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Just wanted to get some opinions on how everyone plays micro/low stakes tournaments in the first couple rounds when everyone is playing loose passive, just limping in and calling preflop raises. Are you playing more speculative hands hoping to smash a flop or are you playing more tight and only playing premiums. I personally playing super tight in the early rounds, but it seems to me that most players with big stacks are playing a bunch of speculative hands and getting all in when the flop the nuts or a big draw. Thoughts?
June 22, 2010
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I usually play very tight to build an image until the blinds get around 50/100 so I can play aggressive and steal a few pots from my image. This also allows me to watch and gather information on my opponents. A lot of people at these stakes try to get to showdown- a lot of information on the cards they turn over.
"Your either in Sheen's Korner or your with the trolls."
Realy depends on how you want to play your tournament or how you table is playing. Do you want to be loose/aggressive? tight/aggressive? Is your table very passive (limping/calling stations) or is it tight/aggressive (doubts that in a $1 donkament on Stars).
To be fair tho to play in a style of loose/aggressive in a micro tournament (especially on PokerStars) is asking for a early double up or a early exit. Alot of people will call you down with crap so the loose aggressive bluffing won't work that often.
I usally play a tight/aggressive game at the start of micro tournaments. Looking for the people who play too many hands and who go to showdown too much with weak pairs or kickers.
When the blinds reach 50/100 or when the antes kick in that's the best time to level up your aggression and use the information you've got to chip up.
Patience and taking notes help along the way.
June 11, 2010
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A lot of the answer to this question for me depends entirely on what is going on. My table will dictate everything that I do. Check out the article I wrote on player types in this level range (/forum/mtt-poker-strategy/the-gmans-guide-to-the-micro-stakes-villian/) as this is really the type of thing I am looking at. If I have a tight table and they are showing that they are afraid of flops I am going to play tons of hands and play the flops and their fears. For real LAGy tables I ebb over and tend to start to treat it like a rebuy and I will limp along in limped pots (I am a serious proponent of never open limping) in position (as best as can be accomplished) in a really wide range of hands trying to smash a flop and double up. Table dynamics and effective stack sizes are going to dictate a lot of how I play early in the micro/low stuff. One word of caution, if you do try a more LAG approach to the table be aware you can put yourself in a bit of a hole if you misread the action. If you aren't very confident in your post flop and push/fold skills you may want to play a tight early game. Either way I would seriously advocate an ABC approach to play either way you choose. Getting fancy and out of line here will do nothing but cost you chips at the table and lots of buy-ins off your bankroll.
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July 20, 2010
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i never change my approach to early levels at any buyin level. the level of buyin should not determine how you approach scenarios early in tourneys as playing correctly will help you stay consistant and not allow you to confuse yourself.
July 3, 2010
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ttwist said:
i never change my approach to early levels at any buyin level. the level of buyin should not determine how you approach scenarios early in tourneys as playing correctly will help you stay consistant and not allow you to confuse yourself.
Nice reply, ttwist.
Yeah, MTT structure and table dynamics can alter how you play. Buy-in level should not. Even massive donks get dealt AA and KK. If you think you can limp every hand and outplay post-flop you're in for a surprise.
My own strategy is to play TAG poker from EP and MP. In EP I'll fold stuff like JT, KQ, 22, 33, etc.
In MP I begin to include JQs and JTs type hands in my opening range.
LP I will look to play almost all my buttons if I can do so cheaply. I player super tight out of the SB and BB. I don't really like completing my SB with hands like 47s and then getting into spot where it costs a lot of chips OOP to try and fill your draw or whatever. It's so spewy and terrible poker.
Great post and great answers. This is soooo helpful. I love this place.
October 6, 2010
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personally i like to play really tight, like 10% of hands at most. the chips you lose by raising, cbetting and having to fold just arent worth the chips you win.
if you have a 2k start stack, dropping to 1500 hurts a LOT more than increasing to 2500 does, so its really double up or fold in the first few levels
exceptions are when there are multiple limpers, i will play pocket pairs to set mine and sometimes suited connectors.
In lower stakes tourneys I'm much more inclined to see lots of cheap flops with suited connectors/suited one gappers to try and smash a flop because you arent going to see people be able to fold top pair as often in the smaller buyins. In say a $109 f/o I'm not as much inclined to do so as players tend to be able to make more folds then they are in the early stages of the low and micro stakes tourneys.
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