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#285533 - 12/29/05 09:10 AM MTT Strategy (very long)
phantomshark phantomshark Moderator Registered: 04/06/05 Posts: 2719 Loc: Mesa, AZ	Ok, I'm going to post a lot of what happened in my MTT win yesterday, and I'll probably break it up into a few posts. Be patient, because for some reason all the s disappeared from my HH file, and I'm going to have to enter them all by hand. Let me start by saying I play very disciplined poker in MTTs. I think it's important.If I am going to play a hand, I always start with a raise, I never limp. That raise is always 3xBB + 1BB for every limper already in the pot. On the flop, if I am the first to bet, I will almost always make a bet of 1/2 to 2/3 of the pot, whether I hit or not. My goal is to not let people know what I have based on my betting pattern, so I will start off the same way whether I have AA or 55 (if 55 is in my group of starting hands for my position), and whether I flopped a set or a bust. I play real tight in the beginning of an MTT. Super tight for the most part. No speculative hands, no bluffs, no blind steals, and if I don't have the nuts or close to it, I won't put up much resistance. The exception to this is if it's a rebuy, and I'm sitting at a push-happy table- you know, there's the one guy that is pushing every hand and rebuying if he loses trying to build a monster stack. What's he's really doing is building up the stacks at the table, and I want to catch him before he builds that big stack and starts playing normal, so I'll take a few risks. So anyway, I sat down, posted the SB first hand, folded it, rebought, and walked away. Went and played some Madden on my new XBox 360. I don't do this all the time, but sometimes I will if I'm not going well and want to reduce my temptation. Came back about a half hour later to start playing. As the dealer, folded J3o, then picked up a hand: Game ID 627267870 starting - 2005-12-28 10:36:17 $4,000 GUARANTEE:Table 8 [Multi Table Hold 'em] (50.00\|100.00 No Limit - MTT) Real Money - 7dust sitting in seat 1 with $2565.00 - kugi sitting in seat 2 with $10600.00 - DAAAvid sitting in seat 3 with $1370.00 [Sitting out] - Dervish1927 sitting in seat 4 with $4160.00 - __riverdog sitting in seat 5 with $6845.00 - lebegroove sitting in seat 6 with $1375.00 - Banditenessy sitting in seat 7 with $5800.00 - PhantomShark sitting in seat 8 with $2840.00 - Jobb3 sitting in seat 9 with $1915.00 [Dealer] - pl021 sitting in seat 10 with $5125.00 pl021 posted the small blind - $25.00 7dust posted the big blind - $50.00 Dealing card to PhantomShark: Ace of Spades, King of Hearts kugi folded DAAAvid folded Dervish1927 folded __riverdog folded lebegroove folded Banditenessy folded PhantomShark raised - $150.00 Jobb3 called - $150.00 pl021 folded 7dust called - $150.00 Dealing the flop: Jack of Spades, 10 of Hearts, 7 of Spades 7dust checked PhantomShark bet - $200.00 Jobb3 raised - $400.00 7dust raised - $600.00 PhantomShark folded Jobb3 went all-in - $1365.00 7dust called - $1765.00 7dust shows: 8 of Diamonds, 9 of Diamonds Jobb3 shows: Jack of Clubs, 7 of Clubs Dealing the turn: Ace of Hearts Dealing the river: Queen of Hearts 7dust wins $4205.00 from the main pot End of game 627267870 Goes to show you people don't respect PF raises from a guy that has yet to play a hand, eh? $\:\)$ I then folded 87o, 82o, Q3o, Q8o, JTo, and Q7o before my blinds hit. I'm not going to post all those hands, but the winning hands were mostly subpar hands that I wouldn't have played. I find it important to not fall into the trap of loosening up my starting requirements because people are winning with QT and 87. Game ID 627273731 starting - 2005-12-28 10:43:00 $4,000 GUARANTEE:Table 8 [Multi Table Hold 'em] (100.00\|200.00 No Limit - MTT) Real Money - 7dust sitting in seat 1 with $5580.00 - kugi sitting in seat 2 with $10075.00 - DAAAvid sitting in seat 3 with $1295.00 [Sitting out] - Dervish1927 sitting in seat 4 with $3535.00 - __riverdog sitting in seat 5 with $7245.00 - lebegroove sitting in seat 6 with $2850.00 [Dealer] - Banditenessy sitting in seat 7 with $4200.00 - PhantomShark sitting in seat 8 with $2390.00 - SODO_MOJO sitting in seat 9 with $1880.00 - pl021 sitting in seat 10 with $5350.00 Banditenessy posted the small blind - $50.00 PhantomShark posted the big blind - $100.00 Dealing card to PhantomShark: 4 of Diamonds, 2 of Hearts SODO_MOJO folded pl021 folded 7dust called - $100.00 kugi called - $100.00 DAAAvid folded Dervish1927 called - $100.00 __riverdog folded lebegroove folded Banditenessy folded PhantomShark checked Dealing the flop: King of Clubs, 7 of Diamonds, 2 of Spades PhantomShark checked 7dust checked