What is more important in tournament? Staying alive, or fight to make big value?

[alienat3d]

Well this is a very interesting thread and theme. I am personally playing no cash games, but a lot of tournaments. Like half of my games are STTs and the other MTTs. My bankroll can afford me to play low STTs and micro MTTs. Some years ago i was grinding like 90% of time STTs 9MAX and i think that at STT game is really more important to get into top 3, where you get paid and then after that trying to overplay your opponents at 3-handed action. On a distance such tactic seems to work well and "tight is right", especially at the beginning of the game. But i found it very quickly it doesn't work that good for micro MTTs or freerolls. If i try to play decent, i mean not like a stone-nit, but decent. Aggressively playing good hands or some hands with a potency to hit monster, like connectors or gap-suited connectors and low pairs. I am playing them only in position of course. But the problem is, most time i find myself as a short stack on a bubble, cause pretty much time i see super-aggressive play, like monkey-bingo, where you hardly can play anything, except pushing premium hands from 10% range or something like that. And it eats stack up, cause obviously such hands are coming not that often. So what have i do there, gambling like a donkey from the beginning on and hoping i could double or triple up for gambling further? Is this kind of strategy for micro MTTs and Freerolls or what can you do else?
By the way i have already some experience playing middle MTTs like for $20 or $55 and of course it's a totally different story. Tables are much tighter and people playing more reasonable and decent. I think at such limits it would be kinda profitable to be more loose-aggro, if you can do that well and not find yourself being trapped giving your stack on bluff. But at micros.. so far i see no chance for such tactics. Either you gamble with donkeys for whole your stack with a trash like they do, so you are kinda a donkey at that moment too, but could get lucky. Or you trying to play decent and see how your stack getting shorter. Or maybe once in a while you could have a good run having a several good hands without being card dead or bad beated and get to the final table. But it happen extremely rarely to me, to be honest.

 

[Jester36rus]

What about balanced game? But while u alive u in game. So more chances to hit the bubble, or to take more profitable place. But usually all tasty places are in the final table. So, if u can be alive till this one...

 

[PKRNRS]

Got to play for big stacks. I have been an ~25-30% winner but my ROI suffers due to some low end cashes. I was always trying to survive and get ITM. Now i'mmore focus on winning big stacks

 

[Tricky123bet]

Especially in freerolls I find that fighting for the min cash is kind of useless. If you play a good aggressive game and know when you can get in your stack favourably against fish, you will be able to have a big stack at the bubble, rather than a small one. And then your chances of getting to the FT increases, and that's where the actual money comes from freerolls.

 

[pietpikel]

Many poker players say that we often have to get to ITM, and then risk more in the game, there are some factors that we must observe in this strategy.
If we are not going to risk our chips, we run the risk that they will end before we even get to ITM, I believe that when we enter a tournament we must play hard and without fear that the chips will end, the main objective will be to have an extra strategy not to play, We need to play with caution, but firmly to gradually raise our stacks of chips so that we can deal with the players who have the most chips when they enter ITM

Most of the medium sized tournaments you play are front loaded towards the top 5 or 6 players. While it is good to get to the money, it is not good to invest huge amounts of time, getting to the money, with no chance of getting to the big money. You would be better off playing cash for the 4 hours you have wasted getting nowhere.

SO in a 65 player live tournament, which can take 6 hours, it is no good just limping to the final table. You have to get there in good or reasonable shape, giving yourself a chance to win it. That means that you have to take some risk. It is a better use of your resources (time and energy).

You also need to be aware of who is playing the cash tables (ie. if you get knocked out).

Are there some nice fish ?
Are a few tournament players playing cash on tilt ?

In taking risk, sometimes it is better to risk things earlier than later. Don't limp to the final table short stacked, wasting time, with no real chance. Rather take that risk earlier, and if it fails you can still do well elsewhere, while your energy is good.

 

[Rational Madman]

In tournaments surviving is more important but in order to survive you need value for your wins... I know, it's all self-contradicting and you need to have an inner fight at every stage of it... God I love cash games.

 

[AleksandrRUS]

I think that strategy is one of the main advantages of each player, and should be, without it, the game will not work. And you can not be afraid to lose either, but you did not make any meaningful actions either.

