In the Money Play

[thehangdude]

I play exclusively freerolls at the moment. I am to a point where I can get to the money a third of the time (ACR). I do so by protecting my stack, nibbling away, and trying not to chase or bluff too often.

But I find it hard to get deep into the money. By the start of the third hour, I rarely have over 20BB. I end up shoving a middle pair or strong Ace.

Any advice? Should I try harder to build my stack, even if it comes at the expense being ITM? How should my play change after the first hour?

 

[Evan Jarvis]

I play exclusively freerolls at the moment. I am to a point where I can get to the money a third of the time (ACR). I do so by protecting my stack, nibbling away, and trying not to chase or bluff too often.

But I find it hard to get deep into the money. By the start of the third hour, I rarely have over 20BB. I end up shoving a middle pair or strong Ace.

Any advice? Should I try harder to build my stack, even if it comes at the expense being ITM? How should my play change after the first hour?

Learning how to rejam and play the various stack sizes will help you go a long way.

I talk about it in depth in my MTT guide https://pokermarket.net/products/mtt-video-strategy-guide (which is going to be going on sale this weekend so keep an eye on it!)

And yes, playing to win rather than playing to cash will make you more money in the long run. This is the preferred approach of all the pro MTT players I know :icon_sant

Hope that helps!

 

[Fernet]

Value bet

Hello, at first you should play tight and aggressive, play for value, try to double down, and see more flops there, but it is essential to play for value, get the most value out of your good hands, the selection of hands is very important, I think if you are close to the bubble there is little point in taking risks unless you have a very good hand

 

[Alekxandrovi3]

Need practice. It is always difficult to change the habits of the game after a long time. It is necessary to monitor how the table plays. Then pull yourself together and play. If the table is playing average hands and it’s too scary for you to play junior aces, then try to overpower yourself. This is of course not easy. Just try your best. Recently, I really want to change my tight game to a flexible game that will depend on the table. It’s not so easy and I have to overpower myself. Because I know that over time I will play only better.

 

[Cheshire]

Newer to online tournaments. In free rolls I have noticed that if I play very aggressively in the early game once there is about 50% of the players left I am sitting in the top 10%. Now that being said more tournaments than not I don't make it to the first break BUT I am higher in the money because I end up with a larger stack. So far in a small sampling (20 tournaments, 10 each way - other is a more traditional approach) . I am playing less but winning more. My goal in aggressively playing is to be in the top 15% of chips approximately.

 

[DS3]

First off, watch Evan Jarvis' video links as he gives clear direction regarding what you should be trying to accomplish in an MTT!

The second thing is, I am in a similar situation to you, mainly playing free rolls at this juncture, Nonetheless I try to develop good habits and have all my tourney cashes on a comprehensive spreadsheet.

The key stat I follow is how many final tables do I make out of total cashes? I am happy with the percentage but, always use it to drive my game and (as with Evans coaching tips) understand at times I need to open up my game and broaden my range.

Sometimes you will fail and other times not- experience will help you cope with the beats. However the chances are you are not going to final table with regularity unless you are actively targeting to do so, which entails making plays that are at times, out of your comfort zone.

Good luck!