When ITM, tighten or loosen ?

Fahrenheit451

Fahrenheit451

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I am a beginner and are playing freroll tournaments.
Recently, I frequently get ITM (if I can avoid tilting), but my problems start here.
In the final phase I play show or fold as described in Kill Phil strategy.
When bubble ends, it seems that most of the players loosen their game.
If I loosen mine too I frequently get busted, cause many players call and someone get stronger cards.
If I tighten - I can't wait for decent cards and end up eaten by blinds.

Which is the best approach in your opinion ?
I understand that I can't expect to win every time, but which approach gives me more chances to win in average ?
 
eidikos

eidikos

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after the bubble play tight because many short stacks and some bad players shove with any two cards.after a while you have to play losse and aggressive if you want to go in the final table.play many pots with marginal hands in position and try to bluff in some spots
 
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RamdeeBen

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You should be taking up all possible +EV spots, this includes before the money, on the money bubble (Most profitable time to steal in tournaments) and when in the money you should be aiming to take first spot so tightening up is usually a bad way to try and increase your chances of winning some good money.

I usually find though the deeper it gets in a tournament and the money becomes a factor people tend to play more tightly so you start becoming more and more aggressive against these players.
 
Martinez

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If in the money with a medium stack, I tend to wait for premium hands because all the stragglers tends to blow up. You can move up quite a few places just by folding.
Stealing just before the bubble as others have said can be very profitable if your chip stack can dominate.
Just be patient and play your game, let the others make the mistakes.
Good luck in future events.
 
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hffjd2000

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At least you can pass the bubble.

If many calls, then be a solid rock.

If no decent cards, then we cant do anything about it. Look for spots where you can take the pot just to stay alive.
 
teepack

teepack

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Before the bubble, you can get aggressive in late positions because most others are playing very tight to get ITM. Once the bubble bursts, I tend to get very tight for the first 5-10 minutes because the low stack folks, so grateful to be in the money, either have lost interest or are looking for a quick double up and tend to go all-in at the drop of a hat. You have to be careful for a little bit, but eventually they will all get weeded out and then you can resume your normal style.
 
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thatgreekdude

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it obviously depends on table dynamics, stack sizes etc.. if you're at a loose table stay tight and conservative and pick your spots, if you're tables tight be a bit looser, raise a lot from late position and try and take down small uncontested pots.
 
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aznman08

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If table dynamics allow you to, sometimes if you have a decent size stack you might be able to just play your own style of poker. Course you have to be aware that short stacks may become more aggressive since their mindset is that they are guaranteed money and won't feel bad with a min cash.
 
KingCurtis

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It depends...these are the initial questions to be asked...

What type of tournament are you playing?

What stakes?

What was your image before ITM?

Did you change tables or have you been playing with the same table?

What is your stack size?

What are the blinds?

There are so many variables involved in every tournament situation that there is no straight answer. That's why MTT strategy is so hard to explain in the first place unless we have specifics!
 
JPoling

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Basically what everyone else said. Once ITM gotta start changing gears though and shoot for first. So gotta open up our range a little bit, doesnt mean get sloppy or play bad, just take advantage whenyou got position.
 
dj11

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Generally, for all tourneys, freeroll or real money buy-ins, there are 2 tourneys. The first is to get ITM, and the 2nd starts the moment the bubble bursts.

The beginning levels in each of those sub-tourneys will play about the same. The motivations will be different tho. In the real beginning many will have a 'get rich quick or go home' mindset, after the bubble bursts, you will see the same play from short stacks, with the altered mindset along the lines of; 'At least I covered my buy in', but again, the play will be almost identical. So if you started tight (and avoided the insanity), then be tight for a few orbits after the bubble.

Whatever got you thru the first 'tourney in a tourney' was good, just do more of it.

After the bubble, what you can do will be totally dependent on how big your stack is;
- If short, you have to find that shove or fold mentality.

- If huge, remember that you do not need to be the table sheriff. You can sit back some and watch the carnage as the shorties kill each other off. But you can be more successful playing the table sheriff (if conditions are right or ripe) if that is something you can do comfortably.

- If you are near the average stack size, relax, you are not in immediate jeopardy, and you do not have to aim at being the big stack for a while. Remember this; if you can maintain something close to an average stack, you should make the final table. This does not mean you are being tight, that average stack size is a moving target, and it is always moving up!

Oh yeah, last thing, find private freerolls.
 
Arjonius

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The best approach is adapting your play to each specific situation, taking into account various factors such as already stated. Whether tighter or looser is better "on average" is far less relevant than what's best in each specific situation.

