any tips

[KINGKONG]

please only respond to this is if youve ever won a no limit hold em tourney.whats the secret .how do you make it to the final table .all tips welcome ,im gonna try them on party tonight kingkong

[InchoateHand]

Well really it is pretty easy. If you don't win this first one, I would keep playing, but I would consider posting where you belong (http://www.flopturnriver.com), you will get MUCH better advice there. And really, who needs tips? You saw Hellmuth on ESPN, thats all you need to know.

Apologies in advance that I am far too exhausted to ream you in a humorous and/or caustic manner. Its been a long day.

[whiskeytown]

ay carumba...serious or not....well, I'm one win and 6 other final table appearances this yr. so far.

here's the deal....it's pretty hard to make a final table with 1000 players like Party usually has.....personally, if you're still learning (and I think you are)

stick with shorter player pools (100-200 players) - I've found much easier to get to the final table...

otherwise....here's what I say

first hr....really tight
second hr....loosen up a bit.
third hr....be very aggressive only when you're the first in the pot, and if you get to 10 times BB, go all in with any hand you play
fourth hr....back to 2nd hr. strategy (you're in the money here)
fifth hr - final table -

9-6 players...play like 1st hr...let them bust
6-3 players - play like 2nd/3rd hr
3-2 players...play most of your hands...see flops and see if you hit...after that follow HU strategy....

anytime you have 10 times BB - look for a good all-in hand and take it - don't let yourself get to 3 times BB and be forced to double up twice over or have not enough chips to keep chip leader from calling on a whim.

GL
whiskeytown.

[jennicide]

I've placed first in 19 PokerStars tournaments alone last year...the one thing that I am known for is a very tight solid yet aggressive game. Once the blinds increase to level 7 (100/200 ante 25) or 8 (200/400 ante 25), is when I generally try to maintain my stack by small pick ups either per circulation or a semi-larger pot every 2 or 3 blind circulations. I always try to put myself in a position to win the tournament by playing consistently and strong each time.

Once the field drops to the top 10-15% is when I feel as though I should be more compelled to take more risks and coin tosses. To determine whether or not I am up against a coin toss is by analyzing previous plays by some of the players on my table...how they play AK (AK misses) if they are a "strong-hand min raiser," things that should be carefully observed throughout tournament play, specifically if you have been at the table for a long time. Choosing your spots wisely is very important. I'll muck AK almost immediately if super tight nit Nick that has only previously played Aces and Kings comes around and I can hear him all the way from East Jabib screaming in excitement after seeing his AA or KK. If, however, my table has recently broken and they are all unknown players, I do not have the correct amount of information on each and every one of the players to determine the rank of hand they are holding.

It is quite unfortunate to play a solid game and then not be able to win any races when blinds are steep and stacks become deeper. But that's poker!

The one thing I can say that I truly love about poker is that you will never stop learning. If you are having a bit problems with the results you are seeing in your tournament play, have you tried to readjust your strategy? I think one of the greatest learning materials for online poker is having your tournament hand history sent you. Try going through your hands that you played and see where you could have err'ed or played the hand differently. Once you feel as though you've spotted some things that need to be changed, implement them in your next tournament and see how things work out for you. However, the mistake I see a lot of people make, is once they begin to win tournaments and make money...they feel as though they've learned all there is to know or they see no room for improvement. The only thing I can say in response to that, is GG STOP PLAYING!

Hate to say it but everyone has a certain strategy that works for them. Keep adjusting and practicing until you feel as though you've found that certain strategy.

[binions]

I have won NL tourneys live and online. Multiple final tables. Here is the secret to all my success:

"Never play poker with a guy named Doc."

Seruously, buy Tournament Poker for Advanced Players and Harrington on Holdem (and Theory of Poker if you haven't read it).

Read.
Rinse.
Repeat.

There. That's my advice.

Studying these books, applying the concepts, rereading the books, correcting mistakes, studying the books some more, etc. is a process that will pay dividends in the long run.

Oh, and Jennicide's point about reviewing hand histories is great. If you have a question about a hand, post it here and ask for help.

[jennicide]

[ QUOTE ]
anytime you have 10 times BB - look for a good all-in hand and take it - don't let yourself get to 3 times BB and be forced to double up twice over or have not enough chips to keep chip leader from calling on a whim.


