Back on Tuesday, January 11th and Wednesday, January 12th I had a nice few paydays playing in the $10 NL, $7500 guaranteed and $30 NL, $8000 guaranteed tournaments taking first and third place respectively. Now I know I said my next blog would be about these tournaments, but to be honest, I don’t really remember many of the details of good and bad hands in those tournaments and do not want to just make stuff up so that I have something to write about. Instead I thought I’d share a little bit about what I do in the early and middle rounds of these smaller buy-in tournaments which give me the ability to finish deep in the money. <READMORE>

A couple of the most important things in selecting a tournament to play in are knowing that you are going to have enough time (and energy if it is late at night) to finish what you start, and picking a buy-in that you are comfortable with. I know that the first time I won a satellite to play in the $200 Sunday tournament on Ultimate Bet, I played awful because I was not ready to make any kind of moves to put my chips at risk. You need to have the right mindset going into the tournament or your chances will be greatly reduced even before the tournament starts. In my situation, I was beat before I had even been seated. (The second time I qualified for the Sunday $200 I loosened up, played my game, and managed to take 4th place at an impossible final table finishing just in front of dallen, and runner up to KrazyKanuck, P0ker H0, and Laser Sklansk)

Early Tournament (Pre-Antes):

In the beginning of a tournament, more often than not, I am the last person still sitting on my original 1500 chips, and by that I mean that I am usually the last person in there willing to mix it up and play a pot. A lot of the players seem so willing to throw chips in with the first 57 suited they get that they don’t take a minute or two to recognize what is going on at their table.

Whenever I start a tournament, on the first couple of hands I just like to sit back and watch everyone at my table, get a good feel of whether the table is going to be tight or if it is going to be out of control, and the most important thing of all……I am trying to find the guy that just cannot wait for his turn to bet.

Everybody knows this guy; he is usually at every other table if not every table of a low buy-in tournament. He is the guy that absolutely will not check if it is checked to him; he is going to take a stab at that pot whether he’s got it or not, whether the pot is 20 or 2000 chips it does not matter, he’s going to establish his presence by trying to bring every pot home. Oh, and if he’s got 15% of his stack in there, watch out because he is probably pot committed. On the other side of that, my thinking is that he is also the guy that is going to pay me off when I catch a monster. I just always hope that I can get to him first before he decides to dump all of his chips to someone else.

Now one thing that you have to realize is that this type of player takes several different forms, and sometimes you have to do a little maneuvering to bring out the best in him. Whether it be under betting the pot, betting in front of him when he pre-flop raises, or taking an abandoned pot and then showing him you didn’t have anything, if you can do something that makes him a little uneasy with your play, then you have the upper edge. Then hopefully the next time you are in a pot with him and you hit your hand, you won’t be able to shake him off your hook with a stick.

Middle Tournament (Beginning of antes up to the beginning of the money):

I don’t have a whole lot to say about the middle rounds of a tournament because you just have to know the game to be able to keep picking up chips and building your stack along the way. I will say that I feel that it is very important in the middle rounds of low buy-in tournaments to wait for premium hands and let everyone else knock themselves out. If you can be patient and wait for those hands then you will most likely end up in a lot better position once it comes time to really start moving your chips around...when you approach the money.

When you start approaching the money, your strategy should start to change from tight to being a little more aggressive because most of the players at your table are going to do the exact opposite. They are going to tighten up when they are only 20 spots away from the money to ensure that they at least get some kind of return.

Now don’t get me wrong in saying this, I want my money back just like anyone else does….of course I at least want to break even. It would be a lie if I said I wasn’t disappointed finishing 51st in a tournament that paid 50, but I absolutely do not play like I’m just trying to sneak into 50th position either.

When you get that close to the money, you should be doing a lot of raising and blind stealing from the short stacks at the table. During that time I am going to be coming over the top and taking my fair handful of chips from anyone I know is just trying to hang on. When I get to this point in the tournament I want to finish big. Picking up chips just outside of the money to build your stack is a huge part of what can help you finish big.

Everything you do in the beginning of a tournament is going to dictate the amount of moves you can make in the end of the tournament. When you are in the money there are several different styles of either being tight or aggressive that have all proven to be successful. The most important thing about finishing in the big money is picking a style that suits you best and sticking with it, but at the same time not being so predictable that you get too little or too much action when you play a pot. Ultimately, the best way to learn about these situations is by getting table experience. If what you are doing right now is not successful, be open to trying a new strategy until you find something that works.

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