Advice on loosening up in mtt's

[SkyyCaptain]

As an aside, when you have a medium stack and you're playing another medium or small stack, PULL THE TRIGGER. It doesn't matter if you're firing blanks, people are a lot less willing to call if you look like you're after their whole stack.

[LSgambler]

In micro/low stakes it's all about playing ABC poker. Just be patient, wait for good solid hands and punish the donks. Value bet your good hands. Don't bluff unless you know the villian very well. Also, if your stack is deep enough and there is a bunch of limpers you should try limping in with suited connectors in position. This works very in low stakes, if you hit the flop hard you will very often stack someone.

[Jeff76]

I haven't read everyone else's replies, but I'll just contribute this: Don't ever loosen up because you feel loose is better playing style. Loosen up if you feel like the situation you are in makes doing so more profitable.

As for advice how to do it? Try focusing on the things other than your cards that can give you an edge: position, reads on other players, position, image, position, tournament structure, position . . .

[ellizizcute]

depending on what stakes your playing, try and jam your made/good hands more often. take your edges and be willing to gamble. stuff that also helps is weed and adderrall. gl to you

[JoeBlazer55]

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Have you tried playing drunk?

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This works for me.

Seriously though, have you read Harrington on Hold'em I and II? You must read them if you haven't. As your stack diminishes relative to the blinds you absolutely must open up.

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Yea I've read I II and III. Before I read them I literally knew nothing but afterwards I felt like I understood the game completely. Really great books, as everyone on here knows. I understand M and I always figure it out. I exaggerated a little bit in my original post. When I hit hands I do well and I'm good at extracting value for them. My question was geared more towards building a stack while being card dead for an extended period of time.

[JoeBlazer55]

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Also, if you really want to learn how to play postflop learn to play cash.

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I play cash also. I go to AC once or twice a week. Just got back from the Trop actually. Hit quads twice in 3 hours [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[Kimbell175113]

Play NL cash that's a few limits lower than your usual. Play ultra-mega-LAG. Have fun and learn stuff.

[SkyyCaptain]

You need strong table image for that. which is hard to build without good hands.
Just get good value out of the few hands you catch.

[Kimbell175113]

Oh, you're not expecting to win. Just to learn about weird postflop situations that you'd never see if you only played "good" hands. That's why step 1 was move down.

[hibees8]

don't play too tight early - better to go out early than bubble. so many players can't get away from aces and kings that it is worth calling up to 10% of stack with suited connectors and small pairs.
you often have to start with the worst hand to win a big pot - don't call huge raises with these hands but standard raises if you have enough chips to gamble.
Also, don't be afraid to slow play a little bit - if only a couple of people in the pot and you have (say) top set but there is flush draw maybe risk one free card if opponents are likely to bet into you.
And don't avoid the big stacks - they have plenty of chips to give away.
MTTs are cheap to enter compared to the prize - triple up or go bust the first three rounds! If go bust enter another one.