 
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Kyle Fowler

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Thank you Weee3eee for your tips & reminders. I am just going to chalk this one up as experience and try again. I know I can play better than what transpired that tournament.

I play MTT's and STT's on pokerstars everyday for micro/low stakes and was not expecting/used to all the min-raises and limps in the crucial blind levels (200/400 & 300/600).

I also play a 45-55 person live freeroll tournament twice a week at a local bar.

Thanks again.
 
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PKRNRS

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Daily tournaments can be rough on your poker psych and bank roll. First off this isn't a deep-stacked anything. It's a turbo and should played as such. You'll a sit-n-go type playing style for this. Being tight is just going to get you abused. Although you are tight, as you say, you're trying to steal pots with weak Ax. You shouldn't avoid these hands but they should be played very cautiously.
So open your hand range up more. Remember that this is a re-buy so players will take more chances on their weaker hands. Never check-raise unless you have the nuts. Never, ever bluff. You will continue to have problems until you can adjust your play.
 
psmcb

psmcb

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I think

Hey guys,

I just want to talk about what happened to me at my local casino last night and see what others with a little more experience have to say about it.


So to start, the tournament was a $100 buy-in Deep Stack turbo w/rebuys up until first break. 15K Starting Stack. 10 min levels.

I am a new player at the casino (3rd MTT at this/any casino), none of the players at my starting table knew me, but almost all of them knew eachother. So right away I knew I was at a disadvantage having no previous information on any of these players. I started off the tournament very slowly, playing tight but also getting card dead - making me appear even tighter than I am.

Shortly before the first break (rebuy cut-off), on my BB, cut-off position min-raised and dealer/SB fold to me and I defended with A7s heads-up. Flop comes 8-8-2 with one of my suit. I check-raised his min bet to 2k. Feeling that I could bluff this player off the pot (3k in the pot prior to my 3-bet) since he was a little more aggressive with out of position raises. He 4-bet me to 6k and I folded the hand - knowing that his 4-bet range should better than A7s+ against me if he's reading me as a tight player. Now in hindsight I realize I may have been good against this player. Just before re-buy cut off he shipped all his chips blind against another blind player so one of them could re-buy. Knowing his plan was to try and re-buy anyways I speculate I may have had a better hand with my ace - even going as far to mention re-buying after he won the pot.

After this hand a separate player commented on the 4-bet "smelt something fishy?". The player responded that he noticed I was a very tight player and wasn't even defending my blinds up until now. Right then and there I felt I was outted as a weak player to the table - which my own mindset ultimately defeated me with a poor read later on...

My strategy now going into the next levels was to raise heavy on a suited connector hand basically anywhere from T6s+/67o+ something in that range. Hoping a player will call thinking I have paint or better. This way, if the flop comes paint, I should be able to bluff him off. Or if the flop comes mid-range, I will hit and be able to win the hand.

Is this a sound strategy for the circumstance I was in or should I have just continued to wait out the dead hands until I hit a monster or could play the lower part of my range for a decent price?


Unfortunately I never got an opportunity to execute my plan. At the $300/$600 level not long after the break (I had approx 18 BB in my stack). My position was SB. UTG min raised with 2 out of position calls. Dealer folds to me. I call the min raise with A4o. BB jams the 5.4k Pot for 10k+ (just barely covering my stack) and everyone folds to me. I made a poor read believing he was trying to buy the pot. Called and ran into AKs. Flopped a wheel draw and missed.

I felt like such an idiot walking out of that room - my worst placing in the 3 MTT's I've played at this casino.

If anyone has any advice for me I would love to hear it. Thank you.

Honestly , it's hard to say what is right. But one thing I can advise, to be bolder. And try different styles. Every style is good the opposite , if the players loose tight be the aggressor, if loose tight be the aggressor
 
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