Playing like HOH advocates, M quickly drops

[mecbluefugate]

Whenever I play in a tournament, I play like Dan Harrington advocates in HOH. However, it seems to this strategy leads to me quickly ending up well below average, and with a low M a couple rounds into the tournament. I adjust my play accordingly, like he says too --- becoming more aggressive and lowering calling/raising standards somewhat, but it doesnt seem to work... any thoughts on how to avoid becoming the small stack so quickly. It seems the good hands Dan Harringington wants me to play just dont come around often enough...

[trendline]

What size tournaments are you playing? Harrington's strategy is really designed for major, deep stack tournaments. Arnold Snyder's poker tournament book is better for faster tournaments.

[mecbluefugate]

So how should I change my play for the small stakes MTT and smaller live tournaments, in which the blinds grow quickly. I haven't read Snyders book, basic ideas???

[Shandrax]

[ QUOTE ]
Whenever I play in a tournament, I play like Dan Harrington advocates in HOH. However, it seems to this strategy leads to me quickly ending up well below average, and with a low M a couple rounds into the tournament. I adjust my play accordingly, like he says too --- becoming more aggressive and lowering calling/raising standards somewhat, but it doesnt seem to work... any thoughts on how to avoid becoming the small stack so quickly. It seems the good hands Dan Harringington wants me to play just dont come around often enough...

[/ QUOTE ]

Arnold, is that you?

[Gonso]

[ QUOTE ]
So how should I change my play for the small stakes MTT and smaller live tournaments, in which the blinds grow quickly.

[/ QUOTE ]

The simple answer is that have to loosen up like you're doing. If you're talking about small SNGs and little turbos, forget Dan's suggestions. They're too tight for fast formats.

If you're getting eaten up but the structure you are still playing too tight.

[trendline]

[ QUOTE ]
So how should I change my play for the small stakes MTT and smaller live tournaments, in which the blinds grow quickly. I haven't read Snyders book, basic ideas???

[/ QUOTE ]

Remember that in every hand you play you are working through many different variables, your positition pre and post flop, your chip stack, how you are preceived at the table (or even if any preceiption is happening), who you are playing, oh, and what your cards are.

In deep stack tournaments you have longer to get a feel for your opponents and can be patient while waiting for good cards.

In faster tournaments you just don't have time to be overly patient. Card value is the mechanical part of the game. Learning to use your chip stack and position is the art part.

Hit Snyder's website for info. I've read his book and besides being a little goofy it has some very good advice. His discussion on playing position has helped me significantly in larger live tournaments.

I have both books in my poker library - Harrington is far superior when you are dealing with deep stack tournaments. Snyder has good position discussions.

For what its worth.

[PantsOnFire]

[ QUOTE ]
So how should I change my play for the small stakes MTT and smaller live tournaments, in which the blinds grow quickly. I haven't read Snyders book, basic ideas???

[/ QUOTE ]
Perhaps you could take Harrington's zones and shift them.

Red - M=5 or less
Make it 10 or less
Orange - M=5-10
Make it 10-20
Yellow - M=10-20
Make it 20-40
Green - M=20 or greater
Make it 40 or greater

[drzen]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
So how should I change my play for the small stakes MTT and smaller live tournaments, in which the blinds grow quickly. I haven't read Snyders book, basic ideas???

[/ QUOTE ]
Perhaps you could take Harrington's zones and shift them.

Red - M=5 or less
Make it 10 or less
Orange - M=5-10
Make it 10-20
Yellow - M=10-20
Make it 20-40
Green - M=20 or greater
Make it 40 or greater

[/ QUOTE ]

I think this simply mistakes the point of Harrington's zones, which express how much scope you have to play poker.

Doing what you suggest would have him shoving hands with 20+BB that he wants to raise with. That's not a good way of building his stack because the overall effect is likely to be to turn his good hands into bluffs, just stealing blinds long before it's worth more to steal blinds than to try to win pots.

[ervinsm46o]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
So how should I change my play for the small stakes MTT and smaller live tournaments, in which the blinds grow quickly. I haven't read Snyders book, basic ideas???

[/ QUOTE ]
Perhaps you could take Harrington's zones and shift them.

Red - M=5 or less
Make it 10 or less
Orange - M=5-10
Make it 10-20
Yellow - M=10-20
Make it 20-40
Green - M=20 or greater
Make it 40 or greater

[/ QUOTE ]


I would not recommend trying this. as for concern of not building a stack in the single table sngs, i know there is debate on this, but the main concern (according to HOH 3) is to make the money in these, and if you build a stack on the way great, but with 60% of the prize pool going to the top 3 he believes it is best to have goal number 1 as making the money.

[drzen]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
So how should I change my play for the small stakes MTT and smaller live tournaments, in which the blinds grow quickly. I haven't read Snyders book, basic ideas???

[/ QUOTE ]
Perhaps you could take Harrington's zones and shift them.

Red - M=5 or less
Make it 10 or less
Orange - M=5-10
Make it 10-20
Yellow - M=10-20
Make it 20-40
Green - M=20 or greater
Make it 40 or greater

[/ QUOTE ]


I would not recommend trying this. as for concern of not building a stack in the single table sngs, i know there is debate on this, but the main concern (according to HOH 3) is to make the money in these, and if you build a stack on the way great, but with 60% of the prize pool going to the top 3 he believes it is best to have goal number 1 as making the money.

[/ QUOTE ]

He wasn't talking about sngs. Harrington doesn't really apply to them.