Tips for my first Live Poker MTT!

[duqnuk]

Hey everybody!

I'm going to play my first Live MTT next week!!

I'm mainly a online player, I played live micro-stakes Cash games once or twice, and I'm looking for tips strictly about live poker. I know the basic fundamentals and theory of poker, but I was looking for some personal tips regarding live games, like tells, tendencies of live poker, things that come to mind that you would suggest to a friend that will play his first live MTT.

 

[takinitSLEAZEE]

Get plenty of rest, eat beforehand, and make sure your hygiene is acceptable. GL.

 

[Andyreas]

Good luck for your experience!

I haven't played live, so I cannot help here but here's a wonderful guide what not to do when playing live:

"Just don't..."—Things to do/not do at the table

After spending 200-300 hours (9 bracelet events and 2 dailies) at the poker table over my 3 different weeks at the WSOP this summer, many of them with the same players for 6-12 hours, I was subconsciously compiling a list of really annoying things that players did... not just once but over and...

www.cardschat.com

Hope that helps. 😊

 

[mariussica88]

Try to stay focus, it will be boring playing so slow. It's a big difference from online play.

 

[ADRI7HO]

A couple of books or articles that help with physical reading, or maybe a YouTube video (if you have one), can certainly help you to be able to read your opponents and their body language live.
Good luck!

 

[Gallarado777]

study people's facial expressions how they introduce themselves at the table this will be your information at the table you will know a lot about the player yourself, but behave professionally don't make quick moves like in online poker, plan the game and monitor the players' actions, check them and don't tilt them

 

[RagNar87]

Fight for those antes.
Don't be afraid to defend your big blind when short-stacked.
Play tighter when you're short stacked and near a bubble.

 

[SPANKYSN]

Patience is key. Don't chase with mediocre cards. The occasional bluff in good position is OK, but understand this...people hate to get bluffed, and some will chase that inside straight...they sometimes hit it, but most times, chasers are money donors...wait them out.

 

[Emily Trott]

These are a few of the things that I've learned over the past four and a half years.

- If you tend to tap your fingers while thinking, don't do it because it will be taken as a check and you'll be out of luck if you were planning to bet. It took me a month or two to lose that expensive habit.

- Always announce a raise verbally, and say the amount clearly if it isn't for the full amount you threw into the pot.

- Make sure to protect your cards so the player(s) next to you can't see them. What I do is place the edge of my left hand on the table with my fingers slightly bent, That will shield the cards from someone on your left. With your right hand move the cards in close to the palm of your left hand. Then lift the corners of your cards so they are facing your left palm just until you can see the values. This shields them from the player on your right. (Left handed people should reverse these instructions.)

​

- Be polite and have fun interacting with the other players. It will make your tournament that much more enjoyable.

- Always tip the waitress.

- And finally.... GOOD LUCK!! 🍀🍀🍀

 

[duqnuk]

Thanks for the tips everybody!
They will certainly be usefull next week!

Wish me luck! I'll keep you all updated on my performance!!

 

[TeUnit]

Try to do things the same every hand...ie put you cards in the same place on the table, sit in the same position, handle the chips the same way, etc.

 

[5TR8 FLUSH]

I don't have much live experience, but some things I picked up was to stay focused, not give any information away, and remember cards you have and how much chips are in the pot. Also keep your chips visible, specially your higher value chips in front.

 

[LOKIE77]

Look for betting patterns and situations that you can exploit like if the blinds don't have a min defence frequency and are overfolding too much steal when you can. Amp up your aggression as the tournament goes on. Attack the average stacks and know who can fold but don't over bluff. Use the texture of the board and position to get opponents to fold. Good luck.

 

[Luvepoker]

I was given some great advise from a professional poker player just before my 1st wsop event. Johnathan Little told me to not worry about the game or how I played. Just enjoy the show. He was right. If you worry about playing well or the need to not look dumb or I need to cash you will miss the most inportant part of the game. You are there to enjoy the game. If you win that's a bonus.

 

[mattiebumpo]

Make friends with the person to your left so they might play friendlier towards you. Pay attention to the tendencies of the people in the blinds when you are the button or cutoff so you know if they will defend the blinds/antes or if you can steal more often when you are in late position. Even though it is slower than online, pay attention even when you've folded so you can see any show down cards and watch tendencies of other players, especially the two to left and right of you. Be very aware of your chips and how you place them in the pot. Do not let any chips pass over the "line" or they may be considered as part of the pot. If you're not sure of the bet size, clarify with the dealer before making your decision. Take your time making decisions. Good luck and have fun!

