Tight-Agressive Player finishes on bubble

[FUpaymee]

I'm in the same situation in my usual home game (or any home game for that matter). I am usually in the top 3, but usually short stacked going into it. I'm tight-aggressive while everyone else is doubling each other up every other hand.

The other day, I decided to experiment and tighten up even more. It was a 10 person tournament, and in the first 2 hours I had only played 4 hands, but knocked 3 people out in the process. I knew it would be hard to bluff people out of pots, so I just waited til I had monster hands and suckered them into calling all-ins with marginal hands like top pair and 2 pair. It felt like a cheap way to win, but I would ONLY play this way against these players. I am normally not much of a slow-player and I usually like to get aggressive and pick up small pots when I sense weakness or have position, but these types of games are full of chasers and people who overvalue their hands. So I decided I wasn't going to be bluffing at pots early on and I was simply going to play the cards until I hit a big one. Then I would go all-in and would most likely get called because everyone overvalues their hands in this game.

Like I said, in the first 2 hours I played only 4 hands: 1) limped with AA from UTG...hit a set on the flop and slowplayed this guy into calling an all-in with 2 pair on the river; 2) K8s from the BB, flopped nut flush, slowplayed this guy into calling an all-in with top pair; 3) AQ, made a straight, won about 1500 in chips against another 2 pair; 4) JJ, went all-in before the flop in the BB, short stack called with JTs, knocked him out.

Once I built such a huge stack and we were down to the final 4, I was chip leader and I could start to loosen up a bit and go after more pots. I never was really challenged and won the tourney.

It felt funny since I really didn't play "my game", but I was glad I adjusted my game to the players in it and took home the prize. [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]