Surviving a tournament

LADYRED · Newbie Joined: Dec 15, 2004 Posts: 6

Survival.... Don't take silly gambles early. People will drop like flies in the first 15 minutes. (Take advantage of it when you have a good hand, but don't fret about being a smallish stack at the first break. The big stacks' loose play will come back to haunt them soon enough and I almost guarantee they will be out before you if you play smartly.)

Storm · Silver Crown Member Joined: Dec 22, 2004 Posts: 180

Honestly it all depends what system your on and what the buy in is, If we are talking about freerolls then yes of course your gonna lose 1/2 the feild before 1st break. The higher buy'ins are different though.

RoryN · Posted: Thu Dec 23, 2004 1:49 am Post subject:

When I first started playing online, I used to try and look at all the flops during the low blinds. What's 20 or 30 out of a stack of 1000 or 1500 to se a flop? I wouldn't call many raises though, unless I had something to look at. As I played with this theory, I realized that the players who only played the good hands they were dealt were making it alot further in tourneys than those who played anything and everything, as LadyRed mentioned above about those playing loose.

Now, I try to play as much as I can early on, but only with decent looking hands. I've had more success playing smart, but still see way too many people hitting flops on those hands no one should be playing (9-2 suited comes to mind). Still don't understand why people play something just becuase it's suited, but to each his or her own, I guess.

Storm · Silver Crown Member Joined: Dec 22, 2004 Posts: 180

Sexual_Panda · Newbie Joined: Dec 27, 2004 Posts: 3

Just play a tight aggresive game

PackerJG10 · Posted: Mon Dec 27, 2004 7:44 pm Post subject: Tight Agressive

Ha! Tight Agressive, easier said than done...

WeBJamming · Newbie Joined: Jan 19, 2005 Posts: 16

I'll tell you what I do but I don't know what a good poker player would say about it. In the early goings, I try to get my stack as big as possible then I sitout till after the first break. Lots of players are out of it by then and I usually have a much easier time making it to the final table.

msvickiepoker · Newbie Joined: Jan 21, 2005 Posts: 2

with me for playing tournies is to have a clear head, have patience,mix up my play alot,and use my instincts (common sense).

Kil18 · Newbie Joined: Jun 14, 2005 Posts: 6 Location: Ephrata, PA

I don't even play a Hand during the 1st break unless I got a big pp or A J or higher.. and most of the time I just raise it allin preflop to just get the hands out that prolly will hit 2 pair vs my top pair and kill me...

So play tight but agressive when you have a hand... don't still blinds intil it is atleast 200/400 no sense of stealing and then getting into a big pot with the chip leader... when the pot was only.
_________________
"Ignorance is the way to luck"

ThreeUp3Down · Silver Crown Member Joined: Dec 27, 2004 Posts: 180

My advice is to not listen to my advice because I stink I have no clue what I'm talking about. That said you should start stealing around 50/100 and that makes it the best time to play LAG and then tighten up again around 200/400. I don't know sh** though so don't listen!~~~

ThreeUp3Down · Silver Crown Member Joined: Dec 27, 2004 Posts: 180

My advice is to not listen to my advice because I stink I have no clue what I'm talking about. That said you should start stealing around 50/100.

M4st3r · 4 Star Member Joined: Jun 28, 2005 Posts: 91

Hm...interesting quote

iGotOuts · Newbie Joined: Jul 04, 2005 Posts: 12

much like all poker its feeling and reads, you dont get involved in a pot with A5 when blinds are 500/1000 and you are under the gun, why do it when the blinds are 10/20.

playing winning poker that is my advice, yeah people that play stupid hands hit sometimes, it looks like they hit more than they do in FreeRolls cuz you have 500 people playing crap, so someone is going to hit.

keep tight, keep it aggressive, you will be fine.

badpoker · Newbie Joined: Dec 14, 2004 Posts: 1

I agree with you 100% Ladyred, alot of tourney strategy books say the same thing. Dont take any big risks for the first 4 levels of blinds, let the fools weed themselves out Wink

PokerNinja · Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2005 6:27 pm Post subject:

Thanks for some good advice everyone.

Here I was feeling a little shall we say 'guilty' folding the majority of the time... Embarassed

Live and learn.

My next free-roll tourney starts in 2hrs 30mins, I will look to stick to the game plan and hopefully reach one of the later tables.