 

[billibooo]

I agree with what everyone said and I would like to reiterate the do everything the same point. I also count and only bet at ten seconds and only look at your hole cards once. You never forget when you have cowboys and rockets, but you can tend to forget weak cards. Do your best remembering your hole cards!
GLGL and most importantly like Emily said, tip your waitress and have fun!

 

[riff_raff312]

These are all good points to take to the tables with you!When i played my first WPT live event i set goals and the first one was "get to day 2" and just remember it's a game you have played it before the only difference is you can see your opponent! Good luck have fun and win big!!!!

 

[duqnuk]

Hey everybody!

Thanks once again for the tips!
I've never thought of some points you guys and girls more experienced shared above, I'm enjoying a lot being part of this community.

So, here's what happened...

The format was bullet-bullet MTT, I've never heard of that before so for those who don't know aswell is a tourney format where you can rebuy (for free) 2 times after you lose your first buy-in. And after that you can rebuy (for a amount of your total 3 buy-ins) paying $20 USD.

There was 5 tables with 9 players each. Big blind pays the ante

In the beggining of the tournament I was in a VERY loose table. I was even becoming a little frustrated with a certain player that was raising with literally any two cards. And goes without saying that he was hitting the flop hard, with sets, two pair, etc.
In this table I didn't manage to win a single pot, and luckly I was randomnly selected to change tables (this was mid-tourney)

First good hand: JJ

I got a little lucky in this other table and got my first real hand, pocket Jacks, I jammed pre-flop, got called and double my stack-size.
(I think is worth saying that the blinds were getting super deep, I had no more than 10bbs, that's why the jamming was my play)

Second good hand/play: A6o

I was in position, no one raised and I jammed (again xD). The player in my left was almost snap calling, I stayed straight like a rock not moving a single inch, with my sunglasses on (at night lol). He was counting his chips, and suddently he says in a friendly way "He's not messing around, I fold". He shows his A8o, I had A6o, but only show de Ace. (Should I have showed my hole cards? or only mucked?)


Third good hand/play: T9o

I was in small blind, and called. Flop was 4,4,2. There was like 3 players in the pot, everybody checked. Turn was a 10. I was feeling good about that turn (considering that T9o it's not a good hand). So I bet like 1/3 pot, the BTN calls, river was like a 7 or something, not a conected or dinamyc board at all. So I bet 1/4 pot in the river and BTN folds. Nice little pot, almost doubling my stack.


Fourth good hand: TT

This one hurt me a little.
I was in the two final tables, with only 16 players left, in the money. I was in UTG, with no more than 4bbs, (blinds were super deep). I see my pocket tens and almost instantly shoves all-in, everybody fold except big blind, he calls my shove and shows his K9o. I was a tiny bit happy to see that he was at least holding a nine, so in non straight scenarios he only had 3 outs (his three kings). But of course He hits his kings on the turn and takes my entire stack :/

I was not enterily satisfied with my performance since the only opportunities I had was shoving, I didn't have enought opportunities to make good plays post-flop except on my T9o hand. Anyways, it was definitly a super fun experience.

Did you think I make mistakes in theses hands? What would you do different? Of course I didn't list everyhand I played so its a little hard to get some good feedback, but the most important ones are there.

Thanks again for taking your time responding my thread and any feedback will be gladly appreciated!

 

[Acechador]

Analyze the hands you don't play to figure out your opponents... it's always good to understand how they would play against you.

 

[5TR8 FLUSH]

Out of 45 players, finishing 16th in your first live tournament is very good. I think you played well and it's unfortunate when you have a person that is constantly putting pressure every hand, luckily you got moved to another table. You just have to be patient, and try to not let others interrupt your game. We all have to adjust our strategies at different times vs players and at different stages of a tournament.

Like someone already mentioned the importance of noticing patterns. For example, in one of my first live tournaments I played, I noticed one of the opponents constantly betting, and putting pressure on the rest of us. I remember having a hand like 10H9D vs that opponent and I told myself that I was going to out play this opponent that hand. He limped pre-flop, and I went in as well. Flop had two hearts, he bet small, I called. Turn random card, and river a third heart. I knew I had nothing, not even a pair. He bet small for a third time and I shoved (trying to represent a flush). It wasn't much for him to call, but he folded and I showed my hand. I had played tight before this hand and had not shown any aggression.

Anyways, congrats on your first live tourney and I hope to hear more about your progress. Good luck

 

[emk211]

First hand...

 

[nabmom]

Congratulations on making it in the money in your first live tournament. While that final hand is frustrating, your actions were correct (how could you not shove with only 4BBs and that pocket pair??).

