tournments

[kavelot]

I'm usually playing 45 players $1+$0.1 tournments on pokerstars, and I get on the money pretty often (enough to profit from playing it)
but I see too much variation

my basic strategy on these tournments is to wait premium hands when blinds are lower than 150 and push harder with them... if someone calls me when I belive I have the best hand and there's any kind of draw (even a inside straight draw), I'll bet at least pot-size (usually will go all-in)
I prefer winning the raise I did pre-flop than stupid players drawing without odds
but even like that, some of them do that and that's a big problem because it's hard to be more than 70% favourite
and if you're 70% favourite 3 times, the chances that you will win all of them be only 34%

when the blinds go higher, I start to play more loose (but not so often, because it's a 45-players tournment, so the table is always with about 8-9 players)... for example, I start to raise 3xBB with A7+ or K9+ on middle-to-last position
but I still get called by QJ, TJ... and many times I get have to go all-in)
and, again, I may be 70% favourite, but I have to get lucky to not lose 1 of 3 times when I'm 70% favourite... and maybe I'm all-in in one of these times

so what constantly frustrates me is that play well (not saying I'm a poker master, otherwise I wouldn't be playing $1 tournment), but constantly get bad beats

so of course my strategy would need some updates (and probably more observation on the players), but do you think I could get more lucky playing with better players (ie, more expensive tournments)?

 

[CfPoker]

You're going to require luck to win any tournament. 70% vs 30% is by no means a bad beat.

One issue you might consider is if you feel you're in these all in situations a lot then consider why you're in this position. Not building a stack early enough? Clashing with people who outchip you, etc. The best tournament you can play is one where you're never all in.

 

[kavelot]

You're going to require luck to win any tournament. 70% vs 30% is by no means a bad beat.

One issue you might consider is if you feel you're in these all in situations a lot then consider why you're in this position. Not building a stack early enough? Clashing with people who outchip you, etc. The best tournament you can play is one where you're never all in.

that's the problem, I'd love to not go all-in
but on these $1 tournments, guy catches AJ, KQ or 33 and goes all-in
if I have like AK or QQ or even AQ depending on the guy, I think must call... and then there's a chance for a bad beat
that's great on ring games, because I know I made the right move and I'll win on the long-run... but on tournments, a mistake or a bad beat puts you out

btw, I consider 70% vs 30% a bad beat when 30% wins... otherwise you can't call A2 vs KK pre-flop a bad beat if A2 wins

 

[CfPoker]

btw, I consider 70% vs 30% a bad beat when 30% wins... otherwise you can't call A2 vs KK pre-flop a bad beat if A2 wins

But I don't consider this a bad beat

KK is great, and being able to get it aipf is great, but you have to accept if you get called by Ax it is going to hit every now and then.

The only thing I would consider a bad beat preflop is a dominating pocket pair, eg, AA vs AK, 77 vs 74. Or AA getting beat

 

[feitr]

Sure you won't win every all in, but if you are, as you seem to indicate, say shoving AK post flop after you hit TPTK and getting called by some crappy hand, then you should have plenty of chips. The idea is to accumulate enough chips that losing an all in doesn't cripple you. If you are constantly shoving and not getting called, you might want to reconsider your strategy. Sure shoving protects your hand, but it also prevents you from getting the full worth out of your hand. If this leaves you short stacked, it would explain your problem with having to win so many all in preflop hands. Also you might want to consider who you are stacking off vs. If you are in a good position it isn't wise to get too committed to a pot with one of the few stacks that cover you.

but on tournments, a mistake or a bad beat puts you out

It sounds to me like you are always short stacked in which case yes you do need to get lucky because if you lose any all in you are out. Sure in some cases a bad beat is still going to put you out, but if you have accumulated alot of chips you can survive one or two beats. But the larger the field the luckier you have to get. I'm not a fan of big SNGs at all.

I really would reconsider your strategy however. The fact is you DO want people drawing without odds...you want it every time. If you hit TPTK with AK and only get the 200 chip preflop raise you are not maximizing your chip accumulation which will get you in big big trouble once the blinds start to rise. I think shoving the flop with a good hand has its merits in certain circumstances, but it is more applicable when the blinds are HUGE--normally when you are in an MTT with like 5k blinds etc and there is a huge amount of money in the pot. It is a different matter to overbet/shove the flop to increase your stack by 1/3 as in late stages of an MTT as it is to gain like 1/10th of your stack in a SnG by shoving.