newb Strategy question

[Zac Ray]

Strategy request for NL tourney with 7-9 players, 1st and 2nd places pay. Most players are either total newbs or loud mouth bluffers. I've gotten 2nd place many times by playing tightly but I always end up short stack against the bluffers who hit big early on. I've tried loosening my gap in the early stages but in the last 2 tournaments, I couldn't get any decent hole cards.
So I guess I'm asking for 2 things, a good strategy for this situation and also, what do you do when you just can't get decent opening cards all night?
tia (ps. to flamers, I looked through 10 pages worth of old headers and saw nothing that looked similar to this before posting)

[Drac]

When you don't get cards you just have to eat it. I played in a home game, 3 tournies over 4 or 5 hours and had basically zero hands. No PP over 7's, no big slick, nada. Made trips when the board paired 3's on the turn, went all in and was called by the flush draw that hit the river. Oh well, sometimes you just have to bite it. If the blinds are low to start I will loosen my play for the first round or two as I've had similar problems with tight play leading to a smaller stack at the end. Finishing in the money with limited cards is nice. When you get some hands you should win one or two. Stick to solid play. Variance can lead to crap cards for more than one evening. It should even out for you eventually.

[Zac Ray]

Thnx for the advice man. The looser I've played (trying for flops) the worse I've done. I hate to play so tight that everyone folds to my raises. Think I will try to come up with a plan (for no cards nights) to advertise a small percentage of my stack at set times throughout the tournament so I still get callers to my good cards, if they ever hit, heh.
The host had also been using $1000 buy-in blind shedules while giving everyone bewteen $15k and $20k at start. Besides 5+ hour games, I've wondered how much this affects gameplay and consequently, my strategy.

[shooter]

Been in that place many times. Recently I sat through the first hour and did not play anything less than AA/KK (which I got once.) What happened was the newbies and some of the potential bullies trying to stack up early, all ate eachother alive. I removed myself from being rivered or outplayed by a huge bet (holding something like pp<QQ.) The blinds were small enough not to eat me up.

Then each time after that when I had picture cards or better I went all in. At first the big stack called with almost anything, and I survived his draw, he treated me like a high tension wire thereafter.

Finally one well placed bluff that he folded to, I showed him the rags that beat him, and tilted him out. Suddenly it seemed as though everyone at the table turned on him and another guy like him like flesh eaters. With them gone I was able to use my stack to go tight/aggressive against the better players and certainly enjoyed it more.

It was a change of pace and perhaps a breakthrough of sorts, because I didn't gamble it up when I was forced to but at a much earlier stage, when I was ready. I let go of the notion that I'm always facing a big hand.

I went out 4th (out of 30) with an honest hand against a hand that I had not put on being that good. It felt good to take an honest beat rather than being blinded out with 5,4 et al.

[Gambit]

[ QUOTE ]
I hate to play so tight that everyone folds to my raises.

[/ QUOTE ]

You may have answered your own question. If your image is this tight, try stealing a few pots while waiting for hands. I'm no tournament expert, but try a 3x BB raise from middle position (as it looks less like a steal attempt), if no one has entered the pot. Use sparingly, just a suggestion.

[Zac Ray]

Thanks a lot for the info. I will do some research into pot steal ideas for my situation, as well as stick with my successfull, tight strategy while edge hunting. I have only played online till recently, definately need to study up on reads and outline a consistant manerism at the live table /images/graemlins/smile.gif. Thanks again all!

[Zac Ray]

Sorry for the bump, hope I'm not wearing out my newbness but thanks for the help guys, I hit first place in the next home tourney tonight. I folded my way into second (1st-$65 2nd-$15 3rd-$5 $10 buy in) and then destroyed the big-bluffer headsup. I used a Phil Hellmuth suggestion from the tv show where he helped anaylze a WPT championship. I had ATo, the bully raised my meager opener with all-in. I put him on Q or K with low kicker. and asked him "How many chips do you have," knowing that I had like 55%. His reply "You have me covered" was weak and unsteady-sounding so I called him and won. He Then doubled once on me to having about 10%. The last hand was almost a misdeal, which I complained about while he picked up his cards. He started asking to let it stand. All in one move, I said "Well I guess I'll...," peeked at QQ, "...let it stand if you want to." Of course, he went all in with the weak kickered A (that I once again put him on as we had been showing down Aces and Kings with low kickers) and I knocked him out. The only hand he won was all-in AA he paired on the flop that I had to call (was big stacked with KK).
When we started our showdwon, I had about 5% of the chips. This was the first time I outlined all my goals and observations on paper and re-read them right before the tournament. I now know I can get at least 2nd or 3rd every tournament playing tightly while going for first when I get playable cards later.
Thanks again for all your advice, and thanks to David Sklansky for his book "Tournament Poker for Advanced Players." I had considered that since I don't get any casino play (and therefore action against good players) that I would find his information minimally useful at this stage of my game. He mentions that his advice is for people who are the best players.
I now realize that at my home game, I am the best player so by avoiding close gambles, I can survive long enough to use my superior strategies at the actual "poker" part of the match. I didn't fully understand what he meant by that before but it makes sense now /images/graemlins/smirk.gif.
sorry so long