Do you ever feel pressure to build a stack early?

Sometimes in tournaments I feel like I need to build a big stack early, even though I know there’s still a long way to go. It can lead to taking spots I normally wouldn’t take just to try and get ahead.

Other times I try to stay patient and wait for better opportunities, but then I worry about falling behind.

Do you try to build a stack early, or are you more focused on surviving and playing solid in the early stages?

I prefer the gradual way. I find it nuts to go all in on the first hand of a big tourney.

Nesehorn156 said:

Sometimes in tournaments I feel like I need to build a big stack early, even though I know there’s still a long way to go. It can lead to taking spots I normally wouldn’t take just to try and get ahead.

Other times I try to stay patient and wait for better opportunities, but then I worry about falling behind.

Do you try to build a stack early, or are you more focused on surviving and playing solid in the early stages?

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Always prioritize the slow game. Your fast game will soon follow. By like your 100th game you'll start to have a feeling to when and where you should start worrying about building a stack. By your 250th game maybe you'll start implementing that knowledge to building a stack. After that you should be a natural by then.

Don't chase, stay within your game. Making written notes on ques to when and why you're starting to tilt is a great way of reminding yourself to try and combat it. Its better than making mental notes as headspace tends to swade you in 1 direction. But with notes it's almost like another person telling you to stay cool.

I have this problem especially in freerolls as I feel like everyone is just going all in all the time. What I like to do is play for a few weeks maybe a month "the right way" then after I've been burned out maybe I start to play the all in game and try to build a stack early in the tourney. Building a stack shouldn't be your top priority. It's applying simple gto that should be always popping up into your head. Now that's more controllable. Unlike chip building. Chip building is secondary.

That used to happen to me when I played mystery bounty tournaments on 888 Poker. At first, it was like, "I have to build my stack quickly." I put that pressure on myself. But then, in that specific tournament, I said, "Okay, I have to build my stack quickly. The tournament is relatively slow, and if I manage it, I can relax more." Even though it might seem like there's pressure in that, for me there wasn't. It was because, despite wanting to have a good stack from the start, I played carefully. I was more cautious with my game.