[pritz]

So lets here it. What is your MTT strategy? How do you play your hands when you are at certain stages of tourneys? Are you a tight player who outlast people or the aggressor who takes them down yourself? How do you play when your on the bubble?; in the money?; Final table?

I'll post mine later but I've got to run to work. Lets get a good discussion going for once on this forum

[chris]

Ive been trying that phil ivey "i dont have a strategy" thing, and its worked out pretty well. im loose agressive when i have to be, and conservative when i have to be. what ever i have to do to get the chips.

as far as when its on the bubble, im agressive if i can get away with it, otherwise i sit back.

Once im in the money i noticed its good to tighten up a little untill it gets close to the next pay out jump. thats when you really wanna shift and get into a high gear and play fast. everybodys trying to get to the next pay out, so make them pay for it.


id really like to here some more strategys from everybody else

[razor]

I have played in about 10 MTT tourneys on UB so far, $5 buy in is all. Ive made ITM a couple times and made a 4th place finish in a 600 person once once. I play only premium hands for the first break and a half (AA, KK AK, QQ possibly JJ) This should double or even triple your stack up. When I get a premium hand I try and get all the money in the pot preflop and usually it works. After about halfway through the break, you have to start playing a little more looser, seeing more flops and then start playing more conservatively on the bubble and then once you get ITM I start playing a little more looser

[quickie]

I admit that i am not very good at big mtt, that being said, i think marlins ideas above sound pretty good to me. Thay may be basic ideas, but i gotta start somewhere. Anybody else have any other ideas?

[johnf]

Well, from what experience I have had in tourny play I have really noticed that a good agressive start works to set the tone early on. Then as you progress in the tourny you will have to adapt the players around you. For example if you run into an agrssive player I always play a little slower and will try to bust him with the nuts. Or when I play a tight player I will continue to bet at him until he plays back. That is my general strategy for playing in a tournment without going into an insane amount of detail.

[Chi_Town]

Not sure if people are checking this thread out (I am knew, and it appears there is not much traffic)... But for MTT, like with all things poker, you need to get a feel for the play around you. If it is tight, you can loosen up to win some small hands (but get out when someone plays back at you - tight players that play back, have a big hand).

On that note: Sitting back waiting for big pairs could work if the blinds are low and you can wait 40 hands to get one, but even QQ and JJ are vulnerable to a AK caller. Plus, if you sit and wait for those big pairs, then suddenly you are pushing money in, no one will give you action (knowing that you finally hit a premium hand).

So you are not likely to see much movement in your chips with that approach. It is good to start tight/aggressive - with starting requirements based on your position, and the action in front of you. Then loosen or tighten up accordingly as the play goes on.

Ont he bubble, if you are an average or bigger stack, play aggressive. You can really build up when other tighten up. If you are short, you need to pick your spots, but when you are going to play, play big. Put your opponent to the test for a lot of chips and try to pick up some pots to get into the money.