MTT help with the chips

[three1ne]

Evening all,

Ill be playing in the £10k tonight on crpto and I somehow need my confidence restored in my MTT ability. I tend to play tight early on and will fold a wide range of cards to any decent raise pf although im simply not being dealt any hands as of late and before I know it im short stacked after 30 minutes into the tournament with a stack of around 1200 and blinds of 100-200. What do I do when I havent seen any cards for ages and all ive had to work with are average picture cards off suit in MP? Do I simply raise 3x bb and take a stab at it or just wait until Ive got a hand to play with?

I find it so difficult within the first hour as so many gamblers are willing to all in anything suited/connecting and that completely limits your raising hands (when they are also calling with the mentioned hands)

Its true that this post is leaning towards me rambling because of the way Ive gone out of recent mtts (gamblers spiking their pair on the river etc) and im wondering if im playing far too tight early in the tournament.

Of course in the first few blind structures ill be calling in LP with suited connecters etc but when the blinds are big enough to steal I cant bring myself to do it.

Ive won a few big mtt tournaments in the past but its been a while since and all im coming 1st in now is this thread.


Any advice out there on how to accumulate a reasonable stack early on?

[justT]

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I somehow need my confidence restored in my MTT ability

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Review the HH for a tourney you won. Get in that zone and BE that guy.

To get a big stack early on, you're going to have to get some cards, and unless those are really big cards, you're probably going to have to take a gamble. You can't necessarily fold QQ on an A high flop. These online tourney's are just too fast to play what would be a solid game in a live tourney. If you don't get any cards at all, the only way I know to even keep an average stack is to do things like call an MP/LP raiser in the BB (assuming the raise is 3xbb or less) no matter what your cards, and then bet virtually any flop. I've had some success doing this.

With a 1200 stack and 100/200 blinds, you're going to have to steal some of them, and you're probably going to have to push to do this. If you're lucky, you'll have a couple of moderate sized stacks to your left (2500 or so), that way they're not so desperate that they'll call you with any reasonable holding, and not so big that they can afford to call you with any reasonable holding. If I were you in LP I'd definately open push an unopened pot with any sc 87 or better, any two broadway, any pair, probably any A (depending on my read, maybe only A7 or better). I'd push a pot with one limper (assuming a medium stack) with two suited broadway, KQo, any pair 88 or better, A8 (maybe A9) or better, sometimes I'm pushing JTs. If there's a raiser, expect a call when you push, so tighten up to AJ+/88+/KQ.

Oh, and I minraise to 3x bb raise pairs QQ+ & AQs+ in LP in an unopened pot, probably make it 3x with one limper, and push with two or more limpers. I'm sure you know, but never fold these hands preflop, and very rarely post flop. I'd push QQ with one other person in the hand on an AKx board. This is a risky strategy, however you need to try to get some chips. Taking the blinds is great, but with hands as good as these, you want 1-2 callers, so long as they don't have KK or better (QQ if you have AQ and AK if you have AQ).

Will