Initial Stack Dilema

[CasalRoyal]

Since in the beginning of the tournament you start with only a few chips, around 1.000 or 1.500 - how do you folks cope with some loose players who often go all-in, keep on stealing the blinds, and gain much more chips than the others, while you are playing tight and see the blinds reducing your stack?

[mcatdog]

Stop playing so tight.

[Trons]

Stop playing so tight.

Mcatdog, I'm glad to hear somebody else say that. Do you mind if I get alittle more specific with how I usually play very early and see if you think I'm wrong?

Basically (I have a LHE background), I see if I'm "priced" into a pot. If 3-4 people limp I can play quite a bit looser then if it's 1 limper to me (on the btn). Suited connectors, suited A's, unsuited broadway type hands. With these hands, with this many people in the hand, I'm looking to hit hard on the flop or get out cheap.

I'm not looking for TPWK. 2pair is something I play very cautiously (Depending on the board), but yeah...I think postflop play is very important in these situations, but by not taking the chance for 1BB preflop, I'm missing out on a lot.

I've had a few people tell me that this attitude is wrong because tight is right early in a tournament. I'm just having a hard time figuring out what's so right about it if a limp costs 1% of my stack and I have a hand that can hit hard and double me up...

[baudib]

If you have a loose table with loose raisers, then play your good hands more aggressively. Having loose bigstacks at your table is a good thing, btw.

1. Get it in with AK.
2. Get called by A9.
3. Collect da monies.

Playing 2 pair cautiously sounds like a recipe for disaster.
Also sounds like you need work on your shortstack play.

[CasalRoyal]

Basically (I have a LHE background), I see if I'm "priced" into a pot. If 3-4 people limp I can play quite a bit looser then if it's 1 limper to me (on the btn). Suited connectors, suited A's, unsuited broadway type hands. With these hands, with this many people in the hand, I'm looking to hit hard on the flop or get out cheap.

In fact, let´s figure out something is happening to us latelly: playing freeroll with $ reward. Sometimes one´s got a good starting hand, supose AK or AQ, then someone in middle position raises 3BB, and two other call - you then get commited pre-flop to the pot, and re-raise to 5BB. After, surprisingly, the raiser folds, and the other two comes all-in. You decide to pay, and at showdown you see your AK against 82 off-suited, and by the river you´ve been won by a pair o 88! Guys, this gets me crazy!

On the other hand, let´s imagine one may say you´d better never go all-in in the first tables during a tournment - in this case, you get interested in the pot, somebody comes all-in, you fold, and keep on loosing your chips!

Any ideas?

[drmcboy]

Any ideas?

1) continue to get your money in as a huge favorite

2) be patient and understand in all MTTs, but especially ones with gigantic fields like free rolls you will usually lose and you need to get very lucky to win

3) profit

[CasalRoyal]

1) continue to get your money in as a huge favorite

2) be patient and understand in all MTTs, but especially ones with gigantic fields like free rolls you will usually lose and you need to get very lucky to win

3) profit

Yes. We´ve been entering ITM - today we did it again: after one hour 43 minutes we left in 453rd place in a 3537 players field. Little money for sure, but we are adding... Soon we´ll be entering $ buy-in tournments, and let´s see if we find more conscious players...