Tournament Strategy question.

[Chutups]

I was wondering what strategy you guys use in the tournaments. I've been playing a lot of 20$ and 30$ buy in tourneys on party and I can usually make it to at least the money. But I can never seem to get enough chips to last longer into the money like to the final table. I usually play really tight, and occasionnaly try to steal some blinds when the blinds are so high. I usually get my stack so low that I have to just start going all in.

[jimmytheg]

Not to be captain obvious or anything, but you need to accumulate chips in a tournament to go far....which means taking calculated risks. Seeing more flops for cheap, in late position, is something I try to do. You cant just sit back and wait for premium hands in these online tournies where the blinds go up every 15 min...you just wont get enough. Try and isolate weak-tight players, be willing to have a little of the worse of it when entering the hand, and play more after the flop.

Conversely, when up against over aggresive players, let them do the betting for you. It is worth it sometimes to let a guy draw at a tiny chance of beating you, with the expectation that they will pay you off huge if they dont. I.E., you have top two or a set, but a flush draw is out there. They bet into you, and while you normally would reraise to protect your hand, just smooth call. You are risking the loss of a small/medium pot, but upping the chance you will win a monster pot. These over aggresive types will keep leading at the pot after the turn even if they dont hit, which is when you can nail em. And if they do happen to hit, just shrug it off and keep on playing.

You want to win the most possible when you do happen to hit a monster...and sometimes you have to take a little risk if you want to break a guy and really build a big stack. In these online tournies the payouts are soo top heavy, one 3rd place finish is the equivilant of 10 or more 12th or so finishes. I guess, to sum it up, you don't always need to protect your strong hands with huge bets and reraises. Sometimes, in order to make the maximum on your big hands, you need to trust the poker gods and let the odds play out by giving an over aggresive maniac a chance to hang himself....instead of just taking the pot at an early stage. Yes, this might lead to a bad beat and some really pissed off moments. But tourneys are about top 3 finishes, and it takes risk to build that many chips......unless you happen to get aces 6 times and they all hold up.

I know some will flame away and call this advice stupid...but if you play like you are always scared you will get drawn out on, then you will never accumulate enough to be a force in a given tourney. The thought process that tournaments are all about survival is good for limping into the money, but not for actually winning...not in these online tournies. The goal is to win, and to win, you gotta take risks....they wont always come out the way you want....but sometimes they do. And that's when you get a monster stack to ride to the final 3 or 4...and hopefully win

[ChipFish]

I won't tell you exactly how I play, but I'll offer some advice...
(remember, it's free advice so you get what you pay for)

#1. Play very tight in the first 3 levels.
Even if you win a big pot in level one, you may only be winning 3-400 chips.
This is a very insignificant amount of chips in the grand scheme of things.

#2. Tourney play is about survival.
Do not allow your chips to be put at risk unless you want them to be.
Lay down big hands if need be (within reason).

#3. Do not waste chips seeing flops.
If you have 2 suited connectors, and there are 3 or more in the pot, why bother? The only way you will be in a good spot is if you hit a nut straight.
Especially with low connectors.
Your flush is usually no good if you are playing low to mid connectors.
Pairs are useless for you unless you hit trips or 2 pair. (Even then you are at risk).
You will find that for every pot you drag in with your low to mid suited connectors, you will have bled away the same to more in missed flops.

#4. Get a tight table image.
Stronger players will be taking notes, and/or remember how you play at their table. Use this later on. Which leads to:

#5. Be prepared to Switch gears...
Usually after the first hour it is safe to loosen up. (Especially against smaller stacks.)

#6. Don't steal blinds until....
Don't steal worthless blinds...
Why steal blinds at the 25-50 range?
Pro--- You win 75 worth of chips.
Con--- You get sucked into a hand you shouldn't be playing.
The con outweighs the pro in this case. wait until the 50-100 or higher.

#7. Switch gears again.
After playing weak hands and showing down (hopefully winners )
you will immediately lose your tight image.
Before the bubble tighten up again.

#8. Bubble time....
Attack mid-to low stacks with a vengence.
They only see the money now, they just want to cash and will basically post their blinds right into your stack if you ask them nicely.

