What's the biggest adjustment you made in MTT's?

I've been focusing more on MTTs lately and one thing I've noticed is how quickly stack sizes can change the correct strategy. Early on I'm trying to avoid unnecessary risks, but once the blinds increase, patience alone isn't enough. For the regular MTT grinders here, what adjustment improved your results the most?

The blinds don't increase, the stacks get shorter. ; ) Poker zen for today.

We are always trying to avoid unnecessary risk. When the stack size changes we just have to recalculate what unnecessary risk is.

For instance, if I'm in a deep stack, say 250bb startings, I don't mind losing 40 or 50 bb in the first orbit when I'm at a table full of fish since I know that I'm still fully playable and it's not too hard to get it back, so I will draw chase larger bets to gamble (I won't do this against GOOD players). Calling half-pot with a gut is not a profitable play. It is an unnecessary risk, but at 250bb against fish it's usually an easy call because losing is actually not that much of a risk. Once the stacks get shorter, then it becomes an unnecessary risk that I obviously would not call.

Bitmaniac said:

I've been focusing more on MTTs lately and one thing I've noticed is how quickly stack sizes can change the correct strategy. Early on I'm trying to avoid unnecessary risks, but once the blinds increase, patience alone isn't enough. For the regular MTT grinders here, what adjustment improved your results the most?

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For the early stages, my biggest adjustment was practicing extreme discipline and patience. I play very selectively, folding about 70% to 80% of my starting hands. I heavily prioritize position and pot control early on. Combining this tight approach with solid bankroll management and pure discipline has been the main reason for my success in several tournaments. It keeps you out of unnecessary trouble while the blinds are still low

Bitmaniac said:

Early on I'm trying to avoid unnecessary risks

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This might make sense, if you are playing the wsop main event, which only run once a year and does not allow players to reenter, if they bust within the late registration period. But for all other regular tournaments this strategy/mentality is a costly misconception. In the early phase of an MTT, we should play just like, we would in a cash game (chip EV) and not shy away from high variance ("risky") situations, if they are profitable.

Our goal in the early phase should be to build up a big stack, not just to last a bit longer. If a tournament reach ITM after 2½ hours, it literally makes no difference, if we bust after 5 minutes or 2 hours and 25 minutes. In fact I would rather bust after 5 minutes, because then I can either rebuy or spend my time playing another tournament instead. Of course this does not mean, I will call a 45BB all-in preflop with J4, because thats not just high variance but also unprofitable. But if I 3-bet AK and get jammed on for the same 45BB early in an MTT, its pretty much a snap call.

Its only, when we get near the money, that we should start to care about avoiding high variance / low EV situations in an attempt to lock up at least a min-cash (ICM-mode). After that follows a phase, where we again play pretty much like, we would in a cash game, and try to accumulate as many chips as possible to give ourselfes a chance to reach the final table.

If and when we then get to the final table, the game again becomes more tactical with outlasting other players sometimes taking precedence over accumulating chips. So in this spot maybe I just call preflop with AK, if I have 45BB, and my opponent cover me, and I dont want to have to make that choise between folding to his 4-bet jam or flipping for my entire stack, while other players are still hanging around with a much shorter stack.

I agree. The early stages are not for being nitty. The early stages are a chance for us to just play solid poker.

Semprini said:

I agree. The early stages are not for being nitty. The early stages are a chance for us to just play solid poker.

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There are also hand types like small pairs and suited connectors, that are only playable postflop with a somewhat deep stack. So the early stages is exactly, when we should be making that speculative call from BTN with 44 against an UTG open and try to flop a set and stack the opponent.

Bitmaniac said:

I've been focusing more on MTTs lately and one thing I've noticed is how quickly stack sizes can change the correct strategy. Early on I'm trying to avoid unnecessary risks, but once the blinds increase, patience alone isn't enough. For the regular MTT grinders here, what adjustment improved your results the most?

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Jogo desde o início do registro (não faço late reg), e sempre no early stage tento jogar com mais mais tight (mais fortes), evitando dar allin desnecessariamente.

Bitmaniac said:

I've been focusing more on MTTs lately and one thing I've noticed is how quickly stack sizes can change the correct strategy. Early on I'm trying to avoid unnecessary risks, but once the blinds increase, patience alone isn't enough. For the regular MTT grinders here, what adjustment improved your results the most?

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The single most impactful adjustment for Multi-Table Tournaments (MTTs) is shifting from a "chip-accumulation" mindset to an "ICM-aware survival" mindset as the tournament reaches the money bubble and final table stages.