For instance, let's say tighter is better 6 times out of 9. What about the other 3. Is it a good idea to you play tighter in them too because it's better "on average"?
 
taban13

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Of course you need to adapt to each specific case. If I get to the final table and the players start playing crazy, if I have a medium stack I try to survive this madness until the real will of all korotyšej, and then start to play better.
 
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JackGrey

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Ive found that playing looser tends to help build your stack later in the tournament. I dont mean raise with any cards, but use your position and make your moves when you have a chance. The worst thing you can do is play too tight and blind yourself out
 
Fahrenheit451

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- If huge, remember that you do not need to be the table sheriff. You can sit back some and watch the carnage as the shorties kill each other off. But you can be more successful playing the table sheriff (if conditions are right or ripe) if that is something you can do comfortably.

Ordinary I don't do that and prefer to wait for good cards, but yesterday i decided to give it a try.
I was a chip leader (about 3x more than second place) after bubble and I thought that it may be interesting new experience.
I losted all coinflips, saved every shorty from fast extinction and was one of the first busted out :D
No more that sheriff stuff !
 
PrOKatana

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depends what tournament play, and how many coins you that my side table in my opinion is that you have to play more calmly[tight]
 
den4uk1990

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The main thing is not to hurry with making the decision, especially when it comes vabank. Even with pocket TT you can lose any weak 2 pairs beat... but to take risks sometimes, too, is. Can get a notebook and write down all the topics moments on what you cards at the showdown lost, so in the future to avoid the same mistakes and poker purely individual game!)
Not a lot of bluffing and individual strategies and your prize )))
 
Dubstep

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I think in freerolls you can just play your cards and not worry too much about what the other players are doing. Get good at working with short stacks and knowing what position to push from and what cards to push with. You need to push more frequent the more smaller your stack is getting.. If you push in the right spots with the right cards it will be your opponents who will be making the mistakes not you. This is good for a turbo but if you have more than 20bb or so you will need to start stealing of tight players and 3 betting the loose players when you think you are ahead of there range or can get them to fold.
 
Jacki Burkhart

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The age old advice applies here: Do the opposite of what the table is doing.

so if you are at a table with many short stacks who are going crazy now that the bubble burst, then tighten way up and only enter pots with hands that can call an all in.

If you are at a table of medium stacks who are just playing normal TAG poker then play your normal game, (which for me would be TAG poker with positional bullying).

If you are at table of nitty nitty medium stacks who don't seem to realize the bubble has burst; then be a LAG and bluff away...

But in general I have found (as many describe) that right after the bubble bursts people tend to go crazy and it becomes a warzone. I try to stay out of the mix without premium hands for the first couple of orbits after the bubble.

If you are on a short stack yourself, you have no choice...you pretty much have to open up and gamble with the rest of the shovers and hope for the best.
 
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matiusaa

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It actually depends on efective stack size and on the other players game
 
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SwiftHax

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There's an old saying you've probably heard a million times: "Adapt to your opponents. Tighter players, play looser. Looser players, tighten up."

With the limited experience I have in tourneys, people seem to loosen after the bubble. Shortstacks having the min-cash guaranteed seem to be shoving on the first chance they get, so if I have an average/above average stack, I will usually play tighter and wait for them bust or for a hand to bust them with. After shortstacks are out of the way or the "wealth" is distributed, I attack bellow-average stacks which there are plenty.

If shortstacked, follow the push or fold strategy and when deep, I like to gamble against shortstacks calling their all-ins.
 
BigJamo

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Ordinary I don't do that and prefer to wait for good cards, but yesterday i decided to give it a try.
I was a chip leader (about 3x more than second place) after bubble and I thought that it may be interesting new experience.
I losted all coinflips, saved every shorty from fast extinction and was one of the first busted out :D
No more that sheriff stuff !
If you dont normally do it ... Then dont change your game too much just because of your stack size.
Sure, be more aggressive from a late position & try to steal when you can, but try not to see to many coinflips.
If you show loose tendencies at this point of the tourney, then a lot of villians will not take you seriously & try & chip up off you.
It's all about Dynamics & DJ somes it up well.
 
Fahrenheit451

Fahrenheit451

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OK, tnx, this site is real goldmine for newbies like me.
Of course I read books, but you can't argue with a book ;)

BigJamo, your disc. about building BR from scratch is very helpful cause I'm doing smthng similar at the moment.
 
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aina27

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It is difficult to think as playing in the free, but in any tilt you must study the rival and mas in this instance of the game, and play solid possible, like that mas you do not surprise the community letters
 
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