My Tournament Strategy

[strangebird]

Over The past Few months I have played countless mini-tourneys at Party Poker. I have been doing very well and was asked to share my strategy. You may agree or disagree with it, but I have over 20 1st in the last week alone.

I usually play the $30/$3 tourney. In the lower levels there seem way too many all-in maniacs. On occasion I also like to play the $100 and $200, but it's a lot of money. It seems to me that the $50 tables are the hardest to win.

The main rule I follow is DONT RISK ALL YOU CHIPS. It sounds like a given, but you would not believe how many people go all-in with marginal hands. In the first 2 to 3 rounds, I play super tight. I mean Tight . If I dont have AK or better, I usually wont even see a flop. By the third round there are usually at least 3 people gone. And even if you dont play one hand you still will have more chips than an couple people. Now is when you have to start to play. since everyone thinks your are tight you can start to steel some blinds, and get people to fold. Try not to call to much. They will eat you up. If you have a marginal hand may-be you should fold. If you loose your chips your done. If your not desperate for chips, dont make marginal calls. Try to raise more, if some has a marginal hand and you raise they will usually fold.

Once it gets down to four people you need to be careful. Only top 3 get paid. Here is when you defiantly dont want to risk all your chips unless you are super low. Eventually someone will go all in and get busted. Don't let it be you. There have been times that I was super low on chips, and was able to hang on just long enough for someone else to get busted. Sure it would be nice to double up when your the short stack, but too many times you go all in and get called with a marginal hand and get beat. Let someone else get beat. Protect your chips. Anything other than top 3 is not good.

Now when you get down to 2, its a different game. For the most part when ever some gets a good hand they make a huge raise or go all in. It is pretty much a craps shoot. Hopefully they go all in when you have a hand you can call with. It's really more luck than skill. The blinds are huge so you cant wait long. Make a move with a good, and hopefully get lucky. If you keep folding the blinds will eat you up, so you may have to bluff at some point.

Now If i could only do better in the Multi tables.

Ripptyde seems to do pretty well in the big tourneys, may-be ha can share some of his tips.

-gabe

[fishstick]

nice post - good info for us beginners.

so all-in on 45s would be wrong?

[mike4066]

all-in with 45s is great with a flop of A23s...


Seriously though..

Strangebird, you and I have a very similar Tourney strat. I've done pretty well in them, using them as funding for my ring games.

For those who want to know a bit more about playing a tourney like this I'd sugguest you read "Stagemusics" guide to single table tourneys.

Its under the tourney link on this site
http://www.winningonlinepoker.com/

(sorry strangebird, not trying to hijack your thread. i just believe this link fits in it well)

[Xianti]

{Made Sticky}

[strangebird]

I made sticky...

[jmrogers7]

I made sticky...

SICKO!

[fishstick]

I made sticky...

dude, you ARE a sticky! :P

[skorpeo]

Strangebird that is the way to play. I also followed Mike4066's link and it was right on. You can't win early, but you can lose.

[kidpoker22]

I think there's some validity to your strategy, but I don't see it working against good players. If you only play AK or better, your opponents will make you for being so tight that they won't be able to afford to give you action. Yeah, it's nice to steal some blinds, but you need to accumulate chips to play well in the later stages of a tournament.

[a500lbgorilla]

You can't win early, but you can lose.

Pfft, I've seen tournies won in 7 hands! Granted it was play money and there were 8 people all in on the first hand, but it's happened!

-'rilla

[Rockymv]

I've been applying a strategy similar to the one you describe on paradise for some time now, and it works great there. However, every time I try to go to party and play like that, it doesn't seem to work so well. You don't have enough chips and the blinds get too big. If you make a raise of 3xBB later on you are almost pot committed. I find when I get a big win early on, I can apply your strategy and it works out about normal. Maybe I should just stay away from party.

[DJShmee]

I've been applying a strategy similar to the one you describe on paradise for some time now, and it works great there. However, every time I try to go to party and play like that, it doesn't seem to work so well. You don't have enough chips and the blinds get too big. If you make a raise of 3xBB later on you are almost pot committed. I find when I get a big win early on, I can apply your strategy and it works out about normal. Maybe I should just stay away from party.

If 3x the BB is pot committed then you aren't playing with enough chips. Getting a big win early is tough, especially when it is 8-10 handed. When a lot of people are still at the table you have to keep in mind that there is a good chance that someone has much better hole cards then you do.

[Bacardi152]

I agree with the strategy by Strangebird ESPECIALLY the super-tight early part. However, you can usually get away with the same strategy in the 5 and ten dollar tournaments on empire and partypoker. Even though those players are all in maniacs as long as you stay tight you will definitely get in the top five. Along the way though, it's a good idea to give them a taste of thier own medicine. A REALLY good strategy in these tournaments is limping in with monsters like KK or AA in early position. Most low buy-in tournament players can't fathom slow-playing these hands so when you do it you can catch them off guard. It's a good way to get a scary table image fast.

[LockLow34]

You can't win early, but you can lose.

Pfft, I've seen tournies won in 7 hands! Granted it was play money and there were 8 people all in on the first hand, but it's happened!

-'rilla

I remember those. I think I knocked 6 people out on one hand when I had QQ the first hand and 7 of us pushed.