Tournament Strategy question.

[GeoffM]

You will likely have to win a couple of coin flip hands as well to get to the final table. If you have a decent and someone puts you all in, don't be scared to enter into a race. If you lose, you lose, but at least you took your shot. I also agree though that stealing blinds is almost entirely pointless, and the only time I'll do it is with a border-line hand and normally only if I'm on the button only. Plus, it makes no difference how big the blinds are that you're stealing, because they are only minimum bets at that point.

[badblood44]

I disagree about the importance of stealing blinds.

If you can successfully do it, it buys you at least another free orbit around the table. Also, while the blinds are only 1.5 bets, it may get to the point that those 1.5 bets represent a healthy chunk of your stack.

Stealing blinds is an art and if mastered can keep you in the tournament longer and gives you the chance to make your move with premium hands.

[GeoffM]

This is my 400th post, where are the balloons and sirens .

I really don't like stealing blinds except when I am button or sometimes SB just taking the BB bet. Stealing blinds can get you into all sorts of trouble, especially when you try to do it with rags and you get caught by someone who has a good hand. Can cost you a lot of money just to take 1.5 bets in your stack, and those can often cost you the risk of a few bets to try and steal.

[Jackass_man]

Tournament strategy?

Go hard or go home,You have ti be willing to take big risks to win tourneys, you have to push with premium hands and hope someone calls with a worse hand, you have to BLUFF! I've had some tourney success lately and alot of it comes down to pushing with pocket pairs. I had a hand of pct 88 when I guy in early position raises about 6 x BB , at the time I had double the chips on the guy. I reraised him, the flop was 4 Q 9 , He bet out a pot sized bet and I put him all in , he called with AJ I won. You have to get chips and use them to your advantage, I like being the bully, if I bet preflop and got called and completely missed the flop I'm going to put a big bet on the flop 'cause if the guy missed or caught second pair he probably will let it go, if he reraised boom let it go. Controlled aggresion is the name of the game and you've got to take risks if you want to win and no just make the money.

[jimmytheg]

The problem with only trying to steal from the button is that strong players know the button is a steal position, and will defend their blinds by smooth calling or playing back at you with garbage.

Late in online multitable tournies, Im talking about down to the last 5 or ten percent of people left, the average stack is usually somewhere between 5 to 7 rounds...i.e. small and big blind (plus antes on some sites) together. Stealing blinds is absolutely CRITICAL at this point if you wish to survive and not get blinded away. And not just taking the blinds steals, realizing that someone is trying to steal the blinds and restealing from them is a monster play that usually results in at least 5 rounds of bets.

That's my perferred play, the resteal. Because it accomplishes the task of 2 to 3 blind steals, and has less of a chance of being called to begin with. Also, when i do get a big stack, I'm more willing to smoothcall a raise preflop when I have position. That's because I like playing after the flop though, Im not really advising it for the most part. With position, against a smaller stack who isnt desperate and has chips to play on with, seeing a flop gives you oppourtunities to take the pot away a lot. When faced with a raise after the flop, it's very easy for your opponent to find ways that he is beat and lay down his hand.

And to be clear, I'm not advising doing this a lot, because you wont have too. A couple of these plays with discretion will go along way to buliding your stack and rolling along to the final table, which is the only place you wanna be

[SirFWALGMan]

I think stealing blinds is NECESSARY when you get to the final levels. I was 40th place, out of the money in my last tourney and a few stolen blinds put me back up to a workable stack and got me to 25th where I melted down. You need to be smart about it, and try it with hands that are marginal but can hold-up if they flop well. Do not try it with 72o. I will try it alot with Ax in late-mid to late position. I also do not do it every time or else people will just call you all the time.

[Aequitas58]

Likely? In a MTT, you will definitely need to win your fair share of coin flips. This is exactly the "luck" people talk about.

[jimmytheg]

I don't necessarily agree with that. I think that the luck factor has to do more with having your dominating hands hold up. I.E. having your QQ hold up to JJ....or your AK stick against AQ.

Personally I try to avoid coinflips at all costs unless I am a short stack and have no choice. But that just goes along with my style of playing more after the flop, and grinding out pots here and there.

[Aequitas58]

It doesn't take luck for pocket queens to beat pocket jacks. How is that luck if queens already have the advantage.

Try to avoid coinflips - I guess - but you can't wait around for premium hands, either.

[jimmytheg]

i mean avoid getting unlucky....a reverse luck factor if you will.

and when i say avoid coinflips it doesnt mean just playing premium hands, it means avoiding situations where all the money goes in preflop on so-so hands.....pertains to playing after the flop and pushing weak tight players off their hands