Let me know, How do you play at the start of a tournament?

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martina pinto

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how to start playing a tournament .. as you start you expect good hands and try to play them aggressively they go after those who play with any hand with tar to collect chips .. they say that in the first phase one has to wait since the blinds they are high and we do not need to risk a quick exit from a tournament for wanting sums at all costs .. there are times when hands are tempting and the flop does not give a perfect hand until we continue risking our stack without being able to achieve the goal .. how do you handle it?
 
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rafbam

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Play a lot, there ar as many types of players as there are players. Everybody plays different; even on different times you'll play different games.

Try to develop a strategy that feels good for you.

Ex. I have a fixed raise pre-flop. (sertenly in tournements) I'll always rais 3BB; no matter my hands are desent, good or exelent. This way you can't tell anything other than I (probably) have good hands.

A good thing to remember look at your opponents play certenly if they go al the way to showdown (then you can see with what cards they call/rais,...). So don't play multple tables until youre a pretty good player.
 
Bricxjo

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I definitely play tight at the beginning of a tournament. I do occasionally get a monster and follow it where it goes and end up out of the tournament.

Good luck to you,
Brian
 
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how to start playing a tournament .. as you start you expect good hands and try to play them aggressively they go after those who play with any hand with tar to collect chips .. they say that in the first phase one has to wait since the blinds they are high and we do not need to risk a quick exit from a tournament for wanting sums at all costs .. there are times when hands are tempting and the flop does not give a perfect hand until we continue risking our stack without being able to achieve the goal .. how do you handle it?
Your first mistake: never expect good hands, expect what you get, nothing more.
Your second mistake: trying to play too aggressively at the very start of a tournament, this strategy will hurt you more times than help you when playing online. [mainly because there are quite a few weak players who will call all your raises and will suck-out on their rag hands and knock you out of these online tournamets, I have seen this happen hundreds of times in my poker playing]

A tournament is like a marathon but you are thinking more like it is a 50 yard dash.
Take your time and wait for good cards and for position to take advantage of convincing other players before you to fold their weak hands by making large enough raises to make it not profitable for them to call.

Then play against only one or two other players with weaker hands then your good hands.
 
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Andrei Korolev

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All that you have listed, such a strategy and adhere...Patience...
 
Poker Orifice

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Your second mistake: trying to play too aggressively at the very start of a tournament, this strategy will hurt you more times than help you when playing online. [mainly because there are quite a few weak players who will call all your raises and will suck-out on their rag hands and knock you out of these online tournamets, I have seen this happen hundreds of times in my poker playing]


I hope it doesn't seem like I'm picking on you BUT I feel it necessary to ask you a question about what you're written above because you're making a statement that is false. (& my offer still stands but have noticed you haven't responded.. :( )
Don't we want to be getting into pots vs. weak players? I mean isn't that one of our goals when playing a tournament?
If we're choosing to play a TAG (Tight Aggressive) game in early levels, don't we want weak players to call us with 'rag hands'? Isn't that who we make our money from in the longrun? (& in the shortrun).
Why are we busting out vs. a weak player when they suckout with a rag hand in early levels? I mean I get it that it happens. Weak player could be calling us down & then hit their 4-outter while calling 2 streets with a gutshot... or Bottom pair & hitting trips on the river, etc. etc. etc. but in those cases I'd think we're still typically wanting villain to call while behind. Don't we?

"knock you out of these online tournaments"
When you say this I sense a feeling that online tournaments are filled with weak/bad players? That suckouts happen very often? Sure in freerolls & some mirco buyins (especially in early levels) you're going to see some pretty far out stuff... & in any buyin you'll often see some pretty far out crazy stuff (but often when happening it's not as a result of one player playing exceptionally Bad).
My personal experience playing online tournaments is >> the players are generally MUCH better than the ones I find at a casino who are playing the daily $100 tournaments... or the weekend $150's (or weekday $60, $80, $120, etc.). Maybe it's just the places I've played at, & the times of days, buyins & sites I've played at online. idk... (fwiw, I also find online cash game players in the lower buyins seem to be more skilled than the lower buyin tournament players.. & also find the low buyin cash game players are better than the $1/$2 live games (where I play anyways).
Is it different for you? (I'm guessing it is from reading your post unless I'm misinterpretting it)
 
Newzooozooo

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Hi.
Usually, at the beginning of the tournament, I try patiently to wait for a good card. I am constantly analyzing the game of my opponents, looking for weaknesses. And only later I start to play aggressively.
Good luck.
 
