Is Late registration in a tourney a good strategy

1122phoenix · Jan 17, 2010

I've been trying Late Registration for tourneys, (with no rebuys & add ons, regular blind escalation). I do it about 50 minutes after the tourney has started when 30-40% of the players have been eliminated. Usually the top 10-20% are paid, so it makes it alot fewer players I have to go through. Usually my starting stack has 25 BB. So, I am not in any kind of small stack shove pressure. What do you think of this strategy ?

adsthepro123 · Jan 17, 2010

late reg.

It depends what situation you have in terms of how many players are in the tournament, obviously it is going to make more of an impact if the tournament has less players but if you can get into a tournament on time make sure you do.
adsthepro

leon818 · Jan 17, 2010

i would say not to late reg for MTT over 100 ppl

TopDonk · Jan 17, 2010

Late reg is only a good thing when you need it imo, if ur sat down playing and intend to play then just reg from the start however they are cool whn something happens when ur on the way home u really wanna play tourney get home 15 mins late reg job done

TD

Debi · Jan 17, 2010

I personally don't like to start tournaments with a less than average chip stack which is what you are doing. You may have fewer people to go through but most of them have more chips than you do.

I won't start a tournament more than 15-20 minutes into late registration. I play reasonably tight in the first hour - but I do take enough stabs to build my chips to above average as much as possible. I don't like losing most of that first hour.

However if you continually find that after the first hour you are below average in chip stack then your strategy might be okay.

thepokerkid123 · Jan 17, 2010

It can be a good strategy.

Your buy in grants you chips that are worth a % of the total prize money, those chips have a higher value after some players have already been eliminated. It's just ICM.

However it does mean that you can't play with deep stacks in the beginning which is bad if you think you've got edge when deep.

It also increases your chances of cashing and reduces your chances of running really deep. I'm just repeating stuff I've heard or read so I'm not sure if the running deep/just cashing thing makes the ICM calculation incorrect or if that takes it into account.

Tonawanda · Jan 17, 2010

I've been fortunate a couple of times jumping in that late. Having said that, I don't think it will be as effective as being there from the start. I see exactly what you see; many players busted or well below the starting chip level. It sures looks inviting, but as stated earlier, you have given up seeing so many hands and have such a deficit to make up, I now try to start on time and see as many hands as possible.

XPOKERCHIC · Jan 17, 2010

1122phoenix said:
I've been trying Late Registration for tourneys, (with no rebuys & add ons, regular blind escalation). I do it about 50 minutes after the tourney has started when 30-40% of the players have been eliminated. Usually the top 10-20% are paid, so it makes it alot fewer players I have to go through. Usually my starting stack has 25 BB. So, I am not in any kind of small stack shove pressure. What do you think of this strategy ?

I like to do this on Pokerstars. When the tourney is a double stack tourney it is a very good strategy. Most of the ruff players have been KO'd and you have mostly 30BB. On Fulltilt the limit on LR is a lot shorter than PS. I still will do it on FT if it is a double stack tourney. X

zek · Jan 17, 2010

Start on time. What is your reason for wanting to start late? I've read about people sitting out most of day 1 of the wsop so they don't donk out a giant stack over tiny blinds and pots but I don't think any online tournaments fall into this category.

Egon Towst · Jan 17, 2010

thepokerkid123 said:
However it does mean that you can't play with deep stacks in the beginning which is bad if you think you've got edge when deep.

^^this. It`s a poor idea. If you are an above-average player, you need to see as many hands as possible to make your edge count, especially when stacks are deep and there is more opportunity for post-flop play. Starting late reduces your chances.

If you are a weak player, then perhaps it makes sense but, in all honesty, you would do better to spend your time studying to improve your game rather than trying to find tricks to help you lose less quickly.

spiderman637 · Jan 17, 2010

Thats actually good strategy mate...Even i too am applying the same technique from few weeks back and it had increased the chances of me reaching the prize pool...
I find it really useful at UB games.

Debi · Jan 17, 2010

Egon Towst said:
^^this. It`s a poor idea. If you are an above-average player, you need to see as many hands as possible to make your edge count, especially when stacks are deep and there is more opportunity for post-flop play. Starting late reduces your chances.

If you are a weak player, then perhaps it makes sense but, in all honesty, you would do better to spend your time studying to improve your game rather than trying to find tricks to help you lose less quickly.

At last - a voice of reason.

TSM12 · Jan 17, 2010

It boils down to personal preferance. I actually do both, but like to get in early/on-time. If the tournament allows rebuys, I am more likely to reister after the first 30 minutes and just do a rebuy. However, if it does not have rebuys, I just play very conservative until after the late registration ends. The problem with late registrations it that people that buy in late play very aggressive with junk and just push on any draw. If they get lucky, they double up and look for another chance to buy the pot or get lucky. If they do not get lucky, they just go to another tournament and give it a try there.

clavio · Jan 17, 2010

I'd say its only really good for things like satelites with flat payout structures.

Weregoat · Jan 17, 2010

clavio said:
I'd say its only really good for things like satelites with flat payout structures.

An interesting viewpoint -I would consider the following - how many people are in the tournament? How many places paid? Does the tournament allow late reg? I know on AP/UB the satalites that are free or cost points don't allow late reg. I would still consider this a disadvantage.Why you should not enter a tournament late -In the first stages of a tournament, the blinds are so small they do not matter. You have 1500 chips and the blinds BB is 10, 20, 30, 40, 50? You can see hands for a long time, folding every hand, and it will cost you 15 chips an orbit at level 1.When you register late, say you come in at 25/50, it's costing you 70 chips an orbit to see cards. You're way behind the average chipstack, and have a lot of ground to cover. I'm guessing barring some excellent luck AND play you're not going to cash top 5 in a MTT.

