I need a tongue lashing from a good MTT player

[jgorham]

Bigwig - I haven't read any replies to this thread so if I repeat anything, I apologize in advance.

My first thought: you are probably playing too tight in early stages. Play all your suited connectors from any position during the first few stages. If someone raises and you have to fold, so what? You lost 15, 20, 30 chips? That is almost meaningless in the grand scheme of things, but just one good hit and double up can get you in great position to play the middle levels.

Once the blinds hit around 100, you always need to be looking for chances of stealing a blind. Raise in late position if your cards or good or you haven't raised for awhile. No matter what hits the flop, bet half the pot. This bet WILL pick up the pot often enough where you can continue growing through these stages without even hitting great hands. Just be able to give up if you don't actually have a hand the second someone calls a flop bet.

As blinds get bigger and people get closer to the money, you absolutely must take advantage of this. Raise with any 2 in late position if you think you can get away with it. Call small raises from the blinds and bet raggy flops. People are so scared of losing at this point that these moves show great EV. When other players are slowly dwindling, waiting for a big hand or the money, you can easily milk them for their chips and slowly grow.

When you have a big stack at this point, pay attention to players who you feel are stronger. Pick your spots, and attempt bluffs at these specific opponents. The pots get big enough here that you really just need to pick up a few (plus steal a few blinds) and you will find yourself becoming a juggernaut in the tourney.

As a small stack you have to be willing to go all in. With less than 10x the big blind, you still have some fold equity. Push when you think you can get away with it, or with any decent to moderate hand. You are looking to steal some blinds and grow that way, but even if you get called you have a chance to double up which will put you right back in the thick of it.

Whatever you do, avoid big pots with players who can bust you (unless you have a monster). Be less willing to bluff these folks, and more willing to respect their bets and raises. Your goal should be to use your edge to grow, namely that you are willing to be aggressive in spots other players aren't. Any time you gamble with a big stack you are risking this ability, and putting yourself in a harder place to continue to grow.

When you do actually hit a hand, this point of the tourney is the best place to induce bluffs. Any pot is large, and if the flop gets checked through someone will most likely bet - you can snap them off there.

Those are my immediate thoughts...

[PktAcesSoWht]

Besides playing suited connectors in all positions, do you have any other thoughts on changes to opening hands?

To give you an idea of how I play these were my stats for 1317 player $3 buyin freeze out. I finished 156. my largest stack got to 10000, and then I misplayed a hand and lost 2500 of it and then tried to push 88 and lost to JJ.

During current Hold'em session you were dealt 142 hands and saw flop:
- 6 out of 17 times while in big blind (35%)
- 3 out of 17 times while in small blind (17%)
- 16 out of 108 times in other positions (14%)
- a total of 25 out of 142 (17%)
Pots won at showdown - 3 of 5 (60%)
Pots won without showdown - 10

[AtticusFinch]

The trouble with these stats is they don't account for the large difference in style you must adopt on different levels. Plus the sample size is way too small to be of any significance. So looking at your stats across a whole tourney is not particularly useful, because it is both too broad and too narrow.