strategy for micro tournaments 2-11 dollar buy ins

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lowlimitfish

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I would like to know fellow players strategies for these tournies. My plan is to play Tag and try to play pots in the position. And blind steal but im finding it hard to chip up as im not getting very good hands most of the time so i find myself grinding a shortstack until i bust with a vp of about 13.

I see other players around my table vp of 40 playing any old junk and they are the chips leader.. how so. Also i notice i don't get max value from my strong hands cause when i bet out players fold or im getting reraised on a wet board and having to lay down my top pair or pocket aces. Also i notice that since pros started floating flops and turns people are doing this online so when i c-bet AK people floating flop with junk hands and hitting the turn or river seen it a few times(c-bets used to work loads online now it seems you gotta fight for every pot.

i tend just to give up on alot of hands and wait for better spot but they don't come and the blinds and antes just cripple my shortstack and its back to the grind. I will admit i am a loosing player online 1.3k down but i love poker want to improve and be a semi - amuateur one day and hopefully with your help i can so any advice into strategy for such mtts would be greatly appreciated, thanks one big win is all i need :)
 
tARsh

tARsh

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I would like to know fellow players strategies for these tournies. My plan is to play Tag and try to play pots in the position. And blind steal but im finding it hard to chip up as im not getting very good hands most of the time so i find myself grinding a shortstack until i bust with a vp of about 13.

I see other players around my table vp of 40 playing any old junk and they are the chips leader.. how so. Also i notice i don't get max value from my strong hands cause when i bet out players fold or im getting reraised on a wet board and having to lay down my top pair or pocket aces. Also i notice that since pros started floating flops and turns people are doing this online so when i c-bet AK people floating flop with junk hands and hitting the turn or river seen it a few times(c-bets used to work loads online now it seems you gotta fight for every pot.

i tend just to give up on alot of hands and wait for better spot but they don't come and the blinds and antes just cripple my shortstack and its back to the grind. I will admit i am a loosing player online 1.3k down but i love poker want to improve and be a semi - amuateur one day and hopefully with your help i can so any advice into strategy for such mtts would be greatly appreciated, thanks one big win is all i need :)


Yes to TAG, yes to stealing after antes kick in; remember you are going to get some absurd and light calls here so keep your stack intact with good Fold equity.

Variance is why they have big stacks, when I used to grind these I came to the conclusion that
"Poor play in teh short run often offers larger winnable propensity" aka they are playing teh variance game instead of getting out played and once they have a stack that large their calling range affords them 3-5 goes at a 60-40 / 70/30 etc, so they will still be able to chip up often.
There is a fine line between winning and losing poker so dont see them chipped up and think they are long term profitable.

One of the biggest migrations I had to make from cashing 18-20% of micro mtts and having a crappy yet + ROI was taking big chances for huge stacks. Look at the payout tiers for top 3 especially.. Bear that in mind but dont overcompensate. Playing FTW is good but not a guarantee it will increase variance.

So take pages out of everyones book until you cobble your own together that works.
 
madsquirrel

madsquirrel

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does this apply to online as well ? there is a huge difference in online 2-11 tourneys and live tourneys .. I think online a lot of no good players play way loose and fish just to gain chips. never really understood
 
JPoling

JPoling

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Are you playing TAG or NIT. Big difference. You dont wanna be that guy/gal in a MTT just having your stack blinded away waiting for premiums. Couple reasons, 1)No matter how good your hand youre not 100% to win it pre-flop 2) If your stack keeps getting smaller and smaller while others are getting bigger you are losing your fold equity. So therefore wider ranges are gonna call you. Wider ranges=more of chance they are gonna bust you. My suggestion, switch up gears couple times during tourney, loosen up some but dont get sloppy. Take advantage of position. Play those suited connectors, pocket pairs, etc. Within reason and in position. If you look like a NIT at table, yea they are gonna fold to your bets, and re-raise you on wet boards. Also, the whoke you c-betting with AK and people floating. What is your point? If you missed to and c-bet, maybe they are putting you on overs and figure it is a c-bet. Also, what ia your definition of these "junk hands" people are playing/calling you with? What was action preflop? What was the flop and action. Remember a lot if poker answers are "it depends" because almost every hand you play is situational. Have to base t on the situation you are in and the knowledge you know.
 
weldphaser

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yo

I would like to know fellow players strategies for these tournies. My plan is to play Tag and try to play pots in the position. And blind steal but im finding it hard to chip up as im not getting very good hands most of the time so i find myself grinding a shortstack until i bust with a vp of about 13.

