Profitable MTT game selection

[rickblackdog]

MTT folks, what are the best games types to build a bank roll? I’ve just finished 525th in a field of 15k players and I’m just not sure it’s worth the 4 hours time I invested.

I played 3 other SnG’s this Evening, total profit $3.

I’ve had a few final tables with these kind of tourneys but the amount of time it takes, often for little to no reward, is frustrating.

Any tips on better game selection? Yes my goal is to improve my tourney game but but I’d prefer to build my roll up as I do. I usually play $2-11 buy in. I’ve had more success when I’ve played bigger buy ins.

 

[vittopio]

What does more success mean in big buy-in tournaments? Do you often get prizes in expensive tournaments? Maybe you just play them more responsibly or did you come across lighter rivals? What distance are you talking about? There are a lot of puzzles in your post!

 

[rickblackdog]

What does more success mean in big buy-in tournaments? Do you often get prizes in expensive tournaments? Maybe you just play them more responsibly or did you come across lighter rivals? What distance are you talking about? There are a lot of puzzles in your post!

I’ve had more success at bigger buy ins possibly because the players are better & I find it easier to range them than fish at the lower limits who often play bad starting hands & suck out (like the guy today with Q6s > my AA). Or maybe I was lucky on the occasions I chose to play bigger tourneys. I don’t play them any differently than lower limits.

Maybe I’m just not putting in enough volume to see results. I know the huge field MTTs are high variance. Just wonder if I’m missing a trick in my game selection.

 

[ph_il]

at the moment, i really enjoy micro-stakes re-buy, add-on mtts with guaranteed prize pools but only if it has the following:

• deep(ish) starting stack with large add-on
• normal blind (10-12 minutes)
• late registration ends after add-on period
• small fields

since i only late register into my mtts, playing rb/a games allows me to start the mid-late stages with decently sized stack. for example, i might start with a 15 bb stack when i buy-in during the add-on break and the add on gives me another 20 bbs, giving me 35 bbs to start with. or, if it's a large guaranteed game, i might re-buy right before the add-on break, then take the add on, giving me 50 bbs to start with.

since, the re-buy period ends after the add-on, the game turns into a freezeout with about 25% of field already gone. not everyone takes the add-on option, so there are a lot of short stacks remaining, so 25% of the remaining will be dropping very soon. so, i only have to get through a much smaller field than i would if i started from the beginning. even though i give up spots for easy money at the beginning, taking the add-on or re-buy and add-on will put me near or above average stack for the field. then it's just about being able to play mid-late stages well and just running hot in key pots. it's not guaranteed i'll run deep, but i put myself in a very good position to do so.

by late registering, i also limit my total buy-ins into rb/a mtts, so it's a lot easier on the bankroll. and since i'm starting with a percentage of the field gone, and because i think my mid-late stage game is decent enough to be profitable, my odds of a final table run increases.

there are very few mtts that'll allow me to late register and still end up starting with near or at an average stack starting at 25-50+ bbs, while having late registration end. i cant start with a 50 bb stack in a re-entry or freezeout mtt and have late registration end at the same time. if i start with a 50 bb stack in a re-entry, i likely have 60+ minutes of late registration time. or, if i buy-in right before late registration ends, i start with a 5-10 bb stack.

on top of that, with late registering into rb/a mtts for 50+ bbs, i only have to work towards making it to the final table and get through the remaining players once. lets say it takes 2.5 hours go get through everyone remaining and win the mtt. (it's fast because blinds are high, not everyone takes the add-on, and short stacks bust out quickly). with late registering into a re-entry mtt for the same 50 bbs, i have to still get through the remaining late registration, lets say 90 minutes remaining. and i still have to get through the remaining players, sometimes multiple times. this increases the variance as i could find myself in spots for big pots/my mtt life more than i would playing the end stages of a rb/a mtt, which means my chances of busting out also increases.

in conclusion, playing deep stack rb/a mtts with a guaranteed prize pool and taking the add-on option during the last minutes of the late registration means:

• i start with or near average stacks
• i have less of the field to get through
• there is less variance (because of less players)
• only 1 total buy-in used (better for maintaining bankroll)
• i play for less time (higher $/hour)
• i save 60+ minutes of time by not playing from the start (personal preference)
• con: i skip out on easy money from the start (but i'm fine with this)

 

[rickblackdog]

at the moment, i really enjoy micro-stakes re-buy, add-on mtts with guaranteed prize pools but only if it has the following:

• deep(ish) starting stack with large add-on
• normal blind (10-12 minutes)
• late registration ends after add-on period
• small fields

since i only late register into my mtts, playing rb/a games allows me to start the mid-late stages with decently sized stack. for example, i might start with a 15 bb stack when i buy-in during the add-on break and the add on gives me another 20 bbs, giving me 35 bbs to start with. or, if it's a large guaranteed game, i might re-buy right before the add-on break, then take the add on, giving me 50 bbs to start with.

since, the re-buy period ends after the add-on, the game turns into a freezeout with about 25% of field already gone. not everyone takes the add-on option, so there are a lot of short stacks remaining, so 25% of the remaining will be dropping very soon. so, i only have to get through a much smaller field than i would if i started from the beginning. even though i give up spots for easy money at the beginning, taking the add-on or re-buy and add-on will put me near or above average stack for the field. then it's just about being able to play mid-late stages well and just running hot in key pots. it's not guaranteed i'll run deep, but i put myself in a very good position to do so.

by late registering, i also limit my total buy-ins into rb/a mtts, so it's a lot easier on the bankroll. and since i'm starting with a percentage of the field gone, and because i think my mid-late stage game is decent enough to be profitable, my odds of a final table run increases.

there are very few mtts that'll allow me to late register and still end up starting with near or at an average stack starting at 25-50+ bbs, while having late registration end. i cant start with a 50 bb stack in a re-entry or freezeout mtt and have late registration end at the same time. if i start with a 50 bb stack in a re-entry, i likely have 60+ minutes of late registration time. or, if i buy-in right before late registration ends, i start with a 5-10 bb stack.

on top of that, with late registering into rb/a mtts for 50+ bbs, i only have to work towards making it to the final table and get through the remaining players once. lets say it takes 2.5 hours go get through everyone remaining and win the mtt. (it's fast because blinds are high, not everyone takes the add-on, and short stacks bust out quickly). with late registering into a re-entry mtt for the same 50 bbs, i have to still get through the remaining late registration, lets say 90 minutes remaining. and i still have to get through the remaining players, sometimes multiple times. this increases the variance as i could find myself in spots for big pots/my mtt life more than i would playing the end stages of a rb/a mtt, which means my chances of busting out also increases.

in conclusion, playing deep stack rb/a mtts with a guaranteed prize pool and taking the add-on option during the last minutes of the late registration means:

• i start with or near average stacks
• i have less of the field to get through
• there is less variance (because of less players)
• only 1 total buy-in used (better for maintaining bankroll)
• i play for less time (higher $/hour)
• i save 60+ minutes of time by not playing from the start (personal preference)
• con: i skip out on easy money from the start (but i'm fine with this)

I had never thought of this - genius strategy! I shall give it a go. Thanks for sharing