What adjustments to make?

I've done a few MTTs now and can't quite make it to the final table. I get down to the last 2 tables and then I get knocked out.
What seems to happen is I am up decent then back down & only a handful of big blinds left in my stash so I have to pretty much go all in on just about any hand I play.
I tend to be a pretty tight player only playing PPs, AQ, AJ, AK, KQ, A10 and sometimes a weak Ace, = or J10 (suited or off suite) and not many connectors suited or off suite.
I know I should expand my range a bit. I also rarely bluff.
Another thing I believe I need to start doing is be more aggressive. Just have to get better at picking my spots. I'm not going to become one of the guys that plays every hand no matter what or plays a weak ace like it's gold. I see that every time I play. Someone is always betting big all the way to the river with nothing but an ace regardless of what is on the board.

Lots of threads to search on this subject here. Just playing in a few MTTs isnt enough to really know if youre doing well or not. Most good MTT players are only in the money approximately 15% of the time.
Only a few suggestions would be remember anything around 10 BBs you are looking for a good place to push. Of course open your range to bet in position especially unopened pots. Study the table and try to get a read on players that are tight or loose. I also like to look for spots when I'm around 20 BBs to push allin on a three bet. What I mean here is hoping to find someone obviously just bettig because theyre in position on an unopened pot. Come over the top allin hoping to pick up the blinds, antes and his additional bet.
Dont be afraid to get knocked out. Most MTTs money doesnt really begin to change all that much until the final table. Goodluck

For the most part it seems you are on the right track.

In your post you kind of equate being aggressive with playing more hands. Being aggressive has to do with HOW you play the hands you are in, not how many. This is why being tight/aggressive is not a conflict of terms.
So yes, be more aggressive but you can stay relatively tight until later stages.

Speaking of which - how does playing short handed affect your hand selection? Are you adjusting for that?

Blinds are escalating (as you know) - but are you adjusting your play for that? As you know, you may very well go from 40 BB to 20 BB as the clock hits :00 for that level. Now it becomes an entirely different game for you.

Keep in mind looking for opportunities to shove are not just about waiting for a good hand - it is also very much situational. Such as being on the button and one (maybe two) guy limped in (who you have noticed will fold to aggression) and it comes to you with 68o. I have my dream scenario and know the blinds are non-confrontational nits just holding on so I shove my 9 BB and pick up 2 1/2 BB - an almost 30% increase to my stack size.

Do you have a criteria for playing suited connectors? Don't throw them out entirely. They need to be part of your tool bag.
You stay so tight and sharper players will recognize that and you might have problems getting paid off which can hinder getting to that final table.

Are you picking who/where your chips are coming from? Who at the table will you be attacking? Who will you be avoiding? Again, if I am at the table with you and see enough hands I will probably deduce that you are way tight. That will mean two things for me: 1) Probably bale out of the hand at any hint of real aggression (you probably have a good hand), and 2) Attack, attack, attack as you will retreat if you don't hit a good hand (2/3 of the time). Are you looking at your opponents as prey or just other hands in the pot?

Generally speaking when someone posts like this the question is, are you tightening up as it gets closer to final table? Trying to hang on to make it? Many players do because they fail to realize this is when aggression will usually rule. The guys who press will be the ones with the advantage at the final table. They do not want to be at FT crippled with a short stack - they want to win and see their best shot is to chip up versus conservative guys like you.

My dream scenario when it is two tables left is to have the two or three guys to my left be average stack 60 year old nits who I will mercilessly hammer to collect their blinds.
Usually interrupted by the nightmare of having a LAG with the same idea sitting on my immediate right

MediaBLITZ said:

In your post you kind of equate being aggressive with playing more hands. Being aggressive has to do with HOW you play the hands you are in, not how many. This is why being tight/aggressive is not a conflict of terms.

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I'm sorry, I should have been more clear. I wasn't saying being more aggressive would mean playing more hands. I did mean playing the hands I do more aggressively as I know I need to work on that.

Speaking of which - how does playing short handed affect your hand selection? Are you adjusting for that?

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I still play just as tight when I am short stacked, but I can see that I need to expand my range. I don't want to play crap & get knocked out b/c of it, though.

Blinds are escalating (as you know) - but are you adjusting your play for that? As you know, you may very well go from 40 BB to 20 BB as the clock hits :00 for that level. Now it becomes an entirely different game for you.
Keep in mind looking for opportunities to shove are not just about waiting for a good hand - it is also very much situational. Such as being on the button and one (maybe two) guy limped in (who you have noticed will fold to aggression) and it comes to you with 68o. I have my dream scenario and know the blinds are non-confrontational nits just holding on so I shove my 9 BB and pick up 2 1/2 BB - an almost 30% increase to my stack size.

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Honestly, I don't think I am adjusting for it. At least nowhere near what I should. I seem to keep playing the same way. The only adjustment I seem to make is that I will shove more if I have a great hand.

