online tourneys

[Eskon]

I have just started to get into online tourneys and have a few questions:

1.Is it ever OK to go allin preflop?and if so...when? I have tried a few times in some of the Free roll touneys and generally lose.(AA or KK when I do and end up losing to somthing that shouldnt even be played)

2.Is it better to be more aggressive early or later(or does it really matter)I mix up my play alot depending on the table but generrally find that when the BB gets to 1K I am gennerally on the short stack due to the cost to see the flop (which seems to disagree with me most of the time,even with a good starting hand)

I see myself as an OK player(nothing to special)

Best finish: 33 out of 800
worst finish: 370 out of 800 (due to allin with AA.lost to 72 off)
generally place between 80 to 140 out of 800

Also new to this forum,so if this is the wrong place let me know.

[DougBrennan]

Welcome aboard, you are absolutely in the right place. You might want to also check out the 1-table tournament forum, many of the same priciples apply.

I would recommend that you read the forums and post some hand histories with specific questions. You will get more responses that way, as general questions are difficult to respond to, since so many circumstances are situationally dependent. When you do post a hand history, try to do it in narrative style, as oppossed to a raw paste-up of a hand history, and be sure to include buy-in, blinds, position, and stack information.

Having said all that, the tone of your post suggests that you may be playing a little too tight, not stealing enough is mid-rounds, and overbetting good hands. But that's only a guess, without specific hand information.

I will say this: if you are playing in freerolls where players are calling all-ins with 7-2 offsuit, get out of them if you possibly can. Ultimate Bet and Paradise both offer $5 tourneys, and Pokerstars has some for under $5. For not very much money you will learn vastly more playing those.

[Eskon]

Thanks.The games seem to be a bit on the wild side(as far as what is being played)but they settle down once the retards go away.I am pretty new to this and most of my losses are just bad judgment on my part due to lack of experience.but the hand I was referring to went down like this:

NLHE multi table free roll. blinds are 80/160. 9 players per table

I had just got transferred to a new table with about 7200.(3rd overall on the table)

I am in LP next to the button.I am dealt AsAd. Preflop: 2 limpers then I bet 200.Blinds fold.First limper calls..second limper in LM raises to set me allin.(he had me covered by bout 4G).I think about it for a second.Then call.I knew my A's were better and he had to be trying to scare me.he shows 72 off. Hand plays out and he ends up with trip 7's.

Maybe I should have limped in myself? new table,new players, I wanted to control the action not be controlled by it. What do you think?

Also will look into other sites for action.Havent played with real $ yet just started playing about a month ago and just got through TOP.(my 4th book)but reading some of the posts...cash games play more like they should(or so I think)

[jwg152]

You thought for a second when you were set all-in with pocket aces? What were you thinking about? You should have been positively thrilled.

If you want to succeeed in tournament play, you have to analyze your play apart from the results that they produce. If some guy sets you all-in and he cracks your aces with 77, then he beat you despite being a prohibitve dog, and that's just the way it goes sometimes. You played the hand the only way it could be played (after he set you all-in), and got dished some bad luck. Rememeber this: no matter how well you play, if you don't get some luck along the way you will not place in the money. Although skill triumphs in the end, luck plays a significant part at step. No player has ever won the WSOP with having some luck. The key is to be good enough so that when you do play in a tournament where you happen to be lucky, you know how to use it in the most effective method in order to win or place high.

By the way, I don't think you are going to really learn how to play tournament holdem by playing in free rolls. My reason: the players are simply awful, and you will not learn much from them or be adequately tested by their weak play. You really want to limit your exposure (and I understand that), I know that royal vegas poker has some $1 tournaments. Best of luck...

[Eskon]

OK...same scenario..diff tourney.

Just transferred to a new table.doing well early. 9600 with blinds at 80/160. so first hand new table.I am delt pocket A's.second pos. fist pos is the same guy that cracked my A's in my last post with 12600.(seems like deja vu all over again) he comes out with 10K bet into me (setting me all in again) the rest of the table folds.

Now before I went all in I thought to myself that there is no way that he is going to do it again...he shows 88.Hand plays out....he ends up with 4 8's...WTF!

now thinking back,I have been knocked of at least 10 tourneys on the same site when I was holding pocket A's....and (as far as i can remember) I get bet into to set me all in each time.

At this point should I just fold em when I get em...cuz this is getting stupid now.

Also how does anyone know that all cards are indeed random is there someone that actually makes sure that these sites are not selectively chosing who continues(I'm being paranoid now) .Yes i'm new...but same guy, same scenario,fist hand all in loss....(just seems a little odd to me)

Have started accts on ultimate bet and pokerstars, but am hesitant to make a deposit due to lack of trust not knowing how the legitamacy of the sites are checked.....any help would be helpfull.

The site I have been playing is Absolute Poker in case you wanted to know.

[wayabvpar]

The only time I would EVER consider folding AA preflop is if I was short stacked, unlikely to make the money without some help, and enough people are all in ahead of me that I will make the money by folding (since the rest of them will be out after the hand). Even then, I would really have to think about it, since quadrupling up or better would really enhance my chances of finishing higher in the money or winning outright.

I got AA cracked 3 times last night in various tournaments. It sucks, but it happens. Got my revenge later in a NL cash game when I flopped a set of aces and took down a monster pot [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]