kugi checked Dervish1927 checked Dealing the turn: 6 of Clubs PhantomShark checked 7dust checked kugi checked Dervish1927 checked Dealing the river: 6 of Diamonds PhantomShark checked 7dust checked kugi checked Dervish1927 checked PhantomShark shows: 4 of Diamonds, 2 of Hearts 7dust mucks: kugi mucks: Dervish1927 mucks: PhantomShark wins $450.00 from the main pot End of game 627273731 Later in the tournament I would have thrown a bet in there at some point to try and steal the pot from someone hanging around with something like 33, but like I said I don't do that early on. Once the blinds hit 75/150 I start taking more risks. I got 54o in the SB and folded to 1 limper no raises. Some people will complete the SB here with almost any cards, and certainly with connectors. I used to be one of them, but I definitely do not do that anymore. Now I will complete with any pair and any 2 broadway, and suited connectors, but that is it. Later on I'd have considered a steal. I then folded K7o on the button, K4o, 43o, 65o, T2o, Q5o, 92o, and 84o before my blinds. Folded 85o in BB to a 5xBB raise. Folded 76o in SB to 2 limpers no raises (see above). Blinds now hit 150/75 which means I now start playing a bit more aggressive in non-rebuys, but in a rebuy I usually wait until 200/100 because that's when the rebuy period ends and people tighten up. Folded K5o on the button, then got this hand: Game ID 627284602 starting - 2005-12-28 10:54:45 $4,000 GUARANTEE:Table 8 [Multi Table Hold 'em] (150.00\|300.00 No Limit - MTT) Real Money - 7dust sitting in seat 1 with $7380.00 - kugi sitting in seat 2 with $8025.00 - DAAAvid sitting in seat 3 with $1145.00 [Sitting out] - Dervish1927 sitting in seat 4 with $4005.00 - __riverdog sitting in seat 5 with $7345.00 - lebegroove sitting in seat 6 with $4900.00 - Banditenessy sitting in seat 7 with $4050.00 - PhantomShark sitting in seat 8 with $2640.00 - SODO_MOJO sitting in seat 9 with $1360.00 [Dealer] - pl021 sitting in seat 10 with $3475.00 pl021 posted the small blind - $75.00 7dust posted the big blind - $150.00 Dealing card to PhantomShark: Ace of Diamonds, 10 of Diamonds kugi folded DAAAvid folded Dervish1927 folded __riverdog folded lebegroove folded Banditenessy folded PhantomShark raised - $450.00 SODO_MOJO called - $450.00 pl021 folded 7dust folded Dealing the flop: 5 of Hearts, 6 of Diamonds, King of Spades PhantomShark bet - $910.00 SODO_MOJO went all-in - $910.00 SODO_MOJO shows: King of Hearts, Queen of Clubs Dealing the turn: 7 of Diamonds Dealing the river: 8 of Diamonds PhantomShark wins $2945.00 from the main pot End of game 627284602 Yeah, I got lucky. If it had been a bigger stack, I probably would have bet $500, he'd have come over the top, and I've have folded. If I'm HU and my normal bet would be more than half of his stack (or mine), I will just go ahead and push. This was an unheard of occurrence for me- me sucking out on someone else. That made it like 500-1 against for the month, but if you are going to do well in an MTT, you will need at least 1 suckout along the way. I then folded K4o, 87o, Q3o, J6s, then came this UTG+1: Game ID 627287956 starting - 2005-12-28 10:58:50 $4,000 GUARANTEE:Table 8 [Multi Table Hold 'em] (150.00\|300.00 No Limit - MTT) Real Money - 7dust sitting in seat 1 with $7680.00 - kugi sitting in seat 2 with $7800.00 - DAAAvid sitting in seat 3 with $920.00 [Sitting out] - Dervish1927 sitting in seat 4 with $2910.00 [Dealer] - __riverdog sitting in seat 5 with $10195.00 - lebegroove sitting in seat 6 with $4750.00 - Banditenessy sitting in seat 7 with $4050.00 - PhantomShark sitting in seat 8 with $4225.00 - SODO_MOJO sitting in seat 9 with $1130.00 - pl021 sitting in seat 10 with $3665.00 __riverdog posted the small blind - $75.00 lebegroove posted the big blind - $150.00 Dealing card to PhantomShark: 10 of Hearts, 10 of Spades Banditenessy folded PhantomShark raised - $450.00 SODO_MOJO folded pl021 folded 7dust folded kugi folded DAAAvid folded Dervish1927 called - $450.00 __riverdog folded lebegroove folded Dealing the flop: 4 of Hearts, 5 of Hearts, 3 of Clubs PhantomShark bet - $600.00 Dervish1927 folded PhantomShark mucks: 10 of Hearts, 10 of Spades PhantomShark wins $1725.00 from the main pot End of game 627287956 Nothing spectacular, but you need a lot of these along the way. UTG folded 97s, got folded around to in the BB with 84o, folded J2o in SB with 1 limper, no raises, then folded 42o on the button, 83s, K7o, Q6o, K3o, 86o, and Q6o. At this point the rebuy period ended and I added on (I will always add on if I am at or below an average stack, and often if I am only moderately above average.) I'll end this first post here, let me know if I should continue.
