Transition from SNG to MTT

[ChrisW]

Hi all,

Lately, I have been playing some smallish buyin MTTs (22+r, 55, 109) to break up the monotony of SNGs. I do OK at the early levels where there is a good amount of flop play, and my SNG training allows me to do well in push/fold situations at high blinds.

However, I have been running into trouble at the middle blinds where many players have an M of between 10 and 20. I tend to open pots fairly conservatively because it seems like most of the time I enter a pot, some donk is forcing me to make a decision for all my chips. This approach results in my getting ground down unless I catch some cards, obviously an unacceptable situation. Broadly speaking, when I have the tournament average of about 15M, how should I loosen up to take best advantage:

A) Gamble somewhat more at early levels so I don't arrive at these tough situations until later in the tournament. (My current early strategy has me moving my chips from 1500 to 4k much more often than I blow out, but I never seem to have 10k early).

B) Gamble often; when I raise from MP with 99 and the SB pushes for 12 more BB, call them down.

C) Call some raises from LP with reasonable hands which are likely to be inferior (e.g. calling a MP raiser with QJs in the CO) and hope to hit the flop hard or outplay the raiser based on superior position.

D) My results in terms of opponents coming over the top have been atypical, so I should open a lot of pots at middle blinds and allow the long run to kick in.

As a successful SNG player I realize that there is no magic formula for success. However, any advice to get me pointed in the right direction would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Chris

[Melchiades]

C) is a nice way to accumulate chips. I'm having some of the same problems, also being mainly a SnG player. So hope this topic gets some decent advice.

I'm not having so much problems with people coming over the top of my raises. More that in the middle part of MTT's stealing blinds really isn't enough. Your stack is too big to make stealing have a big impact. So restealing is more effective, and calling raises with position also seems pretty good.

[Melchiades]

Also that donk forcing you to a decision for all your chips might not be a donk. Doesn't sound like it, not if he usually gets your chips when you enter a pot.