Looking for advice when running deep in a tournament

Hey Gang!

Looking for some input on playing deep tournaments. I tent to do well throw the beginning but I seem to get stuck in the middle. I do place a lot, however when I get to the money places, I never have much chips. Anyone tips for getting through the middle of a deep tournament and gaining some chips if you never get cards to really play?

Thanks!

I've been researching that myself. There are several videos out there; here's one:
(there are a few more on the
same youtube channel, Jonathan Little for PokerCoaching.com)

Basically, it amounts to attempting to build up your stack early by being a little more aggressive in the early stages while still playing sound poker. Of course, a rebuy tournament allows you to take more chances than a non-rebuy tournament.

UberPokerFan said:

I've been researching that myself. There are several videos out there; here's one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFm4Hfmywuk (there are a few more on the
same youtube channel, Jonathan Little for PokerCoaching.com)

Basically, it amounts to attempting to build up your stack early by being a little more aggressive in the early stages while still playing sound poker. Of course, a rebuy tournament allows you to take more chances than a non-rebuy tournament.

Click to expand...

Very good post. I will check this out since I was also wondering about this issue. Thanks

Usually this is a problem for people who are playing too tight.
When the antes start you have to open up your range for 2 reasons.

1 there is more money in the pot and you have the odds to play more hands.

2. It costs you more per orbit. This is by design and forces the action.

If you are playing the same game the whole tournament the antes will eat you alive. You simply don't have time to wait for premium hands.

play all the buttons clean.

Play loose at the start to try and build up your chips, but you're going to have to play alot of tourneys because you're going to bust out most of the time. That's why I play so many free rolls.
However, once you do get deeper in the tournament you can tighten up and last a lot longer.

I've been at 2 final tables and 2 second last tables in 888 Poker free rolls in the last week, but I've also busted out of maybe 30 or 40 free rolls way too early, although mostly still in the money.

As others have said already, the main cure is to become more aggressive, when blinds start to go up, and not be afraid to die. Look for spots, where you can put all your chips in the middle and give your opponents a tough decision, for instance by rejamming light. Rejamming means, that someone have opened the pot, maybe there is one or more callers, and then you simply move all in or put them all in. Example:

CO open to 2,3BB with a 20BB stack
BTN call with a 38BB stack
SB fold
Hero is BB with a 24BB stack and look down at KJs

In this situation Hero could just call and see a flop, and there is nothing really wrong with that. But its often a higher EV play to jam all in. A lot of the time CO wont have a hand, that is strong enough to call, and Hero also block some of the strong hands like AK, AJ, KK and JJ. And as for BTN he almost never have anything really good, because then he would usually have put in the reraise himself.

There is already around 7BB in the pot, and picking up those chips without having to connect with the board is a great outcome for Hero. Sometimes Hero will obviously get action, but even then he have equity. Its only really bad for Hero, if he get called by JJ-AA, AK, AJ or KQ, and most of the time neither player will have those hands. Its also entirely possible, they will fold KQ and maybe even AJ, if they are conservative players.

Finding and taking on spots like this is maybe the largest difference between long term winners and people, who rarely make it further than "just in the money", because they are sitting on a short stack, once the bubble has burst. I hope, this helps

You can take advantage of the bubble phase where most players wait to get to the money and then play aggressively.

I would wait of a good card until the end of game even when i would go all in on the big blind and sometime try to steal the blinds on small blind

karl coakley said:

Usually this is a problem for people who are playing too tight.
When the antes start you have to open up your range for 2 reasons.

1 there is more money in the pot and you have the odds to play more hands.

2. It costs you more per orbit. This is by design and forces the action.

If you are playing the same game the whole tournament the antes will eat you alive. You simply don't have time to wait for premium hands.

Click to expand...

You hit this on the nose. I was playing way too tight. As I started to snipe chips wherever possible and being a little more aggressive, my game has improved a-lot. Now, hopefully I can improve my cash game play. LOL

Yes, you're right. If you don't play well in the middle of a big tournament, it's very difficult to be high on the finish.. You have to play carefully if your pot is average. I think the main mistake of a lot of players is an active game and a very large range of hands. Play each hand carefully, avoiding making stupid bets for yourself. The middle of the tournament is very well suited for playing against weak and tight players. You must study the table carefully. Don't go all the way when you have a flash draw or a straight draw. Don't throw your chips around to see the flop when you have a bad hand and waiting for luck.. I think it is right when you play rarely, but aggressively and do not forget to be active at the table and use bluff, but do not get carried away with it. Don't forget to keep track of your bank and evaluate the average bank of the tournament.This will help you for the final stage.

Dvsone504 said:

Hey Gang!

Looking for some input on playing deep tournaments. I tent to do well throw the beginning but I seem to get stuck in the middle. I do place a lot, however when I get to the money places, I never have much chips. Anyone tips for getting through the middle of a deep tournament and gaining some chips if you never get cards to really play?

Thanks!

Click to expand...

Let's talk about the advantages of these tournaments. The biggest and most important of them is the fact that it takes more skill and less luck to perform successfully in these tournaments than, for example, in turbo tournaments. Everything is very clear here: there are more stacks, there is no need to constantly push all-in, there is more post-flop game with deep stacks - there is where to turn around and show everything that you are capable of. In case of failure in one hand, you are not eliminated from the tournament, but only lose part of your stack and have the opportunity to win back and return your chips later.In poker slang, there is less variance in these tournaments (the dependence of results on luck at a distance). Playing stronger than your opponents, you will often get into prizes and take high places in such tournaments, while one “crazy” hand in a turbo tournament can knock down absolutely any player.Playing tournaments with a deep structure will give you a more consistent score than players playing tournaments with a faster structure. This means that your nerves will not succumb to prolonged attacks from lingering downstreams (failure streaks), and your schedule will be smoother.Do not hurry. There is no need to rush into trying to hit a big stack right away. Don't risk it too much. As we saw in the Thursday Thrill picture, your stack will reach a critical point where you need to move to a push / fold strategy in about 3-4 hours. You have several hours to find suitable situations and / or opponents to increase your stack. This is a lot. Better to give up a couple of times in dangerous situations where you can lose a lot, to wait for the moment when you can most likely win a lot of chips.Get used to the pace of the game. The Deep Stack tournament is not a spree, it is a real marathon, it will take a long time to play, and therefore it is very important to maintain concentration throughout the tournament and not burn out. Become fully aware of this fact and progress smoothly through the tournament. Be patient. If perseverance is not your forte, then it might be worth looking for a different type of tournament that suits you and your style.