Help me win a tournament

Eric P · #1 11-25-2003, 05:29 AM

The tournament is my weekly 100 buy in local tournament in chicago at the charity games. The structure is very fast with 1000 in starting chips, 25-50 blinds doubling every 20 minutes. Even with this fast structure i have only missed one final table (with fields ranging from 30-70, averaging 45) in my last eight tries, and have been in the money 5 times, and on the bubble once.

So I do admit i play relativly tight when we get around the money but my best result is 3rd, i always get 3rd or fourth when i am in, i realize that with blinds being 1000-2000 and the biggest stack being ~~~ 15000-20000 there is a good deal of luck, and i have been out of luck on my big blind etc... But i am never the biggest stack, and usually am one of the shorter ones, i often put myself in a position to get in the money, but i havve to win an all-in or two on the final table to get there. Any recommendations for trying to get more chips in the later stages of the tournament? Anyone else suffer from bubble boy syndrom where they are constantly close, but can never win it out? Please help

PokerDummy · #2 11-25-2003, 05:38 PM

Eric,

Know your opponents--especially at the Rockford games. Size up your initial table immediately and identify newbies and ultra-weak players---these are the people who will fold a lot pre-flop (if raised) and make bad calls to chase. (useful when you are thinking of a steal) Next, tournament survival is the key--not maximizing every hand. Avoid draws that will reduce your stack, even if by only 100 or 200. Last, when you get to the final table, don't stress out--i have seen you make several final tables. So even if you get to the final table with 5000 and you are now big button and have to put 1K out...look at it this way: you will soon have the button with likely 3500 and great position to get those blinds back. Stay out of the way of the big stack (usually around 10-20K) and apply the pressure on the guys close to you---just like when they raise you, they will not call an all-in with Q10 or Q9 or crap like that. We'll talk more tonight----I suck at poker, but I sure know the players and that is how I win there. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

PokerDummy · #3 11-25-2003, 06:03 PM

Another friend of mine read this and asked me to be even more specific. Here is my formula for making the final table as one of the top 3 stacks.
First table--Identify your losers, take their chips. Do not chase drawing hands after the flop. Pick on the guys with <300 and make their lives hell. Do not force a newbie to fold after the flop--they won't.
Second table--Premium cards only and only good positions. Never call UTG with small pocket pairs...you will only get raised and now you will have a tough call. Let other people beat each other up and pick on the dead (<1500). Remember, when you get here, you only need 2 prime situations to double-up and get to 8-12K. Focus on those and do not waste your edge on drawing calls!
Last table--stay out of the multi-way hands, isolate and attack any hand that you are in. DO NOT lay traps with AA and KK, and never bet unless you already know what you are going to do based on your opponent's move. Remember--you only need to strike once to double up here and take a significant chip lead...use blind steals to create the image that you are forcing the table around, don't create that image by getting into lots of pots with lots of people.

Seeya later Eric

heyrocker · #4 11-25-2003, 08:43 PM

I live in Chicago and I've been thinking of attending one of these events. I play a lot of Sit N Gos and cheap tourneys on Stars. I'm probably around 40% moneyed on the SnGs, and I get in the money on the cheapies about 1/3 of the time at this point. But I've never played a live tourney and the prospect is a little intimidating, especially around a group of people who really know each other. The strategy you outlined pretty much follows what I would have tried to do anyways. So should I even bother trying one of these? Would I have any chance at all or would y'all just chew me up and spit me out?

Eric P · #5 11-26-2003, 07:56 AM

don't be intimitated, you should come and try and have fun. I have seen first time player swin a good amount of the time but usually the best players will be at the top. It's really fun, the structure is a little fast but you will get used to it after a few times, even into the first one, don't be pressured by the low chip count to start. I have won these single tables a lot and you can to, it's fun to play them and pokerdummy's advice is really good. The multi-table is also very fun to play, especially if you can get some chips to play with. Minus a bad beat or two you should be able to make the final table. enjoy

PokerDummy · #6 11-26-2003, 11:58 AM

Heyrocker, I am sure your game is respectable if you are practicing and making dough with the online stuff AND because you read things at this site. You are probably better than 60% of the people there already. Try a $60 single table--if you win that, you get 400 and a free entry to the multi-table event later in the night. FYI--my results from last night...1 single table victory and an early departure from the multi-table.