[/ QUOTE ]

Whiskey, I personally don't follow this strategy. Generally, the reason why I prefer to raise 3x-4x with 10 bb's left regardless of my hand rank is if I am going to get played back at...I'm most likely going to be getting information from this also. This will help me make my decisions better when it comes to post flop play. I have actually been able to pull some moves where I have raised 3x leaving myself with 8 BBs. I was heads up with the CO who had just a little less than average in chip count. The flop came A x x. I checked to the CO and he bet 3x. I raised all in...he folds. He had the right odds to call, however, he obviously had me on the A and probably laid down a small - mid range pp. This is where sometimes I think just moving all in preflop vs. a situation like this can be a little bit more wreckless and less strategic. If you're going to get called when all of your chips are out there, you cannot 'outplay' your opponent or make any other moves except either doubling up, picking up blinds for the next circulation or busting out.

[KINGKONG]

i thank you all for these woderful tips ,especially you jennicide and whiskytown,ihave seen you play jennicide and you are very good . i will try to do this and see if i can get into the money.if i see you on stars i will say hi .thanks again for the tips .KINGKONG

[whiskeytown]

the 10 times BB rule I think I stole from Jennifer Harmen...her definition of "short stacked" - but it's just something I've been recently doing in my game -

I've been finishing a lot lately in the top 20% (10 percent from the money) - and have been doing a lot of the "waiting till I get a good hand or down to 3 times BB" - while being patient sometimes works, I've been dissatisifed with the results and am working to rectify that and I've been trying to commit myself with 10 times the BB or less instead of being anted away - seeing how it works.

seems like when I play the way you describe, I get reraised and I'm mathmatically pot committed anyways - part of me likes putting all the chips out there and not giving them a chance to bluff me off a hand with a reraise - I suppose both ways have merit, but your results tend to be a bit better then mine...LOL

KINGKONG - how did you do anyways?

RB

[tiger7210]

Play relatively tight early unless you can find a spot in position against a weak opponent and just try to pick up small pots until you catch a big hand. Once the antes kick in, need to open up and play more aggressively by stealing blinds and playing position. Cards become less important in the middle stages and playing your opponents way more important. Late stages you need to be willing to gamble to make sure you have enough chips to play the final table.

Playing the final table just depends on your chip position. I usually play the final table tight early on unless I'm the short stack. Once we get down to like 7 change gears a bit and hopefully take advantage of the tight image.

[jennicide]

[ QUOTE ]
i thank you all for these woderful tips ,especially you jennicide and whiskytown,ihave seen you play jennicide and you are very good . i will try to do this and see if i can get into the money.if i see you on stars i will say hi .thanks again for the tips .KINGKONG

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks a lot! I wish you the best of luck at the tables. However, I retired my 'jennicide' user name and just play on a friend's account. If I see you at a table I will say hello /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[sloth469]

Jennicide (the name) retired? I gotta say I'm not sure if that is a great move. While I can certainly understand why you might do that, from the few times I've seen you on stars people seemed to eat from the palm of your hand (ie you bet small to build a pot they call, you bet big they lay down to you). Not taking anything away form your play, just curious to see how this ends up working out for you.

-sloth

[hurlyburly]

Insane groupies constantly spamming your chat window? I imagine you have a see of spectators.

[MonkeeMan]

My tip #1 is to play a lot of single or two table sit & go's, and then move up to multi-table. The reason is, you really don't want to get to short tables when there is potentially lots of cash to be won and you've never played a short table or heads up before. Get comfortable in these situations with sit & go's, then you'll be ready when the time comes in multi-table tourneys.

My tip #2 is read Harrington on Hold 'Em. After I completed it I won the first multi-table tourney I entered (over 1400 entrants). /images/graemlins/smile.gif
Your mileage may vary.

[TomCollins]

[ QUOTE ]


here's the deal....it's pretty hard to make a final table with 1000 players like Party usually has.....personally, if you're still learning (and I think you are)

stick with shorter player pools (100-200 players) - I've found much easier to get to the final table...


[/ QUOTE ]

I enjoy SitnGos best, it is even EASIER to make the final table.

[jennicide]

[ QUOTE ]
Jennicide (the name) retired? I gotta say I'm not sure if that is a great move. While I can certainly understand why you might do that, from the few times I've seen you on stars people seemed to eat from the palm of your hand (ie you bet small to build a pot they call, you bet big they lay down to you). Not taking anything away form your play, just curious to see how this ends up working out for you.

[/ QUOTE ]

On the account I play on now, I have been focusing on limit HE and cash games...let's see how that goes as I will probably start posting in mid-high stakes!

However, I have played some tournaments and have done well on this account. Even on the TLB already! I really don't think being on jennicide or this account has any bearing how people play vs. me.

[sloth469]

Obviously I meant no disrespect, I was really just curious to see how it works out. I have seen how many rail rats you had following you, so I can definately understand. Just keep us informed.

Best of luck.

-sloth