More mediocre tourneys

[JohnnyCache]

In two freerolls yesterday (800 player $1500 starting chip on Absoulute Poker) I placed 256th and 207th out of 800 . . . I'm thinking that I open the right hands but leak a little too much . . . also, I haven't quite found the nerve to take a lot of blinds or be real aggressive with a pair. . . online play is kind of like wearing a blindfold. . . any advice for making the jump into the money?

[Devedander]

I have found in multi table online games, LOTS of it is luck. You have to make it so far that you can't really hope to catch enough good hands to make it on only good hands. Get aggressive and make it a do or die situation. Win big or loose early, grinding it out in these is almost garaunteeing yourself a few out of the money.

[Darkcure]

I have to agree here. I've played in a few UB point tournies. I've placed 80th, 132nd, and 156th respectively. One thing that i have noticed. If there are 'dead players', for instance on UB who just sit there and forfiet thier blinds because they player hasn't shown up. When they are posting the blinds, it's sort of like free money. Don't fight for it with crap hands, but if you can get on those with semi-decent hands without investing a lot of chips, it can help.

I've heard people say that "they don't even play the first 10 hands". Personally, I just try not to bust out in those. At least try to make it until the dead players have posted off until they bust. That's usually around 200th place in a 400 tourney. Also, really early on, I try not to go all in unless I know I've got the nuts. Nothing worse than getting busted out when you've got two pair against trips.

Btw, if you run into me, I play under darkcure on UB.

[nicthestick]

I have played a lot of multis online, With some success, A 1st, a 2nd and a handfull of final tables. What I can advise is this..... Tighten up. I will only play the nuts early in the low buyin multis. There are just too many people who dont care, and will go away. All it really takes to move up is 2 or 3 really good hands at the right times. If you follow the early chip leaders, they are almost never at the final table. Aggressive play is great when you have a large stack, or are short handed, or everone else has tightend up. Also.... After you have folded and not played for an hour, it is amazing how quickly people will fold when you raise with junk out of position. Tight but aggressive, Thats your style. (Do i sound like a movie?) It cant hurt to read Sklansys Tournament poker for the advanced player. Lots of good info there.

[Tralfaz]

Hey All:

I agree completely with Nicth!! Very rarely do you see people who play crazy (and build big stacks) in the beginning of multi table tourney at the final table. I find that you must play tight aggressive and wait until the nutsos get knocked out (usually within the first 1 - 1 1/2 hours).

I've seen so many people who play garbage because they see others with larger stacks and think that they don't have a chance unless they have a huge stack. It really only does take a few good hands at the right time to put yourself in a good position. In one online tourney ($50 NL with 300 entrants) I played less than 13% of my hands and had a comparitively small stack for more than half of the tourney - I ended up taking first because I was patient (and somewhat lucky ).

There is a saying I've heard that goes something like this "Poker is a game that involves a certain amount of luck, but a skilled player is one who gives themself the chance to get lucky". I believe this to be true - If you play junk and get knocked out early, you will never get the chance to play the good cards that would have eventually come along.

Finally, I couldn't agree with Nicth more about reading Sklansky - I've found that his books have really taken my game to the next level. (Now if I can only take it like 5 levels higher I'll really be set )

Anyway, I hope that this rambling speech is of some help. Good luck!

Tralfaz

[shortstacked]

I just played in my first multi-tourney. I finished 350th out of 1500 or so. I won a couple pots along the way and I hovered around the 1700 chip count for awhile. Then I got pocket 10s and was in late position and called a 200 chip raise & the flop was about as bad as it gets, 9-K-A, I had to fold. I was getting low on chips and I was in the BB (300) and I went all-in with A/K. It was the first solid hand I'd had in awhile but I just had to make a move at some point. Flop is 7-7-J, turn is Q, River is 5 and I lose to pocket 9's. That sucked, but hey, it happens.

A couple of times I could have really made some serious noise had I been able to stay in the hand. I was in the BB with garbage, 4/6 suited. Someone raised it with a few callers so I had to fold. Flop is...you guessed it, 2, 3, 5.

There was another bad play I thought I had. I was down to about 800 chips, and I got pocket 2's. I folded them. I probably should have just gone for the gold right there, but being out of position and having seen so many callers no matter what the bet I just wasn't confident they would hold up. In hindsight I probably should have gone for it, as nobody even called the BB and the flop wasn't even seen. That was a chicken ass move on my part.

The most frustrating thing was the guy next to me went all-in about 15 times during my time at the table and I kid you not, he didn't bust out once. He was down to about 600 chips and went all in, well the guy he went all-in against had a king high straight after the flop. Luckily for this clown, the board wound up being a better straight (ace high) so the pot was split. Another time he went all-in with pocket 6's, the guy against him had pocket aces. You guessed it, he got a set on the flop and wound up knocking that guy out. Now I see he's way up in chip count, I wonder how many times he's gone all-in while I've been posting this message?

[JohnnyCache]

I have played a lot of multis online, With some success, A 1st, a 2nd and a handfull of final tables. What I can advise is this..... Tighten up. I will only play the nuts early in the low buyin multis. There are just too many people who dont care, and will go away. All it really takes to move up is 2 or 3 really good hands at the right times. If you follow the early chip leaders, they are almost never at the final table. Aggressive play is great when you have a large stack, or are short handed, or everone else has tightend up. Also.... After you have folded and not played for an hour, it is amazing how quickly people will fold when you raise with junk out of position. Tight but aggressive, Thats your style. (Do i sound like a movie?) It cant hurt to read Sklansys Tournament poker for the advanced player. Lots of good info there.

This is exactly how I play, given the opportunity, but some of the tourneys give you a short stack (IE 400 chips on a 10/20 game with rising blinds) in proportion to your blinds . . . I think to encourage either a) Re-buys or b) quick knock-outs.