big MTT strategies

[authority11]

Okay, I'm a pretty successful cash game player at the 100 NL tables, but I'm looking to get into the tournament scene. I've played a couple 20+2's and 30+3's, but have yet to finish in the money. I don't really have trouble getting past the early rounds, but I struggle in the mid-game because I am usually short stacked. I don't know if I'm not being aggressive enough or what, but I get scared on middle pairs and stuff and don't bet them for fear of being crippled if someone does call. When I have those middle pocket pairs I usually do not raise and I give them up easily after the flop. Should I be more agressive post flop with them? Maybe im not playing enough hands (maybe should be playing more of the A7 and a8's later in position or raising with them?) How often do you guys bluff? If anyone has good suggestions to improve my big tournament play I'd be very appreciative.


Also is there any way to get a hand history of a person's entire tourney? I'd love to sit and learn from one that makes it to the final table or somewhere near it.

[zaxx19]

There are really 2 types of players in here in regards to basic strategy. I play primarily low limit MTT (5,10,20$) people like me have a strategy id call simple TAG+ weak tight early. The more experienced and higher limit(30,50,100...) players have a more aggressive strategy and more of a willingness to gamble early too double up their stack. Now it has been discussed several times how both strategies are probably best suited for the respective buy ins, and it has even been proposed that the forum be split given this phenomena. You are playing tournies right in the middle so I can only give you the best representation of how I play my baby stakes tournies.
ACTUNG-
THIS IS A VERY GENERAL AND BRIEF SYNOPSIS ON HOW I PLAY AND I HAVE SHOWN PROFIT.IT MAY NOT SUIT YOUR STYLE SO IT MIGHT NOT PROVED PROFITABLE TO YOU.

FIRST HOUR---
Basically I play very very tight in the first hour. Ill take flops with all pairs, suited connectors from 6-7 and up and qj kq only in mp or lp. AK and AQ i play aggressively in MP or LP and are pretty problematic in EP imho(you decide based on how aggressive you like to be how 2 play them there. Ill also see cheap flops with ax suited and sometimes in lp gapped suited connectors.(CHEAP FLOPS)I dont protect my blinds much as they arent really that big yet. I dont engage in much if any blind stealing for the same reason. What Im basically looking for is too trap preflop with AA or KK--or trap with a small set post flop. These hands will bring you the greatest potential when it comes too doubling up. My goal ever tourney is too double up by the end of the first hour.(tripling is better and of course 1.5x the buy in is so-so) ALSO NOTE: "raising hands like 7-7- 8-8- 9-9- 10-10 are more drawing hands early and i dont usually put in a raise with them ever . JJ is its own animal)
SECOND HOUR AND BEYOND--
Now the game changes. You must be keeping up with blinds and maximizing your big PP like AA KK QQ. What this means is you will have too loosen up your game. Youll have to raise more late with hands like a-10,J10s, K-10s, KQ and pp from 6-6 and up. You also need too start protecting your own blinds but do so wothout putting a large part of your stack at risk if you can. Reraise late raisers with playable hands sometimes..and even move in if you believe a raise is weak with hands like a-j and a-q IF the raiser is very loose. Drawing hands become less and less valuable as alot of the money starts going in the pot earlier and earlier. I f the cards just are cold you will need to steal at times with no hands. Look too survive.. and again look too double up by trapping with AA or KK preflop OR when yu flop an amazing draw or hand.
MY FINAL TABLE STRATEGY--
Alot of this is completely dependant of stack size so regard this as very general advice. I dont like to go crazy aggressive early at a final table personally of course yu musnt read this too become weak tight either. Usually by just floating, selectively using aggression, and avoiding confrontations with similiar or larger stacks you can watch 3-4 players exit within like 15-20 minutes/hands. Now is really the time too gamble imho. Dont go nuts but medium pocket pairs and hands like AQ,AJ and even A10 are huge here. Almost always slow play huge PP(qq-kk-aa) enough that you can get maximum value from them. Basically this is the time too stop worrying about busting and start trying to make the final 2 or 3. As for heads up well thats an entirely different animal and i find it to be almost completely psychological. Just one warning if you are doing most of the folding heads up or 3 ways your probably gonna lose so move them chips and play position alot.

[authority11]

Wow zaxx, that was sooooooooo helpful. This was really what I was looking for. I am going to start loosening up quite a bit in the middle areas now. I have a couple questions though still... Let's say the the tourney is about 2 hrs in so blinds are 150/300. You're MP and guy (who is neither overly aggressive or tight) right in front of you min raises to 600. You have a couple thousand chips more than the avg of 5200 chips. You look down to see 88 staring you in the face. What do you do here? This happened to me tonight and I ended up folding as my position wasn't very good. Now again the same situation except you're in LP. Do you reraise? And if so, how much? Also, I really suck at playing PP 7's and up post flop. I think sometimes I am not aggressive enough with them or I get really scared? Anybody have any suggestions with this?

Oh, and one more thing... Am I the only one that thinks PP's MTT structure is not as skill intensive as the other sites (i.e Stars and UB?) I am finding myself at the middle stages with an above average chip stack like 8000 and the blinds are like 250-500 and it's like one false move and a leg is gone. I really don't like such an unforgiving structure.

[zaxx19]

Well on the site question here is the breakdown as i understand it:
1) partypoker is the loosest and also the biggest so your POTENTIAL in an odd way goes up but iy will take a bunch more tourneys too see results. I dont like the play there personally because it is so loose others say they like it for presisely that reason...
2)UB (my home site) Is significantly smaller but a good deal better in terms of quality of opponents. There are still fish but as you move along even in a 5 dollar tourney its clear alot of these guys can play. Tons of 5,10 dollar tourneys some 50$ and some 100$. @ 100 usually your looking at a field of 100 depending on the hour of day a 5 dollar will be 200-700. I love this site personally and think you can really improve your play here without being overwhelmed by experienced top notch players....like Pokerstars.
3) Pokerstars is THE preeminent site for MTT. TOP players top #'s of entrants. The best generally play here and there are tons of tourneys. Overall once yu get great at poker generally i believe the trend is to play here.

As for blinds and antes yu can get specifics on the home sites. UB has a fairly gradual structure e.g. yu begin with 5-10 blinds with 1000 chips so...

Yu definitely want too play yur medium pocket pairs after a raise like that. Even if it was JUST for set value the odds are good enough. On whether too reraise or not with 10-10 or above id definitely put in a reraise here below that again it is what you feel cumfy doing. Take a flop if an ace doesnt hit id play my hand fairly strong. Use position but if your gonna bet the flop be decisive and dont look weak bc you definitely do not want to be reraised..

Posting specific hands on here IS VERY USEFUL JUST CUT AND PASTE FROM HAND HISTORY AND POST IT HERE ASKING FOR ASSISTANCE ALONG WITH ANY PERTINENT INFO.(i.e. blinds antes stack size stack avg opponents tendancies, your read of the opponent...)