How do you guys usually play tournaments? For me I like to start really tight and loosen up as the blinds get bigger. With such deep stacks (usually) starting out, i dont want to put my tournament on the line even with a hand like A-K. So if I raise and get raised I will usually throw it away. Theres not alot of money in the pot from the blinds so its not really worth fighting for at the beginning for me. But as the blinds go up pots grow. I have seen very very many people go broke early on in tournaments from overplaying a-k and run into mid to high pocket pairs when it could have just been tossed away. Im not saying to fold a-k but its not a strong hand and early on im not risking alot on that hand. Would like to find out if other people play the same way or have a different idea about this.

some what like battle cat said. it is all depends on the tournament and the table for me. Take last night for example. its a bar league tournament small stacks 200 in chips blinds start at 1/2. it is a free roll tournament so tons of dead money players. there are cash prizes for 3rd to 1st. plus points for those who final table (9 in all we start with around 18). so this brings in the i want to get points people. when i start this game i am ubber tight. to many people just calling with two cards. so unless i have the nuts im not putting anything in the pot. those people bust rather quickly. I start looking for that small stack less then 5 blinds or so that is just trying to hang on to get into the points. When i have position on them (They are the big blind) and a semi bluff hand ill be a bit bold. I can usually isolate them by a decent raise. most will fold if they are on the bubble of getting points. thus letting me steal rather easy.
there was one kid there last night (i call him a kid but he is in his 20's but looked 15) his buddy was some what explaining the game to him. He would raise alot pre flop so i am putting him on a face card most likely a king or ace. im not putting him on suited connectors or a pocket pair. Suited connectors are rarely played by new players. he caught a few good hands early and had a stack twice the size of mine. I saw a pattern from him. if you were to three barrel bluff or semi bluff him 4 out of 5 time he would fold. I exploited this as did the other two top 3 players. i finished in 3rd got hit by the deck after the bubble burst.
to sum up i tend to play tight but aggressive. a mod of small ball for the most part.

yeah i think the way to do it is play tight and let all the donkeys go out then start playing some cards. you dont want to go all in with AK to get called by some donk with 22 or something like that. Plus like you said blinds are small and not really worth fighting for till later on.

The theory being, it's cheap early, maybe I'll hit a hand and double up?

And then, it's expensive, I need a hand to play, and the bubble is coming?


It really depends on the tournament, structure, level of competition, and how important the tourney is to me. Obviously in a rebuy you try to build your stack with any plausible hand, and similarly if you're playing a freeroll or a $1 tourney online it's possible to play the same.

Against decent players who aren't splashing around in pots with mediocre hands, playing loose early will mostly take you out early.

I like the mid/late stages of low buyin tournaments as players get tight and afraid. Instead of being aggressive when the blinds rise they fold and limp/fold.

Play tight early, and then when antes come into play (especially when they're 3:1 with the SB) attack!!!

Hmm..

In online poker i find this is a bit different. the ak situation. Depends also on the buy in from that tourney. If you are playing low limit tourneys or average buy in tourney, then you also know that many of these players in the beginning will start out very loose to get an early lead in chips. When you are first to act and make a small raise, get reraised by an other player then i would usually flat call this. Most of the time you will have the best hand preflop so early in this stage considering all those maniacs in online poker.

But yes, you are right. AK should be played very carefully. I agree. But in this situation you could see the flop and control the pot size. If you are in position then this is a good reason also to flatcall his reraise. Changes are he might me raising with weaker ace or small pocket pair like 77/88/99. Just wait for his action on the flop. If he bets way too big AND fast then and you've hit your ace or king then you can pick up the pot right there most of the time as well.

A great way to spot a potsteal is (when this occurs): If you see that he bets the size of the pot very fast (like he was already planning to steal that pot no mather what, eyes are fast and a computermouse too) then this is a strong indicator that he has absolutely nothing OR a weak underpair. I will come over the top most of the time when this happens and i'll almost always win that pot right there ( but i count to 2 or 3 before doing that).
A good thing you can do to get inside his head is the following: Place yourself behind your opponents computer. Imagine yourself doing the very same thing. You see the flop and imitate his actions at the very same speed with the same clicks he made. You will see in this situation that "you" feel like you are bluffing.


Problem is: Sometimes i do this but end up losing the hand. Some players are there to gamble all the way and they have enough bankroll to enter another tourney right after that. If you are out of position then you can do the same. Check and see what he does after you(even when you have hit your ace or king).


But in the long run, you'll take his huge flopbet most of the time and your stack went up nicely. Now you can see more cheap flops with marginal hands in hope of hitting a monsterflop while you have the idea that: everything above my starting stack in this first round is playmoney to see free flops in the beginning. Or you can continue to play the same. Either way is profitable after that.

but yes, i agree once more. Folding AK in the very early stages is not a bad play at all. Depends on the situation, type of tourney and player history hands. In live tournaments this is a good decision for your future tourney life. You will get better situations later to pick up a pot. Not many players go beserk so early there.

I hope this was valuable and not crappy info

good luck

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I wouldn't necessarily fold to a re-raise. I guess it would depend on position and for how much. I know sometimes Ive even put a 3 bet out there with any starting hand If I have position on you. It really depends on what type of player is re-raising you as well. If it's a Tight/aggressive I may be more inclined to let the AK go. If its someone who airs on the side of loose/aggressive I may call or even pop it up with a 4 bet. The 4 bet may be pushing it, but i think I would at least call. I dunno what do you think.

-Marty

I play in a lot of free online tournaments where the prizes range from $100 to $750. In these tournaments with between 300 and 1,000 people, I tend to play very aggressively early and then tighten my game up mid-tournament. I consider it a time management exercise. If I go out early I really don't mind as I haven't invested a great deal at that point. I like to get a relatively big stack early on then play big stack poker until the weaker players have been weeded out. I then tighten up and look for very good hands. Near the bubble, I tend to be a bit more agressive again.

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