Strategy on the table MTT

Many beginners ask me how and which strategy is most efficient to use at the beginning.
There's no pre-established pattern because poker is a storm of ideas involving people. And every mind is a world unto itself, so imagine how many worlds exist in the universe?
One of the strategies I usually use at the beginning of a target tournament is identifying each opponent's plays and style. This is fundamental to having a basis for knowing who to attack and at what point or position at the table.
What seems like a lot to you might be just a few chips to others. So you start identifying certain patterns in a particular opponent and begin to chip away at them little by little, thus increasing your stacks to stay in the money until you reach the money.
What do you think of the strategy I highlighted, and if possible, can you improve it? What are your preferred strategies, and who do you usually have the most success with? Your participation is extremely important for us to add value, from beginners to veterans.

I really like the idea you highlighted about observing opponents early — I think that’s one of the most underrated edges in the early stages of a tournament.

That said, I’d slightly refine your approach by adding structure to the observation process. Instead of just “watching players”, I try to categorize them quickly into simple groups:
– tight/passive
– loose/passive
– tight/aggressive
– loose/aggressive

It is important to put labels, but it's not just labels but also to analyze what moment of the tournament they are at to know what decision to make

I actually really like the foundation of what you’re saying — especially the focus on observing opponents early. That’s something a lot of beginners completely skip.

Just to add to the previous comments (especially for newer players), I’d simplify it into a 2-step approach at the start of tournaments:

1. Classify players quickly
Instead of trying to read everything, just put people into simple buckets:
- Tight/passive (fold a lot, only plays strong hands)
- Loose/passive (calls a lot, doesn’t raise much)
- Aggressive (puts pressure, bluffs more)

That alone makes decisions way easier.

2. Adjust in a very simple way
- Vs passive players → value bet more, don’t bluff
- Vs aggressive players → trap more, call down a bit wider
- Vs tight players → steal more pots

I think where a lot of beginners get stuck is trying to “outplay” people too early instead of just exploiting obvious tendencies like these.

Your idea of chipping away at specific opponents is solid — I’d just say the key is making sure we’re doing it for the right reason (based on their tendencies, not just intuition).

Curious — what’s the first thing you personally look for to classify a player? VPIP (how many hands they play), betting patterns, or something else?

I’ve been breaking down a lot of beginner hands recently and these early-game adjustments seem to make the biggest difference.

Yeah I use the early rounds to observe the players and I put them into these 4 categories, over folds, under folds, over bluffs, under bluffs. This makes it easier to track players live. So pay attention and when you get to see a hand at showdown this is gold!

alombrald said:

Many beginners ask me how and which strategy is most efficient to use at the beginning.
There's no pre-established pattern because poker is a storm of ideas involving people. And every mind is a world unto itself, so imagine how many worlds exist in the universe?
One of the strategies I usually use at the beginning of a target tournament is identifying each opponent's plays and style. This is fundamental to having a basis for knowing who to attack and at what point or position at the table.
What seems like a lot to you might be just a few chips to others. So you start identifying certain patterns in a particular opponent and begin to chip away at them little by little, thus increasing your stacks to stay in the money until you reach the money.
What do you think of the strategy I highlighted, and if possible, can you improve it? What are your preferred strategies, and who do you usually have the most success with? Your participation is extremely important for us to add value, from beginners to veterans.

Click to expand...

I have a simple strategy that is especially useful for any beginner. The slogan of this strategy is "Don't play with junk". Such a strategy allows a beginner to accumulate experience and acquire basic skills.