BLieve · Jan 17, 2010

Egon Towst said:
^^this. It`s a poor idea. If you are an above-average player, you need to see as many hands as possible to make your edge count, especially when stacks are deep and there is more opportunity for post-flop play. Starting late reduces your chances.

If you are a weak player, then perhaps it makes sense but, in all honesty, you would do better to spend your time studying to improve your game rather than trying to find tricks to help you lose less quickly.

What he said.

The only time I can see starting late in a tourney as preferable is with an aggressive player that prefers to build a big stack early or bust out so he doesnt waste any time just missing the bubble. You go in there 45 minutes late in a tourney expected to last 4 hours. I would say within the first 45 minutes you should find an opportunity to double up (or bust out no homo). So at that point you would either have an above average chip count or you save yourself another hour by leaving early.

Henreiman · Jan 17, 2010

Certainly not in turbos. Whenever you lose early, it seems like you should have late reg'd...but honestly, it's usually the fish that go out early, so why not capitalize on their mistakes by joining early? It's frustrating to start when blinds are already high, so build your stack as blinds go up...and join at the beginning

jaymfc · Jan 17, 2010

there is nothing I hate much worse than pokerstars reg staying open 1 hour after game starts . sic IMO and I won't even join them from the start .

rssurfer54 · Jan 17, 2010

i dont understand why you would want to start late. If you are better than the average player in the tourney (obviously not a definite, but people here on cc seem to be better

), you want to see as many hands as you can, so you can make have a bigger stack. If you are a winning player, then every hand will increase your stack (in the long run). So joining late gives you less of an edge. I personally wont join a tourney more than 10 min late, since you feel more blind pressure as well.

BeaverTrump · Jan 18, 2010

One party it is quite good strategy, but with another - you deprive with yourself an opportunity cheaply to play many hands with a boundary card to look flop and to catch nuts and many players by this moment will have greater stacks and you should respect with them

Joe Slick · Jan 18, 2010

Sometimes I buyin just before registration closes but everything has to be just right.

My criteria is: 1) buyin at least 2000 chips with at least 15 min blinds or 3000 chips with 10 min blinds; 2) at least 1 in 4 players are going to cash.

When I choose tournaments like this, I am clearly starting out below average but I'm far from short stacked. I can immediatlely start picking on the short stacks and have lots of players capable of doubling me up when I get a monster hand. The blinds are still not big enough to kill me and I can afford to play tight for a while.

Under these circumstances, I have found that I can at least cash a high percentage of the time.

This is a formula that seems to work for me.

buckster436 · Jan 18, 2010

i dont like the late registration,, seems like you gotta play Catchup or you might get busted by a big stack that wont go bust if he takes a chance to put you allin,,,,,,,,,,,buck

The_Pup · Jan 18, 2010

Late reg has the advantage of avoiding very loose players that want to either double/triple up or go bust and the disadvantage of missing the chance to double/triple up against loose players...

I don't mind regging late if I am in a very tight mood as I know I would probably have folded almost all the hands anyway and so get to a meaningful stage of the tourney without having paid any blinds. If I am in a small-ball mood I want to get in early and see plenty of cheap flops.

Poker Orifice · Jan 18, 2010

The_Pup said:
Late reg has the advantage of avoiding very loose players that want to either double/triple up or go bust and the disadvantage of missing the chance to double/triple up against loose players...

I don't mind regging late if I am in a very tight mood as I know I would probably have folded almost all the hands anyway and so get to a meaningful stage of the tourney without having paid any blinds. If I am in a small-ball mood I want to get in early and see plenty of cheap flops.

Why do we want to miss out on taking chips from all of the 'very loose players' who are donating their stacks in early levels?

Late reg. on purpose is REALLY BAD idea in my opinion. You're limiting yourself in a big way by doing so. The only way I would consider this to be a good idea is if you're not comfortable at playing with deeper stacks...&/'or' feel you have no edge over your opponents (in other words... perhaps an ok idea if a beginner MTT player and only comfortable with getting it allin preflop because on a 20-25bb stack, you are really only on a 'resteal-sized' stack and your play is super limited.. ie. raising & folding with 20-25 bb's is not good... spots you'd be looking for would be to shove over (resteal) from villain who is raising often in LP (stealing blinds).
Why would anyone want to put themselves at such a disadvantage in a tournament?? (unless (sort of as mentioned).. you feel your play is below avg. &/or are a beginner and feel you'd be outplayed in deeperstack poker)

Poker Orifice · Jan 18, 2010

jaymfc said:
there is nothing I hate much worse than pokerstars reg staying open 1 hour after game starts . sic IMO and I won't even join them from the start .

I can't say I like them much either. The buyin level I play at has plenty enough entrants as is. I can see a 5 or 10min. late reg. but an hour+ is ridiculous.

I think though that the players who are entering the high buyin MTTs prefer it as they're looking to get as much $'s into the prizepool as possible (this is what I've heard from general discussion at least - MTT regs. playing on Fulltilt wish they had longer late reg. as there's often only 2 or 300 in alot of the higher buyin MTTs later in the day). {I was following a discussion on it just a short while ago. I could see their point BUT.. I'm not playing at that high buyin level... I'm a micro donk and the fields are HUGE enough as it is... I would hate to see Fulltilt adopting the 1hr. late reg. policy}

Is Late registration in a tourney a good strategy

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zek

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