 

[m_christova]

Reading your opponent is really important. In one tournament I had AA in the FIRST hand given. Each time I bet, my oponent called. I didn't get suspicious and I lost. He had a triplet. :-(

 

[leon_fush]

All of the situation, the bubble needs to survive ... at the beginning of the tournament it struggles to get to the prizes and this will be the most important result of the game when you are paid for all your decisions

 

[Badbunny]

First one I think is important still alive in the tournament, don't worry if u have a little chips cuz when the BLIND gonna get up than u can show the situation and u should to try catch the BLINDS because sometimes when the rebuy is finished or add on too the other people won't play to much a big stacks cuz they want still alive and there is when u come and plays stark.

 

[John Bor]

Your stack size is important in the tournament
Because it affects your game and other players
Therefore, I play quite aggressively and try to earn more chips

 

[ats272]

At the early stage of the tournament i play cautiously,but i'm aiming for an increase in the stack.When the prize part ot the tournament is close i play more aggressively,because at this stage many players try to survive.And then i play only with a really strong card.

 

[playinggameswithu]

You should be playing the prize pool. So survive to get a cash then get aggressive to the final table.

 

[r21sp]

for beginners it is much more useful to get into ITM in order to get a moral uplift and motivation to continue to play and develop! In addition, at the beginning of your poker way, it's very important to increase the bankroll, and getting into the prize zone is the most important factor for your bankroll

 

[NewmWins]

I think in any T, at first you should try and get the upper hand then tighten up for awhile. I like to look at the chip avg and stay a bit above it and try to get to the ITM. Once in the ITM I then play my hands aggressively to win. I remember I have 97k chips in a Jacksfreerolls 250$ and I made it to the ITM. I played and AK s and lost half of my stack. I could have just sat out and made it to the final 10. I think if you are in the top 10 in the ITM you should just wait because sooner or later people are going to start playing very loose and going all in anyway. So final verdict: Aggressive in 1st and 2nd lvl to get the edge and then play very tight until ITM. If you are high on the leader board in ITM sit back and wait on play very tight, if not you need to play aggro to get to the real money.:secruity:

 

[dpoole71]

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[Garfield52]

I try to build up my stack so that i can reach the money stage. After that anything can happen.

 

[makisaa]

We must rise as big stack as we can to go higher in positions. If you just protect a stack, sooner or later you will lose!

 

[chronical]

Big value for sure. Here the thing if you planing to doublre-up or tripple it's smart to play HU sng/double or nothing or sng in general. In mtt you are going to loose hard and long so you when you have that double it can mean that you have -2000 month instead of -2100.... does not change that much does it? Dont get me wrong Sometimes you will be on the bubble with 5 bb and you mostlikely will not win so you have to just get some value and even 5$ can be good, but if we are talking general approach you should be aming FT atleast.
But thats again IMHO =)

 

[Neol0107]

I believe that both the one depends a lot on the other, it is important to maintain both situations, it would be ideal for the tournaments

 

[schtiuky]

Im a begginer so for me is important to see as many hands as posible. But i can tell youthat when i reach money spots im low on stack and after 20-30 hands im out from the tournament. Ex plays 780 0.40$ win stack 4500 bb/sb 800-400 medium stack 25000 biggest around 125000 so it depends what you whant. Whana win the tournament go big whana hang in there no big prize.

 

[Cazador twd]

depends on which is more important to you if you enter the awards passive play on the bubble if you go contrary tournament play stronger and more aggressive

 

[Andrei Nesterenko1]

you do not need to save chips, you need to play and take risks to win a lot, but so far I can not do it as soon as I play a decent stack, I'm afraid to lose it

 

[jmastro777]

You cannot win unless you survive. To me this means using a mixed approach so aggression based on position & range but not fighting for every pot. Folding incorrectly to a river bet is usually a small error. It may also induce that opponent to run a river bluff into you when you have a very strong hand. Look at Hellmuth - he plays to survive yet will be aggressive in the right situations. No that I consider him a guru, but he has navigated enough of these large fields to win a bunch of wsop bracelets.

 

[pavel1111111]

I think îs better to take it step by step, first focus to get în the money and then easy climd în the prizes.. And if you get lucky to get a big stack try to get to the final table 😁