I just finished talking to my friend on the phone and we had a discussion about tournament strategy. My friend suggests that a player need to play super tight in the early stages of the tournament and in the middle/later stages reverts more to his standard ring game strategy. Is that really correct? Doesn''t it make more sense to play a strategy more similar to ring games in the early stages of a tournament when the stacks are deep?

Blind and ante stealing = One of the principal components of a good tournament strategy. This is something you shouldn't look to do in cash games.

Never approach both types of game in the same way, they are completely different!

I think a person should play a regular ring-game strategy (whatever that is for that person) during the early stages because you can afford to take bigger risks when your stack is big compared to the blinds and you usually have good implied odds for making marginal plays. But it''s very interesting to see that the best players in the world can’t even agree on this. Some say play super-tight and some say gamble!

Any way I seen some good strategies articles here http://forum.pokeren-ligne.be/

Cheers.

I THINK PLAYING TIGHT AT THE BEGINING IS BEST IT GETS YOU FARTHER INTO THE TOURNY WITH OUT BEING BUSTED BY SOMEONE CHASEING A STRAIGHT OR A FLUSH.THERES A LOT OF PLAYERS WHO LIKE TO GO ALL IN IN THE EARLY PART OF THE GAME.NO MATTER WHAT THEY HAVE. ITS SAD TO GET KNOCKED OUT EARLY BY A BAD BEAT.

Originally Posted by raymon

I think a person should play a regular ring-game strategy (whatever that is for that person) during the early stages because you can afford to take bigger risks when your stack is big compared to the blinds and you usually have good implied odds for making marginal plays. But it''s very interesting to see that the best players in the world can’t even agree on this. Some say play super-tight and some say gamble!

Any way I seen some good strategies articles here http://forum.pokeren-ligne.be/

Cheers.

Hmm...I see your point about stack relative to blinds but all those cold calls and limps add up and if you're not winning pots you're just wasting chips. Calling 3xBB doesn't seem like a lot when its only 60 chips but you do this 4 times and thats over 10% of your stack gone and you're losing crucial fold equity when it comes to the bigger blind levels.

The reason the best players can't agree is because there is no best way in general. It depends on your style to how you approach it. If you're loose and aggressive then you want to get involved in lots of pots cheaply early on and try and accumulate chips by bulllying the table. However if you're a tight player then you want to sit and wait for premium hands or good pot odds with a low pp/suited connectors.

Originally Posted by caliban

I THINK PLAYING TIGHT AT THE BEGINING IS BEST IT GETS YOU FARTHER INTO THE TOURNY WITH OUT BEING BUSTED BY SOMEONE CHASEING A STRAIGHT OR A FLUSH.THERES A LOT OF PLAYERS WHO LIKE TO GO ALL IN IN THE EARLY PART OF THE GAME.NO MATTER WHAT THEY HAVE. ITS SAD TO GET KNOCKED OUT EARLY BY A BAD BEAT.

in tournaments what is best, a win or a cash. the saying goes u cant win a tournament but u can loose it is correct, but you cant just limp around all tournament waiting for the big hands. what i like to do is see as many cheap flops as possible if the structure allows me. that way
1 if i get lucky i can win the pot
2 if i dont hit teh flop, i can get out a small loss


that way i have either set myself up for an easier way to the big money or haven't because at the end of teh day the main money in tournaments are in the first two spots, and you shoudl make it easier for urself to get to it from teh start,w ehn most players who have teh veiw of playing super tight

Play tight, win the occasional all-in coinflips when you're shortstacked, and steal the antes and the blinds if you make the final table.