Thoughts on the biggest Party MTTs

[Andy Holt]

I have recently been on a long crusade to go deep in a $150-$200 MTT like Super Weekdays, Friday Special, 200K, 500K etc. I have qualified into all of them many times, and I have played 12 in total. The deepest I have gone so far is 51st place in the 200K Saturday a week ago, for about $750. My total ROI from qualifying money to prize money is somewhere in the neighborhood of 500%.

The more I play these tournaments, the less I feel like they require any big adjustments. Sure, there are better players and I've played a few with big online reputations (yesterday I knocked Mark "Poker H0" Kroon out of the 500K) but I feel like I can roll with everyone. I am such a better postflop player and I have learned so much about tournaments from playing in these.

Now I just feel stupid playing in my old stomping grounds like the 40K Grnty or the nightly 45K $11 rebuy on Stars. My tournament game is so much more advanced now that I actually find myself getting really bored if it's not for higher stakes.

I just lose interest, even though my bankroll is still only a measly $2K. I feel like I should be playing Step 5s and Supers every single day now. The only low-buyin events I really give a shit about now are qualifiers.

[gabe]

play 150 more of them and then say that

[Andy Holt]

play 150 more of them and then say that

I really don't understand this response.

[vqc]

play 150 more of them and then say that

I really don't understand this response.

hes saying that u have played too few of these high buyin tournies to be able to properly gauge ur ability in these tournies.

[Andy Holt]

Yeah, a larger sample size would help. I guess I was just looking for some thoughts/comments from regulars in these high-buyin tournies... Anyone?

[michael1123]

Basically, if you're good enough to beat / play in the higher stakes tournies, you'll build a roll big enough to play in them eventually (and probably sooner rather than later). You just need to be patient.

Right now you may feel like you fit in at the high stakes games, but to be honest, that still doesn't mean you'd be beating them, just breaking even (minus the rake).

A $2k roll is nothing in these tournaments. Its that simple. Enduring the mildest of down swings would bust you.

[Andy Holt]

Basically, if you're good enough to beat / play in the higher stakes tournies, you'll build a roll big enough to play in them eventually (and probably sooner rather than later). You just need to be patient.

Right now you may feel like you fit in at the high stakes games, but to be honest, that still doesn't mean you'd be beating them, just breaking even (minus the rake).

A $2k roll is nothing in these tournaments. Its that simple. Enduring the mildest of down swings would bust you.

Okay, my bankroll is just over $3K at the time of this writing.

I would assume a roll of no less than $50K to fly in these big tournies, no? At least that's an educated guess I came up with somehow.

[PO$$E$$ED]

The Step SNGs are a lot of fun, but you need a big roll if you want to grind at it. I've had some success at them- I've placed 2nd once and 3rd once at Step 5, out of maybe 5 attempts. After a while though I realized they don't give you enough chips, it's basically a crapshoot where whoever gets the best cards wins. So in conclusion SNGs are lame, play cash games where skill matters. Rant over

[michael1123]

Personally Holt, I think 7k-10k is fine if you're talking about $100s and $150s. For the big weekend $200s, over 15k would be best for direct buyin. You can't care about the $200 to regularly buy into those, as the variance is so high.

[JeffreyGB]

Would anyone like to expand a bit on the differences b/t these events and the tournaments Holt described (40k Gnty; Rebuy Madness)?

Michael, would you say the variance is higher in the Super events than in a smaller level big field event like the 40k?

Holt, sounds like you're pwning the Satellites for these. Any thoughts/tips you want to give on them, or is it just standard poker?

[TanO]

If you're bankroll is $2k then it appears you should still be very much interested about smaller tournaments. If you are as hot as you think then you could soon be up to $10k just from playing the 180's which are $20 buyin and seem to 'fit' the bankroll you have.

[Bmxicle]

The Step SNGs are a lot of fun, but you need a big roll if you want to grind at it. I've had some success at them- I've placed 2nd once and 3rd once at Step 5, out of maybe 5 attempts. After a while though I realized they don't give you enough chips, it's basically a crapshoot where whoever gets the best cards wins. So in conclusion SNGs are lame, play cash games where skill matters. Rant over

Bingo!

[Pingviini]

The Step SNGs are a lot of fun, but you need a big roll if you want to grind at it. I've had some success at them- I've placed 2nd once and 3rd once at Step 5, out of maybe 5 attempts. After a while though I realized they don't give you enough chips, it's basically a crapshoot where whoever gets the best cards wins. So in conclusion SNGs are lame, play cash games where skill matters. Rant over

Bingo!

quoted for universal ultimate truth

[JeffreyGB]

Bah to all of you thread-jackers!


I repeat my questions:

Would anyone like to expand a bit on the differences b/t these events and the tournaments Holt described (40k Gnty; Rebuy Madness)?

Michael, would you say the variance is higher in the Super events than in a smaller level big field event like the 40k?

Holt, sounds like you're pwning the Satellites for these. Any thoughts/tips you want to give on them, or is it just standard poker?

[Andy Holt]

Holt, sounds like you're pwning the Satellites for these. Any thoughts/tips you want to give on them, or is it just standard poker?

Man, I would really like to write up a miniguide for satellite play, because I find it way too easy. Almost all the qualifiers I regularly play are the softest tournament poker imaginable, with a few minor adjustments anyone can beat them.

As for your other question, I think Michael was referring to the Weekend 215s where over 2000 players buy in. Of course with such a huge field there will be a lot of variance and a LOT bigger bankroll requirement. That doesn't make it much different from the 40k Guaranteed. Would you still play the 40k every night if you had a $200 bankroll?

[JeffreyGB]

Man, I would really like to write up a miniguide for satellite play, because I find it way too easy.

Do it!

[Andy Holt]

Man, I would really like to write up a miniguide for satellite play, because I find it way too easy.

Do it!

I'll set up a poll in the MTT tactics forum and take a look at what everyone thinks of this idea.

[TanO]

Would you still play the 40k every night if you had a $200 bankroll?

No because unless you got lucky you would be broke within a week

[Rondavu]

I'll write the guide for beating satellittes in the next sentence...

Play good cards, hit the flop, and bet hard.

There are so many goofballs in these things, that it's difficult not to win if you have half a clue.