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#285534 - 12/29/05 09:31 AM Re: MTT Strategy (very long)
DaN05 DaN05 Member Registered: 05/10/05 Posts: 427 Loc: Brighton, UK	Wow, that's a fantastic post phantom, thanks. I don't have the time to read it all now because I have to dash off to work, but I'll be sure to pick up the rest when I get home, awesome stuff. I'm hoping to enter a few more MTT's in the new year and this stuff is brilliant. Thanks.
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#285535 - 12/29/05 09:53 AM Re: MTT Strategy (very long)
Bonavi Bonavi Member Registered: 02/02/05 Posts: 644 Loc: Sweden	You should continue, it's very interesting. I haven't played an MTT in ages, but just reading this post makes me wanna buy in for prima's 100k on sunday (they still have that right?)
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#285536 - 12/29/05 11:50 AM Re: MTT Strategy (very long)
phantomshark phantomshark Moderator Registered: 04/06/05 Posts: 2719 Loc: Mesa, AZ	Ok, before I continue, I just want to touch on 'M' from Harrington's excellent books. not going to get into all the ramifications, but 1 thing I use it for is the difficult question of when to stop playing my regular game and when to go into 'push or fold' mode. M is your total chips remaining divided by a total of BB, SB, and all the antes, if any. 5 and below is when to start pushing. So to be simple add together the BB and SB (and total of all antes if any) and multiply by 5. If your stack is above that total, you are not short stacked and can continue to play normally, even if your stack is way below average. If your stack is below that total, then you are short stacked, and the next hand you get that you would normally play, you push. Anyway, back to the tourney. After the break, I picked up K5o UTG and folded. Then my blinds hit: Game ID 627300784 starting - 2005-12-28 11:12:40 $4,000 GUARANTEE:Table 8 [Multi Table Hold 'em] (200.00\|400.00 No Limit - MTT) Real Money - 7dust sitting in seat 1 with $9880.00 - kugi sitting in seat 2 with $7575.00 - DAAAvid sitting in seat 3 with $695.00 [Sitting out] - Dervish1927 sitting in seat 4 with $3360.00 - __riverdog sitting in seat 5 with $13570.00 - lebegroove sitting in seat 6 with $7050.00 [Dealer] - Banditenessy sitting in seat 7 with $3275.00 - PhantomShark sitting in seat 8 with $6200.00 - SODO_MOJO sitting in seat 9 with $2855.00 - pl021 sitting in seat 10 with $4790.00 Banditenessy posted the small blind - $100.00 PhantomShark posted the big blind - $200.00 Dealing card to PhantomShark: 6 of Hearts, 8 of Spades SODO_MOJO called - $200.00 pl021 folded 7dust folded kugi folded DAAAvid folded Dervish1927 folded __riverdog folded lebegroove folded Banditenessy called - $200.00 PhantomShark checked Dealing the flop: 10 of Hearts, 9 of Hearts, 6 of Spades Banditenessy checked PhantomShark checked SODO_MOJO bet - $200.00 Banditenessy called - $200.00 PhantomShark called - $200.00 Dealing the turn: 2 of Hearts Banditenessy checked PhantomShark checked SODO_MOJO bet - $400.00 Banditenessy folded PhantomShark folded SODO_MOJO mucks: SODO_MOJO wins $1600.00 from the main pot End of game 627300784 Pot odds were decent on the flop to see another card, probably could have seen the river too, but I was still in my cautious mode. Game ID 627301616 starting - 2005-12-28 11:13:33 $4,000 GUARANTEE:Table 8 [Multi Table Hold 'em] (200.00\|400.00 No Limit - MTT) Real Money - 7dust sitting in seat 1 with $9880.00 - kugi sitting in seat 2 with $7575.00 - DAAAvid sitting in seat 3 with $695.00 [Sitting out] - Dervish1927 sitting in seat 4 with $3360.00 - __riverdog sitting in seat 5 with $13570.00 - lebegroove sitting in seat 6 with $7050.00 - Banditenessy sitting in seat 7 with $2975.00 [Dealer] - PhantomShark sitting in seat 8 with $5900.00 - SODO_MOJO sitting in seat 9 with $3455.00 - pl021 sitting in seat 10 with $4790.00 PhantomShark posted the small blind - $100.00 SODO_MOJO posted the big blind - $200.00 Dealing card to PhantomShark: 8 of Spades, 7 of Spades pl021 called - $200.00 7dust called - $200.00 kugi folded DAAAvid folded Dervish1927 folded __riverdog folded lebegroove folded Banditenessy called - $200.00 PhantomShark called - $200.00 SODO_MOJO checked Dealing the flop: 3 of Spades, 6 of Diamonds, 3 of Diamonds PhantomShark checked SODO_MOJO checked pl021 checked 7dust checked Banditenessy bet - $400.00 PhantomShark folded SODO_MOJO folded pl021 folded 7dust folded Banditenessy mucks: Banditenessy wins $1400.00 from the main pot End of game 627301616 As I said, suited connectors I will complete with, especially with a couple of limpers to increase my chances of being paid if I hit. I then proceeded to fold 42o, T4o, A3s, KTo, 85o, and Q3o. BB I folded A8o to a minraise. I treat minraises differently from real raises, and sometimes I would call this, but didn't have a real strong feel about the raiser. SB I folded KJo to a push. I then folded 84o, T8s, K2o, 83s, and the blinds went to 150/300. I folded A8s, 64o, then came this: Game ID 627311168 starting - 2005-12-28 11:23:46 $4,000 GUARANTEE:Table 8 [Multi Table Hold 'em] (300.00\|600.00 No Limit - MTT) Real Money - Pokor sitting in seat 1 with $15200.00 - kugi sitting in seat 2 with $6975.00 - SkarAmanga sitting in seat 3 with $11950.00 - Dervish1927 sitting in seat 4 with $2810.00 [Dealer] - __riverdog sitting in seat 5 with $16070.00 - Banditenessy sitting in seat 7 with $3080.00 - PhantomShark sitting in seat 8 with $5500.00 - SODO_MOJO sitting in seat 9 with $5745.00 - pl021 sitting in seat 10 with $4090.00 __riverdog posted the small blind - $150.00 Banditenessy posted the big blind - $300.00 Dealing card to PhantomShark: Ace of Hearts, Queen of Diamonds PhantomShark raised - $900.00 SODO_MOJO folded pl021 folded Pokor folded kugi folded SkarAmanga folded Dervish1927 folded __riverdog folded Banditenessy went all-in - $3080.00 PhantomShark called - $3380.00 Banditenessy shows: 8 of Hearts, 8 of Spades Dealing the flop: King of Clubs, 6 of Hearts, Ace of Diamonds Dealing the turn: 9 of Clubs Dealing the river: 3 of Clubs PhantomShark wins $6910.00 from the main pot End of game 627311168 Can't be afraid of races, especially against smaller stacks. I then skipped the BB because the BB from the last hand was gone. In the SB, folded 85o. I then folded T4o on the button in a stealing situation. SB had a smallish stack, and I didn't want to take the chance that he might decide to gamble. Steals work best against medium size stacks, small and large stacks both might just call for the hell of it. I then folded J4s, ATo to a minraise, 83o, then this hand: Game ID 627314979 starting - 2005-12-28 11:27:43 $4,000 GUARANTEE:Table 8 [Multi Table Hold 'em] (300.00\|600.00 No Limit - MTT) Real Money - Pokor sitting in seat 1 with $16100.00 - kugi sitting in seat 2 with $6525.00 [Dealer] - SkarAmanga sitting in seat 3 with $12290.00 - Dervish1927 sitting in seat 4 with $6970.00 - __riverdog sitting in seat 5 with $15170.00 - bet4you sitting in seat 6 with $7000.00 - kenmel sitting in seat 7 with $4105.00 - PhantomShark sitting in seat 8 with $8880.00 - SODO_MOJO sitting in seat 9 with $1995.00 - pl021 sitting in seat 10 with $4090.00 SkarAmanga posted the small blind - $150.00 Dervish1927 posted the big blind - $300.00 Dealing card to PhantomShark: 7 of Hearts, 7 of Diamonds __riverdog folded bet4you folded kenmel folded PhantomShark raised - $900.00 SODO_MOJO went all-in - $1995.00 pl021 folded Pokor folded kugi folded SkarAmanga folded Dervish1927 folded PhantomShark called - $1995.00 SODO_MOJO shows: Jack of Hearts, Jack of Clubs Dealing the flop: 3 of Clubs, 9 of Clubs, 5 of Clubs Dealing the turn: Queen of Clubs Dealing the river: 4 of Spades SODO_MOJO wins $4440.00 from the main pot End of game 627314979 Ok, not gonna win every hand. I then folded J2s, T9o, and 63s before my blinds hit again. BB I folded Q4o to another minraise (same guy as before, I decided I was gonna try and get him eventually). Then my SB: Game ID 627319015 starting - 2005-12-28 11:31:59 $4,000 GUARANTEE:Table 8 [Multi Table Hold 'em] (300.00\|600.00 No Limit - MTT) Real Money - Pokor sitting