Level of aggression for level 1 and 2 for PP 30+3?

[nova]

Hi guys, haven't posted for a long time (been caught up with some other priorities, holidays and all). I've been playing at the 30+3 level with some good success, but took a break for around a month or so and I can't seem to get my game back on.

I've been able to dissect some of my plays and realized some bad plays on my part, but cannot find a definitive reason why I'm that guy once we are 5 or 6 handed with the smallish stack.

My initial thought is that I wasn't aggressive enough in the earlier levels, primarilly the first 2. After getting a feel for the table (be it loose or tight) I often find myself in a position not to make a play, or WANTING to make a play but situation makes the play incorrect (someone opening in front of me, active limpers, someone else going for the steal ahead of me, etc).

I'm wondering if tangling with a few more hands in the earlier levels would help me build my stack gradually so that I'm always above the size of the average stack, or at least have enough to put a serious dent into someone who doubled up early on.

Should I revisit my starting hand requirements? More on my calling or re-raising requirements? Going off of the Gap concept, I often find myself in a position where I might have a hand that I'll attempt to open with but people in front of me either bring it in, or have more than one limper. Is it worth reraising someone like this, at low levels?

Thanks in advance guys!

[david050173]

The simple answer is post some hands. You could be playing too tight but it is likely that you are bleeding off chips with weaker hands.

[nova]

Might be a touch too tight, or not defending blinds well enough. Normally I find myself glad I wasn't involved in a hand, but having a maniac with over 2k in chips at level 2 sometimes makes things tougher than they should be.

It's tough to be too tight in the first two levels, if you play the general 2+2 way. That's not to say you should be passing up +EV situations just to "wait it out", but the fact that you even talk about defending your blinds and mixing it up seem to indicate that you're playing too loose.

[_SCOTT_]

Dont wait for all the fish to leave the pond before you drop your pole in the water. Tight is right but try to limp with position when ever possible. J9 or 68 can flop a monster if your able to see the flop and is easily dumped when they dont. The last three 30-3's I've played, I have made 3x more in the first three levels than in later levels. Everyone is trying to steal when the blinds are up in later rounds so it gets harder to see those cheap sneaky draws. In my last tourney J9o on a 10,8 Q flop got three callers on a all in push (level 1) from one off the button. Just dont take it to extreems so you wont bleed out.

[runner4life7]

i dont like playing J9o from the CO at all. JTs, definitely, off suit, i guess. But I think one gaps are getting to be a littel too loose.