Anyone every notice that when you are losing you can’t wait to play again and when you are winning you are just looking for a polite way to hit the door and bank those winnings. That is common to all investment that involves risk and uncertainty. There are hundreds of book written about this same phenomenon in the stock and commodity markets (and I have read a lot of them.) We all want to feel good and winners feel good, losers feel bad.

This scenario plays out in miniature through out a MTT. For example, blinds are 100/200 and one of the players gets his stack wacked on a vicious bad beat say aces beaten by tens. He was the table leader at 7000 chips and now has 4000. No matter he is still in fine position chip wise, he’s wounded and wants those chips back now, right now. Do not steal from this man for several hands, especially the very next hand in the game. He is far more likely to call and raise. Be however more willingly to play strong hands for more chips. I think ripptyde would agree this is not the time for your standard 3x the BB raise with 7-4 off into this man’s blind.

The converse is also true to an extend with many players. I however feel slightly less confident about this point as it is dead wrong for a few players. If someone is recently won a big hand or two, they usually are a little easier to steal from. It is a emotional high to win a couple big hands and many people will not want to risk their chip position immediately without strong hands. However, a caveat, a few players immediately start playing like King Kong with a big stack calling everything in site, so you have to exercise caution as always.

 

If your betting or raising the hand, you always have 2 ways to win the hand, the field can fold and you take the pot or they can call and you can win at a showdown.

This is why ripptydes favorite hand of 7-4 off works with a raise into an unraised pot. Say half the time the field folds, he takes the pot. The other half they call, if they check,he bets and represents the winning hand, and they fold maybe half the time again. Once in a while 7-4 flops the joint and he really takes them to the cleaners. Constantly keeping the pressure on you opponents will force them into mistakes, even if you have the worse hand. And by the way, 7-4 is a really easy lay down if you get checkraised or reraised at any point.

On the other hand, calling raised pots gives you only one way to win. You have to beat them. With any 2 non pair cards, you will only flop a pair about one third of the time. Your odds of flopping 2 pair are about 5%. The flop simply does not improve your hand often enough to just call especially heads up. You would be better off raising 2-7 on the button than you are calling AJ in first position. You have far more outs raising 2-7 on the button because they can give you the pot before the flop or on the flop with a “rep bet”

The underlying principle is that you increase your outs with an aggressive game of betting or raising with minimal calls.

 

This is my biggest fault. Guilty as charged many times. It is so easy to click that mouse when faced with a big call. There is no reason to hurry and I don’t care if I take 20 seconds of the tables time, it just an impulse or reflex. One reckless moment in time and several hours of regret.

Fishstick’s “Questions to ask yourself” on the homepage of this site is a good read to buttress my point. Even if you have a joint, you should take a moment to put your opponent on a hand.

What does he have and why is betting at me?

What do I know about his style of play?

Is this the most efficient use of my chips at this point of the tournament?

Did he hit a draw?

Has he been soft playing me for the kill?

What was the preflop action?

Also, if you are faced with all-in call in the first 2 rounds with just top pair, lay it down, this is a sucker play and I’ll get you with the gigantic bet. It works too many times.

To sum up, take your time, every site gives you at least 30 seconds to think. Use it.

 

In Summary

Point 1: Tight is right in the first hour of a MTT.
Point 2: Shut your pie hole unless you are eating pie.
Point 3: Play where you belong.
Point 4: Stop telling bad beat stories.
Point 5: Specialize
Point 6 Be a Big Picture Person.
Point 7: Have Some Guts With the Nuts.
Point 8: Two Special Situations to Tighten Up.
Point 9: Thou Shalt Not Steal From the Wounded.
Point 10: Give Yourself 2 Ways to Win Every Hand You Play.
Point 11: Count to 10 Then Begin.

Next chapter:

https://flopturnriver.com/poker-strategy/win-mtt-poker-04-blinds-weak-bets-19480/

Find all the chapters by soupie here.

 

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Win MTT Poker 03 - Tilt, Patience
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