in seat 1 with $15800.00 - kugi sitting in seat 2 with $6525.00 - SkarAmanga sitting in seat 3 with $9140.00 - Dervish1927 sitting in seat 4 with $6520.00 - __riverdog sitting in seat 5 with $19575.00 - bet4you sitting in seat 6 with $11200.00 - Patthebat sitting in seat 7 with $3470.00 [Dealer] [Sitting out] - PhantomShark sitting in seat 8 with $6435.00 - SODO_MOJO sitting in seat 9 with $4290.00 - pl021 sitting in seat 10 with $4090.00 PhantomShark posted the small blind - $150.00 SODO_MOJO posted the big blind - $300.00 Dealing card to PhantomShark: King of Clubs, Ace of Clubs pl021 folded Pokor folded kugi folded SkarAmanga folded Dervish1927 folded __riverdog folded bet4you folded Patthebat folded PhantomShark raised - $600.00 SODO_MOJO called - $600.00 Dealing the flop: 3 of Hearts, 3 of Spades, Jack of Clubs PhantomShark bet - $1200.00 SODO_MOJO went all-in - $3990.00 PhantomShark called - $3990.00 SODO_MOJO shows: 10 of Clubs, Ace of Hearts Dealing the turn: Jack of Diamonds Dealing the river: Ace of Diamonds PhantomShark wins $9180.00 from the main pot End of game 627319015 A note on the pre-flop. An exception to my 'never minraise' rule is, if I am a blind and only the other blind is left, my raise will be a minraise, I try to manipulate the pot odds enough to give him a chance to make a bad call (or fold). Then this hand was next: Game ID 627319719 starting - 2005-12-28 11:32:20 $4,000 GUARANTEE:Table 8 [Multi Table Hold 'em] (300.00\|600.00 No Limit - MTT) Real Money - Pokor sitting in seat 1 with $15500.00 - kugi sitting in seat 2 with $6525.00 - SkarAmanga sitting in seat 3 with $9140.00 - Dervish1927 sitting in seat 4 with $6520.00 - __riverdog sitting in seat 5 with $19575.00 - bet4you sitting in seat 6 with $11200.00 - Patthebat sitting in seat 7 with $3470.00 [Sitting out] - PhantomShark sitting in seat 8 with $11175.00 [Dealer] - pl021 sitting in seat 10 with $3940.00 pl021 posted the small blind - $150.00 Pokor posted the big blind - $300.00 Dealing card to PhantomShark: Ace of Diamonds, Ace of Clubs kugi folded SkarAmanga folded Dervish1927 folded __riverdog folded bet4you folded Patthebat folded PhantomShark raised - $600.00 pl021 folded Pokor folded PhantomShark mucks: Ace of Diamonds, Ace of Clubs PhantomShark wins $1050.00 from the main pot End of game 627319719 I know some people make different plays with AA or KK than they do with other raising hands, but I consciously do not. I want to leave no betting tells for an astute observer. If that means that occasionally my AA comes up dry, so be it. I realize I only minraised here, and I cannot for the life of me remember why I did that, but maybe someone who has noticed that I never minraise folded a hand they would have played otherwise. I doubt it, but it's possible. I then folded J6o, 98s, K5o, A8o, J3o, then it was my blinds again, with them increasing to 200/400: Game ID 627323558 starting - 2005-12-28 11:37:03 $4,000 GUARANTEE:Table 8 [Multi Table Hold 'em] (400.00\|800.00 No Limit - MTT) Real Money - Pokor sitting in seat 1 with $15350.00 - kugi sitting in seat 2 with $6075.00 - SkarAmanga sitting in seat 3 with $9740.00 - __riverdog sitting in seat 5 with $23995.00 - bet4you sitting in seat 6 with $13200.00 [Dealer] - Patthebat sitting in seat 7 with $2870.00 [Sitting out] - PhantomShark sitting in seat 8 with $11225.00 - backcatlee sitting in seat 9 with $15655.00 - pl021 sitting in seat 10 with $4840.00 Patthebat posted the small blind - $200.00 PhantomShark posted the big blind - $400.00 Dealing card to PhantomShark: Queen of Clubs, Queen of Spades backcatlee called - $400.00 pl021 folded Pokor folded kugi folded SkarAmanga raised - $800.00 __riverdog folded bet4you folded Patthebat folded PhantomShark raised - $2000.00 backcatlee folded SkarAmanga called - $2000.00 Dealing the flop: 5 of Hearts, 3 of Diamonds, 10 of Diamonds PhantomShark bet - $2400.00 SkarAmanga went all-in - $7740.00 PhantomShark called - $7740.00 SkarAmanga shows: 10 of Spades, 9 of Spades Dealing the turn: Queen of Hearts Dealing the river: 3 of Clubs PhantomShark