Strategy: ITM and towards final table

I don't have all that much experience with MTTs yet, but I have been playing about 20 MTTs now and gotten itm 5 times. What I have noticed each of the times I've gotten itm or close to it, is that the play is getting more and more chaotic, especially in the turbos of course, but also during the normal NL MTTs blinds starts to catch up with people when it gets close to itm.

What I am looking for is good strategies for how to play there. What I do now is that I push to steal in position if I'm unraised 2.5BBs or my whole stack if I'm less than 10BBs. Usually I am less than 10BBs, and that means I have to risk my stack over and over, and then coinflips can't be avoided. How do you deal with this? Any other strategies than pushing all in when I'm in position unraised or otherwise when I have a great hand? I feel that pretty much everyone are doing the same thing, and if I do the same as everyone else it's just pure luck wether I get to the final table or not. Hope to learn how to play good poker in this chaos

So what I'm really looking for is some comments and tips on how to play from itm to get to the final table. What do you look for when pushing to steal? Wich hands to you push with, or does hand matter at all as long as you have a good position? Does the stack sizes of those you want to fold to you matter? And I'd also like to know what to do when sitting on the big blind or smallblind, sometimes people limp in in front, sometimes they raise 2BBs, sometimes 3 or 4. What do I look for when making the decision to check, call or raise? And a last question, to what degree does your stacksize on the bubble matter when it comes to getting to the final table or not?

A lot of questions I know, but I'd be real happy if some of the good MTT players here could write a bit about this. I've read the guides a few times, and some of this might be covered, but some more tips/strategies when it comes to this period of the MTT would help lots.

Try searching the forum for some hand histories from IlikeAces86, or Michael1123. Reading through the later stages in their tourney should give you a good idea of how the greats play.

As for step-by-step instructions that cant really be explained easily. The more MTT's you play the easier it will get. I would also suggest playing lots of SnG's for practice with bigger blinds.

Heres one good hand history to read.
http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...s+super+monday

Originally Posted by Staple Gun

Heres one good hand history to read.
http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...s+super+monday

I skimmed down that horrendously long list and found a had where he limped then was the 3rdcaller with KK UTG (#Game No : 1952648395 ). I think that reading that kind of stuff with the idea that it will help will only hinder things.

One of the big keys is to keep building your stack throughout a tournament, so you don't get to the point where you're constantly less than 10xBB later in tournaments. Because like you say, once you get to that point, there's a ton of luck involved.

I may reach that point if I lose a big pot deep in a tournament or something, but I also don't remain at that point for long. I'll either go bust or double up, and then use to use that to build a big stack again, so I won't have to worry about being so short stacked later on.

Its a really small sample size obviously, but I'm guessing that you aren't playing aggressively enough once the blinds get rather substantial, which also explains your high cash rate. Its relatively easy to fold your way into the money once you build a decent stack, its just not that profitable long term. Once you get a stack, you need to keep building on it through aggressive play.

However, picking good spots to be aggressive, and minimizing your risks to losing big pots is the hard part. You really need experience to do this very well.

Should you avoid coinflips in the bubble? Lurped, one of the $10-20 NL players on stars pushed all-in on my raise a bit ago when I had 99. I called , he shows AcKc, and I busted out.

Should I have folded and left myself at ~29k at 1k-2k blinds? Winning that pot alone would have put me at 100k+ to at least get a decent money finish or final table if cards ran good.

That must be what I don't have enough of, experience, still not played a month yet. But there's only one way to get that, hehe. Took a look at those hand histories posted, at least some of them, but I don't feel I learn that much from it if there are no comments to it. It was very interesting reading that post about WSOP main event in Poker Etcetera, michael1123, even though livegame is probably not the same, you explained a lot on how you were thinking in the different types of situations. More of those posts from players doing well in MTTs would be great.

I suppose you are right that I'm not agressive enough building my stack, if I get a big stack I tend to tighten up and relax cause I know I have above average and it will get me itm most likely, bad habbit I guess? Should the big stac rather try to take controll of the table and push others with raises and stuff? Also when I'm 10BB and around there, is it better to just get really agressive and either double very quickly or be knocked out instead of sitting there for a long time waiting for the cards or the real good position?

Originally Posted by KoRnholio

I skimmed down that horrendously long list and found a had where he limped then was the 3rdcaller with KK UTG (#Game No : 1952648395 ). I think that reading that kind of stuff with the idea that it will help will only hinder things.

I cant speak for him as to why he played it that way, but reviewing different styles of play from proven winners will definetly help your play. You dont have to emulate it, but you can gain insight to what some players are thinking around that point of the tournament.

Yeah, I guess, just think it helps lot more when there are some comments on reasons for doing things. Anyways, MTTs are paying off so I'm happy, got this nice latter from PokerStars this evening, 20+2$ MTT, about 800 participants. Played 3 of them today, 2 satellites and this one. Lucky it was the most expensive one I did best in. Was short stack from 150 players left and untill this, and got called by someone in the end when stealing, and his KJ beat my A8. Was a lot of fun though, MTTs are great! Hope to reach final table in one soon.


Dear Iwind,

You finished the tournament in 33rd place.
A $65.36 award has been credited to your Real Money account

Nice finish.

Yu might seam like you are treading water or a while but in MTT's it all pays off when you hit one or two big finishes.

Yeah, it does kind of, but then I look to the winners circle tread here and see people making great money out of them, and it's good motivation. Another thing the last tourney thought me was to never give up, when average stack size was 3500 I got knocked down to 500 due to a bad bead, but got up again with good cards. And at later stage I got knocked down to 5000 when average was 20000 with 1600 blinds, then I also got up to 20-25k chips again, only by stealing this time. So I've stopped just pushing all in on next hand after being knocked down a lot Never giving up and keep up good play even with tiny stack is really important I think.