DougPkrMonsta

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Given the stacks are deepest at the start of tournaments they usually play similar to cash games where you are 100 plus big blinds deep.

I like to take some chances to build my stack early with pairs and suited connectors.

These hands play best when stacks are deep since when you connect there are plenty of chips to be won.

Best of luck!
 
PuMa8818

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no matter what the dynamics of the table, if everyone is sitting and waiting for a good hand, I will definitely collect their blinds if playing with maniacs, then I'll wait for a strong hand or I'll be cheaper on the flop with an average
 
PuMa8818

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Your first mistake: never expect good hands, expect what you get, nothing more.
Your second mistake: trying to play too aggressively at the very start of a tournament, this strategy will hurt you more times than help you when playing online. [mainly because there are quite a few weak players who will call all your raises and will suck-out on their rag hands and knock you out of these online tournamets, I have seen this happen hundreds of times in my poker playing]

A tournament is like a marathon but you are thinking more like it is a 50 yard dash.
Take your time and wait for good cards and for position to take advantage of convincing other players before you to fold their weak hands by making large enough raises to make it not profitable for them to call.

Then play against only one or two other players with weaker hands then your good hands.
of course, weak players will open bluffs and on the fifth pair, but still with weak players and stacks are stuffed
 
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Play a wider range of hands and try to see the flop as cheaply as possible to be honest about it. If you hold an upper pair you have to negotiate to find out if your opponent holds a better hand—the problem artists when you hold qq and opponent holds ak which is s coin toss. In that case don’t reraise just wait for the flop.
 
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pauloandre100

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Play a tight range, no bluff. Play in position
 
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I hope it doesn't seem like I'm picking on you BUT I feel it necessary to ask you a question about what you're written above because you're making a statement that is false. (& my offer still stands but have noticed you haven't responded.. :( )
Don't we want to be getting into pots vs. weak players? I mean isn't that one of our goals when playing a tournament?
If we're choosing to play a TAG (Tight Aggressive) game in early levels, don't we want weak players to call us with 'rag hands'? Isn't that who we make our money from in the longrun? (& in the shortrun).
Why are we busting out vs. a weak player when they suckout with a rag hand in early levels? I mean I get it that it happens. Weak player could be calling us down & then hit their 4-outter while calling 2 streets with a gutshot... or Bottom pair & hitting trips on the river, etc. etc. etc. but in those cases I'd think we're still typically wanting villain to call while behind. Don't we?

"knock you out of these online tournaments"
When you say this I sense a feeling that online tournaments are filled with weak/bad players? That suckouts happen very often? Sure in freerolls & some mirco buyins (especially in early levels) you're going to see some pretty far out stuff... & in any buyin you'll often see some pretty far out crazy stuff (but often when happening it's not as a result of one player playing exceptionally Bad).
My personal experience playing online tournaments is >> the players are generally MUCH better than the ones I find at a casino who are playing the daily $100 tournaments... or the weekend $150's (or weekday $60, $80, $120, etc.). Maybe it's just the places I've played at, & the times of days, buyins & sites I've played at online. idk... (fwiw, I also find online cash game players in the lower buyins seem to be more skilled than the lower buyin tournament players.. & also find the low buyin cash game players are better than the $1/$2 live games (where I play anyways).
Is it different for you? (I'm guessing it is from reading your post unless I'm misinterpretting it)
Hi Poker Orifice,
Responding to your assertionthat what I had written about “ The second mistake” is FALSE
With all due respect, you don’t have the slightest idea what you are talking about concerning my comments on this statement.
I have played in tens of thousands of tournaments ONLINE in the last 15 years of online poker, and have witnessed thousands upon thousands of these situations of the strongest hands busting out at the beginning of these tournaments from absolutely rag hands, by allowing themselves to blindly call ALL-IN PREFLOPs and hoping that their hands hold up.
Playing these types of bingo game strategies at the start of any tournament [ONLINE] is just foolish, because the TOTAL elimination of control to hand outcomes is a suckers game when going blindly to an allin preflop.
Any superior playing skill a player may hold over their opponent is then nullified from using these strategies particularly at the very beginning of a tournament…..[IMHO].