wins $20080.00 from the main pot End of game 627323558 Skaramanga was the one who kept minraising my BB, this felt good. I knew it would get him eventually. Game ID 627324490 starting - 2005-12-28 11:37:33 $4,000 GUARANTEE:Table 8 [Multi Table Hold 'em] (400.00\|800.00 No Limit - MTT) Real Money - Pokor sitting in seat 1 with $15350.00 - kugi sitting in seat 2 with $6075.00 - __riverdog sitting in seat 5 with $23995.00 - bet4you sitting in seat 6 with $13200.00 - Patthebat sitting in seat 7 with $2870.00 [Dealer] [Sitting out] - PhantomShark sitting in seat 8 with $21765.00 - backcatlee sitting in seat 9 with $14855.00 - pl021 sitting in seat 10 with $4840.00 PhantomShark posted the small blind - $200.00 backcatlee posted the big blind - $400.00 Dealing card to PhantomShark: 5 of Spades, Ace of Clubs pl021 folded Pokor folded kugi folded __riverdog folded bet4you folded Patthebat folded PhantomShark called - $400.00 backcatlee checked Dealing the flop: 7 of Hearts, 3 of Clubs, 2 of Diamonds PhantomShark checked backcatlee bet - $400.00 PhantomShark folded backcatlee mucks: backcatlee wins $1200.00 from the main pot End of game 627324490 This is not a SB I would normally complete, though Axs is (1 more to my list from before). Was probably still happy from the last win, I should have raised this PF to try and grab the BB. I then folded K2o, A9o in a possible steal situation (looking back, I wish I'd tried the steal). BTW, my idea of a steal is to make my normal raise followed by my normal continuation bet, unless I am short stacked. People who throw their whole stack in as a steal attempt are foolish, I think. Also, I like to have SOMETHING when I try to steal. Like the A9 here, if I get called I at least have a chance of picking up something. I try not to steal with 82o ever, unless I am desperate. I then folded ATo (I play this in LP only), T6s, then this: Game ID 627326989 starting - 2005-12-28 11:40:20 $4,000 GUARANTEE:Table 8 [Multi Table Hold 'em] (400.00\|800.00 No Limit - MTT) Real Money - Pokor sitting in seat 1 with $15950.00 - kugi sitting in seat 2 with $5475.00 [Dealer] - Gordon77 sitting in seat 3 with $20452.50 - KEWELL99 sitting in seat 4 with $4165.00 - __riverdog sitting in seat 5 with $24595.00 - bet4you sitting in seat 6 with $13200.00 - Patthebat sitting in seat 7 with $2870.00 [Sitting out] - PhantomShark sitting in seat 8 with $21565.00 - backcatlee sitting in seat 9 with $15455.00 - pl021 sitting in seat 10 with $4240.00 Gordon77 posted the small blind - $200.00 KEWELL99 posted the big blind - $400.00 ** Dealing card to PhantomShark: 6 of Clubs, 6 of Spades __riverdog folded bet4you called - $400.00 Patthebat folded PhantomShark raised - $1600.00 backcatlee folded pl021 folded Pokor folded kugi folded Gordon77 folded KEWELL99 folded bet4you folded PhantomShark mucks: PhantomShark wins $2600.00 from the main pot End of game 627326989 I play my pocket pairs stronger than many do- almost like semi-steals. I then folded 97o, 97o, and 64o before the blinds hit again. Got 66 in the BB, but it was folded around to me. A8o in the SB I folded to a minraise. I then folded Q6s, 95o, A6o, A8o, 95o, 64o, 73o, and Q5s before the blinds hit again. They went up to 300/600. BB I folded 52o to a push, SB I folded T6o. I then folded A2s, 53o, J5o, 53o, J7o, J7o, T9o, and 83o before the next blinds. BB I folded K3o to a 3xBB raise, SB I folded 83o. Gonna stop here for now, my hands are getting tired of typing. One thing- I wish these HHs would tell me how many people were left at what points because that's important, but we weren't close to the money yet at this point, I seem to remember that coming a round or 2 before the 3rd break, and I'm not even up to the second.
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#285537 - 12/29/05 11:54 AM Re: MTT Strategy (very long)
DaMiOn DaMiOn Member Registered: 05/10/04 Posts: 239 Loc: cincinnati	Please continue. I am completely a cash game player, but I have been trying to improve my MTT play. I just started reading Tournament Poker and this post is very interesting to me.
