advice on stratargy for a live mtt.

pod1

some of you know i play in a well known pub league and after playing in the regional event a few wks ago i made it to the national finals. its spread over 2 days, day 1 is the southern finals (my one), then day2 is northern finals with the top players coming together at the end of day2. 

we had 117 players playing down to 6, they have 230 playing down to 12. not going to bore you with the day, but it went very well and i ended the long day chip leader out of the 6. we had 1.2 million chips in play with 6th on 90k 5th ,4th and 3rd on about 150k and 2nd on 180 ish i finished with 449k ,so a healthy stack going into the final 18.

obviously i don't know yet what the stack sizes are in the northern half as its this weekend, but looking back at last years final the top  3 stacks had about 300/330 k.

 we the southern finalists have a bit of an advantage as we can watch them play down to their final 12 and we haven't had to play for 12hrs going into the final 18.

the questions i would like to ask experienced live mtt players is how should i approach the finals? i have never been in this situation before in such a large mtt field, yes i have won some small mtts live and on line,but never been in a situation were i am chip leader (or very close to it). do i play aggressive and use the stack i have, or sit and what for good hands?

when we restart the blind level will be 6k/12k blinds with 3k antes so i have about 35bb. do i go after the shorties? do i go after the mid stacks?

basically what i am saying is how do i play a big stack in this situation? if it helps the payout is 18-11th is 50 quid, 10th 100, 9th 200 8th300 7th400 6th500 4th 750 3rd 1000 2nd 1500 and first 2.5k. cheers for any advice   phil

The_Don90

alot of techniques i use live are below. These are not nessisarrly specific for your situation and some you may already know.

First of all if your able to watch the Northern Leg before you play, do. Makes lots of mental notes on players. These will come in very handy later on.

Dont ever be scared to put chips in the pot (basic advice for all games) but just because theres a decent amount of cash on offer doesnt mean u have to be scared to bet big with air.

My favorite expessially against lower players is once you get to a flop, as the dealer is bringing it down, WAY TOO MANY PEOPLE WATCH THE FLOP. What i suggest, wear a pair of shades and discreetly watch opponent while this happens. You'll learn more about tht flop than you will by actually looking at it. Once ts your turn to act take a glance and make your play. This is great to avoid cbetting too much or getting a well timed bluff in.

Ryan has one of the best pieces of advice about live poker on the hot tips. Not looking at your cards till its your turn. Ill add a little to this. Some people look straight away figure who these are and watch them first, follwed by going round the table as they look. Again you'll pick up tells quickly.



Lastly enjoy yourself mate.

penguin7

Well done Phil.

Obviously you have to find out whos who and whats what at your table. But you have to use that stack and looking at payouts go for top three minimum.

AGGRESSION FTW !

Midstacks are often better targets, your stack will intimidate them more than it does the shorties, who only have 2 moves to a raise. But position is key.

Once you get to 10 left start targetting shorties more, as they will be looking to ladder.

GL

Poker_Fail

Raise into the mid-stacks blinds if unopened, they're not in immediate danger so are less likely to play back at you.

MAXALLY

One tip for ya Phil.....

If you see me walk into the casino....get to the bar!

Best of luck mate. Read the good advice above but make sure you ENJOY the day, whether you cash or not.

Dazler

In Response to Re: advice on stratargy for a live mtt.:

Well done Phil. Obviously you have to find out whos who and whats what at your table. But you have to use that stack and looking at payouts go for top three minimum. AGGRESSION FTW ! Midstacks are often better targets, your stack will intimidate them more than it does the shorties, who only have 2 moves to a raise. But position is key. Once you get to 10 left start targetting shorties more, as they will be looking to ladder. GL
Posted by penguin7

THIS ^

JingleMa

Congrats, you're in a great position.

I think as most have said above - relax and enjoy it.

Don't deviate too far from your natural game or feel pressured to change your game because you're the big stack - you'll feel far worse afterwards if you try out new moves or a different style and it blows up in your face.

Start slow - watch how the others are playing and who you can exploit, and then trust your instincts and reads as the game progresses - good luck!

pod1

cheers guys for feedback, the main worry i had was im only sitting with 35bb, average is only sitting with about 12. its 50k an orbit with the antes, so i dont think anyones going to sit back. will let you know how it went on sunday . ps maxally you can be my drinks bi atch for the night lol

yoyo

so many ways to attack this, i'm gonna buck the trend & advice caution,

chip leader with 18 left can very easily go out 18th, 

been dere, done dat,

if stacks are short last thing you wanna be doing is taking shots at stacks that can't fold, won't fold.

you've have a lot more breathing room than the others, i'd play solid & nurture an image that you can exploit later on.

sounds like a good old fashioned cra p shoot, yeeeeehaa

pod1

tnx julian, i have got a pretty good image with the 5 from the southern final, noone wanted to plkay back at me, but that was because we were nearing the final 6. like you say the shorties have nothing to lose, poker fails advice  about hittin the odd mid stack mind looks promising :-) 

aiken2001

Hi Phil,

1 whens the money coming in or is it starting at 18 if not there may be a position to bully some of the mid stacks around the bubble.

2. Stack size. - make sure you keep an eye on who has got what stack. Unless your really good ie AA KK dont mess around with the other chip leaders try to ensure anyone who can really damage you has folded before you make any moves. Personal tale of wo played in a similar league regional last year got to FT as chip leader blinds were horendous so shoved with qa suited to take down the blinds not noticing someone had got chips and was in the BB. he called with JA and hit his flush knocking me out in 7th with 6 qualifying for the regionals. A lot of these players dont really have a clue about laddering up.

3. Stack size 2. - normal stats state that around 10 bb you should be looking to shove this may be so earlier in the tourney but with the blind levels your looking at put this out of your mind and concentrate on getting the money in good in position against people who can't afford to call.

Some good advice above an addition to which if your going up there for the day checking out the opposition dont be tempted by the bar stick to softies or coffee. If i'm reading it right they are playing for 12 hours and then going straight on for another 6 you should be able to take advantage of there tiredness. If its going to be one day watching them the next playing them make sure as soon as the game is over and you have got your intel beat a hasty retreat to the hotel and get some good shut eye.

pod1

cheers aiken, gonna stay away from the other biggies unless super strong and normally i do have a drink or two, but im getting up there for 6 ish having a rest and going to watch for a few hrs. maxxy gonna buy me a few of his favs, i think he calls them woo woos, so should be freash and ready to rock and roll by 11pm ish. tnx again  phil