My statement was solely directed for these quasi real tournaments that are only held electronically [online].
 
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I like to play loose and tighten up after late registration
 
Vuske111

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I play tight at the beginning,wait for a good hands,if i get big stack at the beginning i try to save it and not blew it on few bad bluffs
 
djoepadilha

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hard tight on !
some open raise with good position and hand, but the most important thing and most common, NEVER DO ALL IN PRE FLOP, not even with AA or KK cz it is a really bad choice
 
mariale_1990

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I start the game with great care and try to analyze the best I can to the rest of the players
 
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At the start of the tournament, I play a little loose during the first two levels. I do this carefully so I don't put my tournament at risk, but when the blinds are low I think it is a good time to get a good stack early in the tournament.
 
playinggameswithu

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Nut strong speculative solid LAG. That is how you should play begining of tournament. Speculative LAG Rock. The chips are worthless at the begining so you only want to play for stacks with the nuts literally. hands like any pocket pair,caution with KK and QQ and AA. 53s,56s76s etc. You have plenty of BB to wait for a nut hand. Don't play tight play STRONG nut strong. Play speculative hands they could hit big. Avoid all ins unless you literally have aces. I'd fold Kings because Ax is literally 30% equity which is too much for begining of tourney where you win useless chip medium or lose tournament life...not worth it. Of course if a guy is going all in every hand and has 37o i'd call because chances are he doesnt have an ace after the third hand and I got the aces ratio over him 4 to 1.
 
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ammje

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I have read that in the early stages you do not have to play many hands.If I have a good project on the flop I risk to try to double my stack, and try to reach further in the tournament.
 
damgold

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I play tight and out of position i play only with hands strongs
 
Edison A

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I play tight and avoid hands with many players
 
bruno13xs

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in the first game hands and cautious to evaluate the player then I pretty aggressive
 
Poker Orifice

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Hi Poker Orifice,
Responding to your assertionthat what I had written about “ The second mistake” is FALSE
With all due respect, you don’t have the slightest idea what you are talking about concerning my comments on this statement.
I have played in tens of thousands of tournaments ONLINE in the last 15 years of online poker, and have witnessed thousands upon thousands of these situations of the strongest hands busting out at the beginning of these tournaments from absolutely rag hands, by allowing themselves to blindly call ALL-IN PREFLOPs and hoping that their hands hold up.
Playing these types of bingo game strategies at the start of any tournament [ONLINE] is just foolish, because the TOTAL elimination of control to hand outcomes is a suckers game when going blindly to an allin preflop.
Any superior playing skill a player may hold over their opponent is then nullified from using these strategies particularly at the very beginning of a tournament…..[IMHO].

My statement was solely directed for these quasi real tournaments that are only held electronically [online].


OMG you really don't have a clue what you're talking about. Unless when you say 'online tournaments' you're referring to a number of the offerings that some of the sites make by holding freerolls with just a HUGE number of entrants and then yah of course you get a bunch of players who could care less and are shoving it allin in early levels with atc's. This must be the games you're referring to. I mean typically in online tournaments you don't see players open-shoving 100bb stacks... or 50bb stacks. I'm wondering where this observation for you is coming from?

And your comment 'quasi real' 'held electronically'. Sounds like you're hoping to get moved to the rigtard thread.

btw, unfortunately I'll have to retract my previous offer... yah... you know... the one you ignored. I think we both know why. :elefant::elefant::elefant:
 
Poker Orifice

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NBB why are YOU assuming that playing aggressively means going allin? I'd suggest re-reading my first comment but I'm certain it's gone right over your head :(
 
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