NLHE: Starting at a Short-Handed Table

[Hedge Henderson]

The standard tourney advice is tight early, aggressive later on and it's done pretty well for me so far. In our home game, we've played a few tourneys but all of the previous ones were at a single table. Thanks to television and networking, we're seeing more people interested in playing with us.

I don't want to give up too much EV short-handed by playing tight early, but part of my game depends on being able to steal blinds later on when poker gets expensive. Payout is pretty flat. Blinds are structured for a slow start and a quick finish. Players are (mostly) loose-passive and I've played with a good number of them week after week. What adjustments should I make for a tourney that starts with two tables of six or two tables of seven vs. a single ten-player table?

Any advice would be appreciated. I do have a reputation to uphold among a select group.