Actual hands aside, was there anything you noticed about playing live that was different for you? My biggest challenge playing live is how much harder it is to get a quick sense of everyone's stack size and the pot size. I find myself counting my chips a lot in a live tourney. It's also harder to see the community cards and other players depending on where you end up sitting at the table.

 

[jonaselloco]

Congratulations brother for entering the ITM.

They taught me in a live MTT as online 3 objectives.

1° go winning chips little by little, not go crazy with all in and those stressful situations, unless it is extremely necessary.
2° Entering the ITM relaxes you, and if possible by far exceeding the bubble. In this game, playing variants with chip steals from players who are eager to enter the ITM is essential, as long as you have a good stack.
3rd the final table is the priority, without it it is impossible to win an MTT. Whenever you are at the final table, even if your stack is the smallest, you will have the possibility of winning the MTT or seeing situations of being able to win bigger prizes step by step.

Live I suggest what our brother luvepoker recommended, that really is ideal. Don't worry too much about what you do, just enjoy the game. That de-stresses you.

In my life there are situations that I do not like to do. For example, one is to look at my cards two or more times. That to me is a feeling of insecurity. I look and memorize my start cards, and from there they don't move anymore.

One thing that I like to do is, in addition to analyzing the entire table and the movements, especially of players who are too recreational, is to safely control my bet. Not doubting is essential.

To keep in mind, the recreational player plays a large number of hands. Because he sees his letters and generally likes everything. On the other hand, the semi or professional player plays strong and well-founded hands. It does not necessarily have to be an AA or KK, in certain positions and with a check call or mini raise from another player you can play many suited hands or low pairs that are not necessarily strong hands, but when you see the flop they can be played. turn into strong hands until nuts.

That is also a way to earn chips. If you have players on your left who fold all the time because they spend their whole lives waiting for a monster hand that may not reach them in the entire MTT, you should take advantage of that situation.

Do not be impressed by the players with bad faces, preferable to be very careful with those you see with a face of nothing, those are always dangerous. If you don't look at the videos on ps or youtube, the faces of high-class PRO players. For example, when Phil Ivey bets you, he seems like the good boy that every mother would like to have as a son-in-law for her daughter, and the raises from the bad guys don't scare him at all, on the contrary, he focuses on the game, and if the game It does not favor much that it affects him that on the other side is Hulk Hogan or Terminator, everything does not matter exactly to him.

Well brother, again congratulations on your achievements, and I hope you continue commenting on your successes.

A big hug and blessings

 

[duqnuk]

(how could you not shove with only 4BBs and that pocket pair??).

Yes, that was exactly was I was thinkig during the hand. There's only one move and I did it. But the only reason I was reluctant to make this move was that almost everybody was short-stacked, at least in my table, so maybe I could wait a couple of hands to see if I get deeper in the tourney, maybe even FT.

But yes, I don't think I made the wrong play there.

Actual hands aside, was there anything you noticed about playing live that was different for you?

Yes! I also had some trouble evaluating stack-sizes from the opponents, that was hard. I also realize that I can be very good in Poker face's (the sunglasses helped a little xD) Everytime I made a bet or shove I stood still like a rock, not moving a inche. I also notice that players were A LOT loose, (maybe it was because of the format of the tourney) and I got a little scared to bet and play hands that I could possibly play online, but again, since the table was shoving left and right I still think the tight-aggressive was the way to go!

 

[duqnuk]

Congratulations brother for entering the ITM.

They taught me in a live MTT as online 3 objectives.

1° go winning chips little by little, not go crazy with all in and those stressful situations, unless it is extremely necessary.
2° Entering the ITM relaxes you, and if possible by far exceeding the bubble. In this game, playing variants with chip steals from players who are eager to enter the ITM is essential, as long as you have a good stack.
3rd the final table is the priority, without it it is impossible to win an MTT. Whenever you are at the final table, even if your stack is the smallest, you will have the possibility of winning the MTT or seeing situations of being able to win bigger prizes step by step.

Nice insights! Thanks bud!

Do not be impressed by the players with bad faces, preferable to be very careful with those you see with a face of nothing, those are always dangerous. If you don't look at the videos on ps or youtube, the faces of high-class PRO players. For example, when Phil Ivey bets you, he seems like the good boy that every mother would like to have as a son-in-law for her daughter, and the raises from the bad guys don't scare him at all, on the contrary, he focuses on the game, and if the game It does not favor much that it affects him that on the other side is Hulk Hogan or Terminator, everything does not matter exactly to him.

Haha! So true! Never thought like that!!

Cheers! Hope seeing you at the tables!

I'm gonna keep grinding!