I see other players around my table vp of 40 playing any old junk and they are the chips leader.. how so. Also i notice i don't get max value from my strong hands cause when i bet out players fold or im getting reraised on a wet board and having to lay down my top pair or pocket aces. Also i notice that since pros started floating flops and turns people are doing this online so when i c-bet AK people floating flop with junk hands and hitting the turn or river seen it a few times(c-bets used to work loads online now it seems you gotta fight for every pot.

i tend just to give up on alot of hands and wait for better spot but they don't come and the blinds and antes just cripple my shortstack and its back to the grind. I will admit i am a loosing player online 1.3k down but i love poker want to improve and be a semi - amuateur one day and hopefully with your help i can so any advice into strategy for such mtts would be greatly appreciated, thanks one big win is all i need :)

hey man, i think it awesome your so upfront about your poker bro. youe wouldn't beleive how many dudes lie bout being winning players, and it will help you get help if you really want it.

i won't make this too long, but i swggested this, download Poker Tracker 4, pick and SnG you like, start at the $1 tourneys, put in a bunch of ands and post the results on here if you want. if you need help with any of this pm me on here and i''l try and help.

I just wanna see where your at in your game right now.

Weld
 
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trent32la

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$2.20-$11 MTTs are my main game, mostly turbos. My main strategy for months now has been an advanced small ball strategy. Nothing fancy, nothing creative necessary and it has found me some huge success. Overrall you should be playing a TAG game like you do. The main leak I find in MTT players (ive had this problem myself) is opening too wide in early position and opening too tight in late position. If you have a decent enough stack size 15bb+ you can open normal wide ranges. Hands like A9, KT, 44 etc in early position should be dumped unless your stack size is deep enough to open and play post, and I mean around 20-25bb+. This will avoid trouble spots.
Just a few pointers for what has worked for me.
Open wider in LP, tighter in EP.
Make wider late positional shoves when short stacked and tighter ones in EP.
Flat more IP with speculative hands.
Don't 3bet too wide, flatting hands like AQ, TT etc can work better.
When opening for a raise and getting callers, cbet most flops.
Check raise and raise your draws unless you think your opponent nailed the flop.
Check raise bluffing and 3bet bluffing are unnecessary as players at these limits aren't doing crazy stuff with air.
+1 to Weld's post aswell, if you need help with any trouble hands feel free to post them and we can help you out.
 
Jblocher1

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$2.20-$11 MTTs are my main game, mostly turbos. My main strategy for months now has been an advanced small ball strategy. Nothing fancy, nothing creative necessary and it has found me some huge success. Overrall you should be playing a TAG game like you do. The main leak I find in MTT players (ive had this problem myself) is opening too wide in early position and opening too tight in late position. If you have a decent enough stack size 15bb+ you can open normal wide ranges. Hands like A9, KT, 44 etc in early position should be dumped unless your stack size is deep enough to open and play post, and I mean around 20-25bb+. This will avoid trouble spots.
Just a few pointers for what has worked for me.
Open wider in LP, tighter in EP.
Make wider late positional shoves when short stacked and tighter ones in EP.
Flat more IP with speculative hands.
Don't 3bet too wide, flatting hands like AQ, TT etc can work better.
When opening for a raise and getting callers, cbet most flops.
Check raise and raise your draws unless you think your opponent nailed the flop.
Check raise bluffing and 3bet bluffing are unnecessary as players at these limits aren't doing crazy stuff with air.
+1 to Weld's post aswell, if you need help with any trouble hands feel free to post them and we can help you out.


This. Solid advice. I would also like to add, that when you are sitting on 10-15BB you might feel like you need to make moves ASAP.... When in reality you have more time. Don't feel pressured to shove Ax from EP on that stack. Wait for spots and do not rush. I have learned from personal experience that rushing and shoving wider from EP will not work. Shove unopened buttons often, get money in from LP often enough that you can chip up but sir.... Be a rock from EP. That is key.
 
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Shadowman647

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Any low buyin is going to be tough to play. You're going to have the loosest players in them and you can expect to bust out against the most unlikely hands. Hard to calculate hand ranges with opponents because they could be playing anything. Just be an utter rock and play the top 10% of hands. With AA/KK always try to get it in preflop and let them add value, not you.
 
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