Do you have a criteria for playing suited connectors? Don't throw them out entirely. They need to be part of your tool bag.

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As of now, I don't generally play them. I know I need to, though.

You stay so tight and sharper players will recognize that and you might have problems getting paid off which can hinder getting to that final table.

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I Agree. Getting paid off is definitely not something that happens to me often.

Are you picking who/where your chips are coming from? Who at the table will you be attacking? Who will you be avoiding? Again, if I am at the table with you and see enough hands I will probably deduce that you are way tight. That will mean two things for me: 1) Probably bale out of the hand at any hint of real aggression (you probably have a good hand), and 2) Attack, attack, attack as you will retreat if you don't hit a good hand (2/3 of the time). Are you looking at your opponents as prey or just other hands in the pot?

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I'm definitely paying attention to how everyone plays. If I notice someone else playing very tight & I don't have something good, I'm not calling a raise from them. On the flip side, if I notice someone that plays a weak ace a lot or junk, etc I will go after them.

Generally speaking when someone posts like this the question is, are you tightening up as it gets closer to final table? Trying to hang on to make it? Many players do because they fail to realize this is when aggression will usually rule. The guys who press will be the ones with the advantage at the final table. They do not want to be at FT crippled with a short stack - they want to win and see their best shot is to chip up versus conservative guys like you.

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It is not that I suddenly get tight to hang on. I play very tight all game long. It seems that I just don't adjust my game as the stakes get higher. Obviously I need to fix this or I'll never cash.

Maybe I should just switch to cash games LOL

I've not read the post in great detail, but do you understand M?
I play a really quite wide range, but use position and attack those players who do play tight. Someone the other day (live) called me a "chip amassing machine" which when I thought about it does describe me pretty perfectly. For me it isn't about waiting for those AA/KK etc hands, its about using skill to read other peoples range, small raises to get info, and trusting instinct to get away from things like QQ/JJ and even KK in the right places. Suited connectors are massively underrated, they play brilliantly in a cheap pot. If you do widen your range then when you do get monsters you can get paid off nciely as well.

I would suggest reading the raisers edge. It bring the modern game really to the fore. The days of waiting for AA/KK are I am afraid over and will get beaten by LAG players and Hyper's all the time.

Of course, remember that any style of play can be beaten by another style of play. Have a plan for a hand and stick to it, and think through any hand. Does a tight player who raises premium hands really always have an ace when they play a hand? Did their pre flop betting pattern suggest a good ace, or could it just be pocket 8's?
Raisers edge might be a but heavy, but it is a stunning book, would reccomend it to anyone.

NeverEnough said:

Maybe I should just switch to cash games LOL

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Actually I did do that for a few months and it was the best thing for my tourney play

For many people, increasing aggression is about both playing more hands and how you play them. If you're tight and aren't overly passive, you might be something like 12/8 or 12/9. Unless you raise the 12, your opportunities for being more aggressive are limited to raising hands you currently call. While you're never going to be 12/12, 12/10 is certainly feasible. But that's only 1 or 2 hands more per 100 where you can be more aggressive in this manner. This is a positive step, but to go any farther, you have no choice but to start opening some hands you currently fold.

Firstly read Sklansky's Tournament poker (2008) and focus on your whole MTT strategy. Use position to your advantage and always play to win, not to just make the money. You never enter a tournsment to just double your buyin, you play to 10-100x it.

Practise playing a larger range of hands nearing the bubble in the last 3 positions full ring and button on 6max. Youll be getting so much information post flop about other in the pot when you have pos over them and this gives you the option to steal. Not enough players attempt to steal and the bubble time is just gravy.

Arjonius said:

For many people, increasing aggression is about both playing more hands and how you play them. If you're tight and aren't overly passive, you might be something like 12/8 or 12/9. Unless you raise the 12, your opportunities for being more aggressive are limited to raising hands you currently call. While you're never going to be 12/12, 12/10 is certainly feasible. But that's only 1 or 2 hands more per 100 where you can be more aggressive in this manner. This is a positive step, but to go any farther, you have no choice but to start opening some hands you currently fold.

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Good point Arj. And the term aggression has been used for both which has led to some confusion in guys adjusting their games. A very common adjustment is actually to be tighter and more aggressive - which seems like a contradiction if the terms are not clear.

Just recently had a conversation with a tight passive who plays a lot of live turbo tournaments and is afraid big betting on his monsters will chase away callers. His hand selection is pretty okay but he doesn't capitalize on his best hands when he has the shot so he frequently ends up at the final table as the short stack. I had to be very careful about being clear on the fact that when I said be more aggressive it had to do with his betting and not his hand selection (which actually needs to tighten up because he insists on trying to play small ball with 30-40 BB). I now just tell him "Tighterer and more aggressiver".