#9. "A Chip and a Chair"
DO NOT QUIT
If you have chips in front of you, make others earn them from you.

#10. Be aggressive.
Always be aggressive with whatever hand you play.



Hope these help to get you started.

[Chutups]

Thanks Jimmy and Fish, I will to imput these strategy in the next tournament I play. I guess I am just playing to on the defensive side and not being to accumalte chips. I will give an update on my progress. Thanks again.

[badblood44]

One strategy that seems to work pretty well is the following:

Near the bubble, DO NOT attack the short stack. The short stack is your friend. You'll find that those just above the shortest stack and near the bubble themselves are just waiting for the short stack to bust out. Attack them. They will more easily fold to a blind steal or bluff raise since they'd just assume sit and wait until the short stack busts out.

[jdiana86]

I like to use the play supertight first three levels strategy, but it seems that once you get into the money there is really no point in trying to working your way up the prizepool....Once I'm in the money it's practically like final table or bust.

[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.

[SirFWALGMan]

Nothing wrong with getting into the Money! I assume your talking about SNG's? If your problem is when you get down to three people you get tanked maybe you are being too passive. Basically when you get down to three (at least on Empire/Party) it becomes a crap shoot. The blinds are HUGE compared with the money you have, and you have to be aggresive as hell. If I am short stacked I will go all in with any face card, and any pair. If I am chip leader I will also call most all-in's with these cards because you cannot wait and be blinded down. It's all aggression, a little bluff, a little luck, and so be it.

[Chutups]

I do pretty well in Sit and Go's I meant tourneys with a bunch of people, I don't mind making the money at all, but I would like to have more chips when I do so have a chance to try to get to the final table. Thanks again everyone for the advice, I'm gonna try to implement these strategies when I play again, hopefully this weekend.

[drewjax]

Chutups, I am in the same boat. I usually play tight, hardly ever get knocked out early, and make it down toward the end. Placed 3rd and 4th in multi table tourneys the past few days (albeit small # of entrants). But I also find myself short stacked toward the end. My ability to play the short stack has improved, but I need more chips to win a tourney (and keep from a heart attack). Some of the advise here is good. But like any other situation, there is no substitute for experience. Keep playing and dont alter your game completely. Just make small adjustments here and there.
Hey, I should just take my own advise. lol

[GeoffM]

I agree with this statement. I must also say that winning your first multi-table tourney is the biggest hump to overcome. I think once you win your first you will start winning more here and there. You gotta try and break the ice and it may take some time.

[ChipFish]

That is so true LMAO!
I can't count the times I'll be shortstacked to mid-stacked, very late in a tourney and be screaming "NO KING NO KING NO KING!" at the top of my lungs at 4am. Mrs. ChipFish is rarely pleased with this.

[jdiana86]

yea, me too, except it's NO ACE NO ACE, and it's in my head

[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

[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.

[Tilter]

3 words, become a fox. Thats how all the good tourney players do it!

[ChipFish]

If that's you in the picture,... You're already 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

[DaTruPoker]

First hour I barely play any hands out of my blinds. I try not to invest alot of chips in any single hand, esp preflop unless I have aces or kings. Just not enough in the pot to raise preflop and take blinds. After about he 2nd hour on stars, 1.5 hrs on Party I change it up. Hopefully, if I didnt get fked, i have an avg stack. I start rasing many many pots. I will raise with almost any hand I can easily get away from if someone comes over the top. if the blinds are at least like 100-200 I will raise with ANY hand if no1 has entered the pot and I am within 3 seats of the button. I seem to get in he most trouble when I raise with hands like aj, kq, A10 and mid PPs. Then i have crucuial decisions to make whether or not to call. however, if I raise it with 10-4 and some1 comes over the top I can much without thinking twice.

This startegy is especially good if you get a little rush and people call you down. Nothing is better when you make your normal aggresive raise with AA and someone comes over the top on a HUGE re raise thinking your are bluffing.

[BrianSwa]

so your gonna raise with any hand as long as your in late position man your gonna get so trapped by someone that knows what there doing!!! someone is gonna trap you then your gonna hit something think your best then there gonna RAPE you hard!!!!!