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#285538 - 12/29/05 12:52 PM Re: MTT Strategy (very long)
PowerPoker99 PowerPoker99 Member Registered: 06/11/04 Posts: 1311 Loc: illinois	_________________________ The path to do the right thing is in front of everyone & each knows how to walk it The path is clear yet some choose not to take it This applies to life as well as poker -Todd Brunson
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#285539 - 12/29/05 12:54 PM Re: MTT Strategy (very long)
PowerPoker99 PowerPoker99 Member Registered: 06/11/04 Posts: 1311 Loc: illinois	Quote: Please continue. I am completely a cash game player, but I have been trying to improve my MTT play. sadly i always bubble $\:\($ _________________________ The path to do the right thing is in front of everyone & each knows how to walk it The path is clear yet some choose not to take it This applies to life as well as poker -Todd Brunson
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#285540 - 12/29/05 02:47 PM Re: MTT Strategy (very long)
phantomshark phantomshark Moderator Registered: 04/06/05 Posts: 2719 Loc: Mesa, AZ	Wow, this is hard work. Ok, where were we. After the round of blinds in the last post, I folded 95s on the button. This is type of hand I would steal with, but there was a big raise. I then folded K5o, 65s, 73o, J7o, and 92o before picking this up UTG: Game ID 627344508 starting - 2005-12-28 11:58:44 $4,000 GUARANTEE:Table 8 [Multi Table Hold 'em] (800.00\|1600.00 No Limit - MTT) Real Money - Andy52 sitting in seat 1 with $16145.00 - kugi sitting in seat 2 with $3075.00 - Gordon77 sitting in seat 3 with $23092.50 - KEWELL99 sitting in seat 4 with $27705.00 - __riverdog sitting in seat 5 with $23495.00 [Dealer] - bet4you sitting in seat 6 with $13940.00 - terry585 sitting in seat 7 with $20235.00 - PhantomShark sitting in seat 8 with $20765.00 - backcatlee sitting in seat 9 with $22395.00 - Camsonite sitting in seat 10 with $18460.00 bet4you posted the small blind - $400.00 terry585 posted the big blind - $800.00 Dealing card to PhantomShark: 8 of Clubs, 8 of Hearts PhantomShark raised - $2400.00 backcatlee folded Camsonite folded Andy52 folded kugi folded Gordon77 folded KEWELL99 folded __riverdog folded bet4you folded terry585 folded PhantomShark mucks: 8 of Clubs, 8 of Hearts PhantomShark wins $3600.00 from the main pot End of game 627344508 Middle pocket pairs are the toughest hands to pick up. Because I raised from EP, I'll get credit for a hand and might pick up the blinds. If I get called, it's either going to be a premium pair, AK, or maybe AQ. I have to hope the flop misses him, maybe my continuation bet will scare him off, even if he has something like TT. I have to say, I win more on taking the blinds and picking up the pot on the flop than I lose when it doesn't work, but it doesn't work often enough to make me wary. And of course, if you flop your set, you're golden. I think limping and folding if you miss your set, which seems to be in vogue, is a mistake, you lose out on the chance to win even if you miss. That move works better in cash games where the blinds aren't escalating. Anyway, I folded 52o in the BB to a 4x BB raise, then folded 43o in the SB. I then folded T6o, 93o, then this: Game ID 627347759 starting - 2005-12-28 12:02:23 $4,000 GUARANTEE:Table 8 [Multi Table Hold 'em] (800.00\|1600.00 No Limit - MTT) Real Money - Andy52 sitting in seat 1 with $20945.00 - kugi sitting in seat 2 with $2275.00 - Gordon77 sitting in seat 3 with $9152.50 - KEWELL99 sitting in seat 4 with $22905.00 - __riverdog sitting in seat 5 with $3660.00 - bet4you sitting in seat 6 with $31080.00 - terry585 sitting in seat 7 with $40070.00 - PhantomShark sitting in seat 8 with $20765.00 - backcatlee sitting in seat 9 with $21195.00 - Camsonite sitting in seat 10 with $17260.00 [Dealer] [Sitting out] Andy52 posted the small blind - $400.00 kugi posted the big blind - $800.00 Dealing card to PhantomShark: Ace of Spades, 10 of Spades Gordon77 folded KEWELL99 folded __riverdog folded bet4you folded terry585 folded PhantomShark raised - $2400.00 backcatlee folded Camsonite folded Andy52 folded kugi folded PhantomShark mucks: PhantomShark wins $3600.00 from the main pot End of game 627347759 And this: Game ID 627348319 starting - 2005-12-28 12:03:14 $4,000 GUARANTEE:Table 8 [Multi Table Hold 'em] (800.00\|1600.00 No Limit - MTT) Real Money - Andy52 sitting in seat 1 with $20945.00 [Dealer] - kugi sitting in seat 2 with $1875.00 - Gordon77 sitting in seat 3 with $8352.50 - KEWELL99 sitting in seat 4 with $22905.00 - __riverdog sitting in seat 5 with $3660.00 - bet4you sitting in seat 6 with $31080.00 - terry585 sitting in seat 7 with $40070.00 - PhantomShark sitting in seat 8 with $21965.00 - backcatlee sitting in seat 9 with $21195.00 - Camsonite sitting in seat 10 with $17260.00 [Sitting out] kugi posted the small blind - $400.00 Gordon77 posted the big blind - $800.00 Dealing card to PhantomShark: 5 of Clubs, 5 of Spades KEWELL99 folded __riverdog folded bet4you folded terry585 called - $800.00 PhantomShark raised - $3200.00 backcatlee folded Camsonite folded Andy52 folded kugi folded Gordon77 folded terry585 called - $3200.00 Dealing the flop: 3 of Hearts, 10 of Hearts, 5 of Hearts terry585 checked PhantomShark bet - $4000.00 terry585 folded PhantomShark mucks: 5 of Clubs, 5 of Spades PhantomShark wins $11600.00 from the main pot End of game 627348319 I then folded 62o, QTo, 62o, and T7s before my next blinds. In BB I folded 83o to a 3xBB raise from the SB, SB I folded T3o to no bets. I then folded 94o, K2o, T7o, Q5o, 85o, 72s, K9o, and T6s the next orbit. (You know, I just realized I was getting really crappy cards all day, lol $\:D$ ) Break was somewhere in here too. BB (which was now $1000) I folded J6o to a 3x raise, then this hand came up: Game ID 627362042 starting - 2005-12-28 12:17:14 $4,000 GUARANTEE:Table 8 [Multi Table Hold 'em] (1000.00\|2000.00 No Limit - MTT) Real Money - Andy52 sitting in seat 1 with $26160.00 - kugi sitting in seat 2 with $675.00 - Gordon77 sitting in seat 3 with $9452.50 - KEWELL99 sitting in seat 4 with $30105.00 - NordicStud sitting in seat 5 with $34660.00 - bet4you sitting in seat 6 with $26480.00 - terry585 sitting in seat 7 with $35420.00 [Dealer] - PhantomShark sitting in seat 8 with $23665.00 - Camsonite sitting in seat 10 with $19320.00 PhantomShark posted the small blind - $500.00 Camsonite posted the big blind - $1000.00 Dealing card to PhantomShark: King of Hearts, Ace of Diamonds Andy52 folded kugi folded Gordon77 folded KEWELL99 folded NordicStud folded bet4you folded terry585 folded PhantomShark raised - $2000.00 Camsonite called - $2000.00 Dealing the flop: 9 of Hearts, 5 of Spades, King of Diamonds PhantomShark bet - $2000.00 Camsonite called - $2000.00 Dealing the turn: 7 of Diamonds PhantomShark bet - $4000.00 Camsonite called - $4000.00 Dealing the river: 4 of Clubs PhantomShark bet - $8000.00 Camsonite called - $8000.00 PhantomShark shows: King of Hearts, Ace of Diamonds Camsonite mucks: PhantomShark wins $32000.00 from the main pot End of game 627362042 Pretty straightforward, wish I knew what he had. This was my first push up in the ranks, until now I had been sitting on a below average stack. When you pick up a big stack, it's important to up the aggression factor a bit, keep pressure on the small stacks. Next I folded J8o, then this: Game ID 627363226 starting - 2005-12-28 12:18:44 $4,000 GUARANTEE:Table 8 [Multi Table Hold 'em] (1000.00\|2000.00 No Limit - MTT) Real Money - Andy52 sitting in seat 1 with $22660.00 - kugi sitting in seat 2 with $0.00 - Gordon77 sitting in seat 3 with $9452.50 - KEWELL99 sitting in seat 4 with $30105.00 - NordicStud sitting in seat 5 with $34660.00 - bet4you sitting in seat 6 with $29980.00 - terry585 sitting in seat 7 with $35420.00 - PhantomShark sitting in seat 8 with $40165.00 - wabbits sitting in seat 9 with $34855.00 - Camsonite sitting in seat 10 with $3820.00 [Dealer] Andy52 posted the small blind - $500.00 kugi went all-in - $675.00 Dealing card to PhantomShark: Queen of Diamonds, King of Diamonds Gordon77 folded KEWELL99 folded NordicStud folded bet4you folded terry585 called - $675.00 PhantomShark called - $675.00 wabbits folded Camsonite folded Andy52 called - $675.00 Dealing the flop: King of Hearts, 4 of Clubs, 9 of Hearts Andy52 checked terry585 checked PhantomShark bet - $2000.00 Andy52 folded terry585 called - $2000.00 Dealing the turn: 2 of Hearts terry585 checked PhantomShark bet - $3000.00 terry585 folded kugi shows: Queen of Hearts, Ace of Hearts Dealing the river: Ace of Diamonds kugi wins $2700.00 from the main pot PhantomShark wins $4000.00 from side pot 1 End of game 627363226 I then folded A4s, 62o, 98o, ATo, and 65s before the next round of blinds. BB I folded Q7s to a 3x raise, SB folded K6o. I then folded A8o, J2o, 54o, 62s, 93o, T3o, Q4s, and 72o. By this time the blinds were at 600/1200, and we were probably down to about 120 players out of the original 800, with 70 going to get paid. To be continued...
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#285541 - 12/29/05 03:07 PM Re: MTT Strategy (very long)
cneely cneely Member Registered: 11/10/05 Posts: 475	Very interesting Phantom. I'm also interested to know some of your stats at the end of the tournament. % of flops you saw especially. I'm realizing here how tight I need to play, and that's a weak point of mine, particularly becuase I struggle with patience issues. It seems to me though, if I utilize starting requirements as strict as yours, I would only see about 10% of the flops.
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#285542 - 12/29/05 06:21 PM Re: MTT Strategy (very long)
PowerPoker99 PowerPoker99 Member Registered: 06/11/04 Posts: 1311 Loc: illinois	I really like his whole strategy for these. pretty much tight and strait up poker. It keeps him out of tough spots. _________________________ The path to do the right thing is in front of everyone & each knows how to walk it The path is clear yet some choose not to take it This applies to life as well as poker -Todd Brunson
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