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Camby24 · Message Board Junkie Joined: 01 Mar 2008 Posts: 1422

I was just wondering what every1 uses as strategy for MTTs??? I consider myself a descent player(maybe not speller bc i dont think I spelled descent correctly), but I can never seem to climb over that hump!!! I play at UB (which I wouldnt suggest bc there is a lot of collusion that is over-looked at single sng's, you will often see people throw up a letter in the chat box which you know is signaling someone), but I can't seem to money big at MTTs!!! It seems like everytime on the bubble I get sucked out!!!

I guess my real question is, are people scoring big in MTTs on a consistent basis??? Or is it all in my head??? I'm guessing at some point you have to get lucky with a suckout!!!!!

Anyway just wanted to hear off people that money big at these regularly and if they could share some tips????

Good Luck every1

brookeandkyara · Pair Joined: 27 Mar 2008 Posts: 46

The number one strategy for MTTs I believe is patience. After patience comes reads. Sure we all need luck every now and then, but if you can master the patience and making reads you will not need luck as much.

LoseEveryPenny · Full House Joined: 06 Apr 2008 Posts: 156

i seem to have the problem of busting out around 70 or so. cant compete with the blinds anymore and eventually have to go with luck to stay alive.

JDizzzle72 · Straight Flush Joined: 01 Mar 2008 Posts: 418

If you're getting sucked out on the bubble every time, odds are you're severely short stacked to be seeing yourself in need of pushing on teh bubble (I don't think that was worded right really, but I figure you get the point haha). Your problem would then lie way before the bubble; the fact that you're short stacked at that point is the real problem.

To win a MTT with a large field, you'll need some luck - no doubt about it.

But the key is trying to make that necessity as small as possible. MTT play is very dependant on your style; but whether you consider yourself looser or more aggressive, one of the most important plays in MTTs is to steal blinds. Without stealing blinds here and there, you won't be able to maintain a healthy stack.

I'm by no means an overly successful MTT player, I think I'm actually barely profiting overall with an ROI a little under 10. And to answer your question, no; people aren't cashing in 50% of their MTTs. In fact I guess that the median would be around 15-20%? But the difference between the successful MTT player and the one just barely squeaking by or slightly in the red is the depth that they go once they are ITM. If your goal is to just get ITM, your ROI will plummet. If your goal is to win (which I would expect?) you'll obviously need some luck. But focus on getting your money in good, stealing blinds, making sure your M stays solid and the luck will either be with you or it won't. But my guess is that your problem isn't just bad luck - there are always holes that you can try to plug to increase your chances.

GL and I hope to see you cash it big one of these days Smile

LoseEveryPenny · Full House Joined: 06 Apr 2008 Posts: 156

^ solid advice, it's much appreciated.

Totes2Techs · Full House Joined: 18 Jan 2008 Posts: 188

jdizzle's post is really solid. I am making the money in about 20% of MTT's....I believe. I am almost to 30% in tournies as a whole which includes single table SnG's. Not great, but not bad either. Somebody else mentioned patience and I can't echo that statement enough. However, there is a level to which your patience must wane eventually and you'll have to loosen up on your starting hand requirements somewhat. You are obviously going card dead or playing way too tight at the later stages of the tourney(the latter I'm sure). If you are playing MTT's often and are getting to the bubble, you should track out what the blinds are at on average at that point so that in future events, you will have a better understanding of when you should be loosening up a little and stealing blinds, making plays etc. In single table SnG's, I now that once the blinds hit 50/100, it's typically time to get going and pushing harder if I don't have a substantial stack. You can remain more patient if you have a fairly large stack at that point, but don't get too tight and too passive and play timid treying to protect your stack. Your large stack will be reduced quickly this way.

You MUST steal a few blinds here and there because it essentially allows you to take another orbit on someone elses money while you wait patiently for a good hand to come your way. If you are playing tight, then your steal bets should be respected more if people are paying attention.

Also, I find that one of the biggest mistakes people make in MTT's is that they play too many hands too early when they change tables or the table they are at changes drastically. More people are eliminated from these MTT's within the first orbit or two of them sitting down at a new table. When you are moved, sit back and watch the action. Do not play marginal hands right away and don't get involved unless you have a premium hand. Pay attention to these new players you are sitting with and watch what they do and how /when they do it. Educate yourself before risking your money to an unknown player(s).

Last thing is to take notes on players from the very first table you're at all the way through. Depending on how large the tourney is, you may play with someone early and not see them again until the last table or two. By then, you have played against 45, 90, 180 people or more and why should you expect to remember exactly what player A did 2 or 3 hours ago? You shouldn't! So take notes early and when you see them down the road when the blinds are high, you won't need to waste time learning about them again while your stack is being blinded substantially every hand that is played. I look at it as though I don't pay $300 every orbit at 100/200 blinds, I look at it as I'm spending 300 divided by the nine players at the table EACH hand that is played. Each hand is costing me $34. This seems to work better in my mind.

GL and sorry if this was too long. Once the thoughts start coming, what can you do?

Totes2Techs · Full House Joined: 18 Jan 2008 Posts: 188

One other thing....

