What does it take to win an MTT?

[TexInAtl]

In the last 4 tournaments that I've made it ITM, the hands that have knocked me out, or left me severly crippled are: AA, KK twice, and QQ.
My last bubble finish, I was left severly crippled after I flopped 3 Ks and lost to a flush. This coming after I had held the chip lead in the tournament twice.
My question is this: Am I doing something wrong, or is this pretty par for the course? I'm still looking for my first win, but it's extremely frustrating when the hands that should put you at the final table are the ones taking all of your chips.
Is this a normal pnenomenon?

Thanks

[A_PLUS]

Stop putting chips in on hands that get beat, then you will win. It is really pretty basic

[TexInAtl]

Ok A_PLUS, tell me the hands that don't get beat, and I'll make sure that I'll get my chips in with those hands. (See, I can be sarcastic too).
Seriously though, maybe I should rephrase by question. Is it the sign of a good MTTer to constantly be knocked out with a BB story to tell, rather than donking all your chips off on a bluff?

[David04]

Luck.

[gisb0rne]

#1 factor in any given tourney is luck.

[PokrLikeItsProse]

Yes, this is a normal phenomenon. There is no hand that should do anything so long as your opponent has outs; there are only hands that have a great probability of doing something.

However, if your only stories are bad beats with premium hands getting beat, you might be playing too tight. My theory of online multitable tournaments is that you need to take risks to build a cushion to absorb the bad beats or dry spells that you may encounter in the late stages. You should at least have some stories of getting eliminated after your opponent calls your semibluff and your draw doesn't get there. You should occasionally run into someone with a big hand in the blinds when you try a blind steal and get eliminated thusly.

[PrayingMantis]

[ QUOTE ]
but it's extremely frustrating when the hands that should put you at the final table are the ones taking all of your chips

[/ QUOTE ]

Those "hands that should put you at the final table" (the big PPs you are talking about) are relatively easy to play, unless the stacks are rather deep, and even someone who have just started playing poker can't make too many mistakes with them. In most cases you just want to get the money in, especially in mid-late stages, and pray not to get unlucky.

If these are the hands that bother you, I think you still have a lot of work to do on your game. That is, if you wait for those hands because these are the hands that will bring you to final table, you have no advantage over the avarage player, and you might even be behind.

Over time, everybody get the same amount of big pairs, you know. You want to get to the final table much more often than just "everybody".

[Jax_Grinder]

I'll throw in my 2 cents.

Luck only matters insofar as it refers to the simultaneous occurrence of several factors necessary to win a big multi. Some of those factors you can control, and that is where you will get over the hump and into the big $$.

I suspect that you were shortstacked in each of the situations you describe. In short, your stack is not large enough to sustain a significant hit and/or not large enough to cause the mid to large stacks to fold (your opps have no FE). The only way to combat this is to play more aggressively early (esp. on the bubble) so that when you do take that beat with a premium hand, it does not eliminate you. Sometimes this will keep you out of the money, but others it will propel you deeper to where the money actually matters. In short, if you always find yourself all-in against a bigger stack with these hands, then you have to find the change in strategy that reverses the situation.

Overly simplistic, but if you get AA 5 times during a MTT and your money is in every time against a bigger stack, you WILL NOT survive the 5th all-in. I would rather bust out on the bubble with K9s trying to build a stack than squeak ITM and push my last 2000 chips in on AA just to see it get sucked out on.

Also, if you find yourself just ITM a good amount of the time (30% or so?) but never deep, then you are simply playing to conservatively. There are HUNDREDS of quality posts on this board that deal with mid-stage and bubble play (both general strategy and hand specific discussions) that you should investigate and then implement into your game.

OK, maybe that was only worth 1 1/2 cents...

Good Luck.

[PrayingMantis]

[ QUOTE ]
Mostly useless replies so far


[/ QUOTE ]

Hmmm. As opposed to your reply, that suggests that waiting for premium hands is not the best MTT strategy? Didn't read that one in this thread yet... especially put in so many unnecesary words.

[dmk]

I can't believe you're getting serious replies to this...

Every poorly concealed bad beat story is now going to get a reply of "Welcome to tournament poker" from me. It happens to everyone, no one wants to hear your sad songs. Post a meaningful hand if you actually want advice.