Rochak08 said:
Hello to everyone,
I joined this forum just today. I have been playing Poker recreationally for about five years but just recently (couple of months) started taking it a bit more seriously. I have been spending a good chunk of my time (10-20 hrs/wk) just playing at BetOnline and reading up anything I can find online when I am not involved in a hand. I have downloaded Poker software that tracks all the hands that you play and have been trying to figure out how to incorporate the information in it into my play.
All the numbers like VPIP and PFR suggest that my play is tight and aggressive, which is the correct way to play. I also feel that I am doing a lot of the fundamental things according to the textbook but I haven't cashed in at any of the last 20 or so tournaments that I have played. Particularly, in the last 5-7 tournaments, it seems that I keep getting to later rounds and take an exit right before the cash rounds. Another recurring problem is that I build stacks that put me in the top ten of the chip lead and I slowly get whittled down and lose it all before the cash rounds.
Any suggestions? I am just trying to figure out if something is wrong or if it is just a bad streak. Have you guys experienced this in your journey also?
Thank you.
Who told you that TA = Tight Aggressive style is the correct way to play?
Yes it is correct in some cases, like when you're approaching the final table or during the bubble. It's good for cash tables too.
You have to mix your styles during the tournament.
If your behavior with pocket 89s is the same with 200bb or 100bb or 40bb or 10bb stack then you're a terrible player.
You can limp AA in early positions if you know that there will be a preflop bet behind you.
You can easily call 3bb preflop raise with a stack like 120bb+
You can fold AA pre-flop if 2 players went all-in infront of you during bubble time and you have a short stack.
You can shove with any two during bubble time if you're a chipleader in late positions.
I'm lose as a fish during early stages of big MTTs, specially with low buy-ins. That's the only way to build a big stack and later on I'm switching from T\A to Loose\Passive and back depending on table, stack and tournament progress. If I've got T\A reputation at the table after playing 2 good hands it means that I'll become an imbecile loose fish at this table, will start 3betting with hands like J5os if i'm in position.
SOmetimes, When I've got a big stack and this stack is big enough to get in the money, like you've said = top 10... In this case I simply leave the table for some time. Since A) I know that the tournament lasts 7-8hours, and B) I Know that there is XX minutes left till I'm in the money and C) My stack during these XX minutes will be Y% shorter. Then I calculate the equasion and If I'll see that I can leave the table right now, return 1 hour later being in the money and with average stack, then I simply leave the notebook alone and go set alarm on my phone and go out or eat something or talk to friends\relatives... I think that it's EV+ decision. It's risk free return of investment + small profit + average stack. In addition I will clear my mind during the rest and will get rid of any possible tilt... Tilt may happen because of winning.
Thats poker mate. MTT version of it. You can't and you won't win playing like robosapiense by waiting for premium hands and clicking that bet button when you've got them. Blinds are growing, people come and go, you have to bite as much meat as you can in a short period of time, it's not like a cash game where your 100bb stack will be 94bb stack during one hour of waiting for those rockets...:wavey: If you've got a big piece of meat - keep in mind that you'll need some time to swallow it. It's better to stop playing when you're on top, cause any hand can win, and if you'll start waiting only for AA, and you'll be surprised that you've lost a pre-flop all-in with AA, then who is guilty in this case? Pocket aces isn't a 100% win on the showdown.
In my
online poker experience, over ten years.. I've won 1st place by being chipleader from the start just twice, maybe 3 times. And tens or hundreds of times I've won the MTT by staying deep in the crowd, sometimes I even falled asleep and wake up only because I've changed the sound at PS for break end alarm. Once I woke up with 2bb stack and 19 players left out of 3K and won 3rd place, slept for 45 minutes of the level, cause most of the big MTTs at PS are starting really late where are I am.
So adjust your strategy depending on tournament stages, your stack and opponents at your table.
At the end of late registration you must know following: Total Chips in play, Average stack for the final table, Average stack for the money, Approximate time left till the money, Approximate time left till heads up final. This data together with your HUD program data together with your observations must help you to decide who you are at this current moment of the tournament. Being solid as rock often isn't as profitable as being liqud as water.
Good Luck.