If you haven't done so, I would go back in this forum and find "MrRockSolid's Videos" posts. There are 3 or 4 of them. Watch these. They are single table SnG's however, I think most of the strategy employed is relevant to MTT's just played over a shorter or longer time. Also, I think it could help you once you make the final table because in essence, what you'll be watching is a final table in action. The blinds will be lower and more skewed than the rate you'll see at the MTT but if you think about it, you could ALMOST say you were watching a MTT in "timelapse"....condensed if you will? Got it? I think his videos show you a very solid way to play that you can use as a base with which you can deviate from depending on your preferred style of play once you get better at being solid.

Camby24 · Message Board Junkie Joined: 01 Mar 2008 Posts: 1422

I think a lot of these comments are good strategies!!! I use most of them, like stealing the blinds IS essential!!! I usually look at it as this, if I win a hand, how many "orbits" is that going to buy me so that I can get to see hands on someone elses buck!!! I think I have really siked myself out because I started this thread thinking that some people were making final table close to 50% of the time in MTTs such as 600 or 700!!! i dont feel as bad now because I am making it to ITM about 30% I just have never won it!!! Although I still would like to here more strategies if anyone has more to share!!! At this point I honestly would like to see a forum member place above others!!!

Camby24 · Message Board Junkie Joined: 01 Mar 2008 Posts: 1422

So after reading acouple of these posts and reevaluating my game, I have turned my mtt play compltely around on UB!!! I took third in a 600 man yesterday night 3rd in a 50 man yesterday morning and now I just took 2nd in a 30 man(admittedly this is because when it was down to 4 the top three went all in at each other and the chip leader took it down) I think it was because I read some of the responses and realized I was playing way to tight on the bubbles leaving me short stack!!! i have never been on this great of a streak!!! THanks every1

Totes2Techs · Full House Joined: 18 Jan 2008 Posts: 188

Congratulations! Glad things seem to be working out better for you. It's not like you were a miserable failure to begin with, so tweaking just one thing a little bit can be the difference in beating the bubble. I used to play tournies way too tight myself and have learned to loosen up a little bit....and I only mean a little bit. Like if I'm MP3 or later at a 9 handed table, I have starting limping and occasionally raising more consistently with suited connectors and 1 gappers, especially if there's already a limper or two in ahead of me. I used to think that I was unlucky and didn't get good cards (the dreaded card dead syndrome) and would almost always survive to the final 2 tables, but was always short stacked and shoving every hand I played thereafter to literally stay alive. It's amazing how much better my hands became by just loosening up a little here and there and loosening up more as the tourney progressed. My average finish position is getting better and better and now that I actually have some chips in front of me, I can actually play instead of instashoving every hand.

GL in the future.

Camby24 · Message Board Junkie Joined: 01 Mar 2008 Posts: 1422

Thanks!!! I actually was a miserable failure with the 50 i had on this site and havent been able to redeem myself now that I've learned the game I think I might come back when my BR starts to rise!!! I've noticed that my finishes are getting higher as well and to just let those guys get lucky that push and push and just sit back!!! Good Luck

Totes2Techs · Full House Joined: 18 Jan 2008 Posts: 188

Camby24 · Message Board Junkie Joined: 01 Mar 2008 Posts: 1422

Usually i like to play the $2 $5 $6 bounty no-rebuys (I hate rebuy tournies for some reason) and depending on the time of day they can have from 30 to 600, usually in the higher volume tournies it is pretty easy to make it ITM, but is very hard for me to go into it and deeper because usually at this point there are 4 or 5 players players whos ship stack is just ridiculously higher than anyone elses because of all the donks early on go in with sub par hands trying to get bounties!!! I'm going to try and get 20 transfered on to here today to mess around with!!! I also like to play the single table 6 man sng with big buyins!!!

Totes2Techs · Full House Joined: 18 Jan 2008 Posts: 188

I've been wondering for a while which size is the best tourney to get into. I used to do the 90 player MTT's, but felt like the odds were against me in terms of dealing with variance and idiots. More people, more of each of those and that can't be good. However, I do like playing in games here like the Ferguson which can have upwards of 1400 people in them. The buy in is cheap and the reward is OK to great if you make it to the final table. For money making purposes though, I generally stick to the 9 hand and 18 hand SnG's. Last night in the 18 player tourney, I only had one race all the way through and my JJ held up. That's it. Less people, less variance seems better to me.

Take care and GL

JDizzzle72 · Straight Flush Joined: 01 Mar 2008 Posts: 418

MTT's, by design, will have insane variance. If you're one to get tilted from losing a couple races, MTTs just aren't for you. In lower buy-in MTTs you'll have a large volume of poor players - although I guarantee even the $55 tourneys have their fair share of poor players, they just get weeded out more efficiently. Poor players can result in some wacky busts. I think my most recent "WTF hand" was when 3 6 called my 5x BB raise with TT and the flop was 9 6 3 rainbow.

If you feel you excel at 9 and 18 handed games, stick with them!Low buy in big reward seems nice, but if you aren't particularly good at MTTs, there's no need to spew money there. I'm a total nit when it comes to BR management after losing my first 4 $50 deposits and I still play 11+1 turbo 6 handed games primarily, coupled with low buy in turbo MTTs and satellite SNGs even though I have sufficient BR to play higher. I have a good ROI in all of those, so there's no need to change anything imo.

In your case, making 5 or 6 dollars in an 18 man SNG is always better than losing 3 in a MTT

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