Brick and mortar game blinds strategy

[Dinsidious]

I am playing every Wednesday in this local casino in Helsinki, in a freezout tournament, where the blind structure is as follows: 300 chips, 5/10 first blinds, blind increase every 20 mins. http://www.grandcasinohelsinki.fi/pe...ktuurit_ti.php
I wonder what kind of strategy to apply in the early, middle and before the bubble points of the tournament.
In general the tables are semi-loose to loose aggressive in the early stages, but sometimes passive as well as with the occasional tight players. I though I could play tight from early on, but it didn't work out last 2 times - I got blinded out and lost my both pushes.
Should I play like the rest - loose to semi-loose aggressive rather than tight early on? And is it wise to move to tight once I gain some chip advantage?

[APipeDream]

You are staring with 30BBs in this tournament, so yes, you will start to see your stack diminish fairly quickly in this structure once you hit the 3rd and 4rth levels if things aren't going your way.

If you're just starting out I would really begin by playing a "by the book" approach: play a fairly tight game early, but be willing to get your chips in there on any street when you know you have the best of it. If the players are loose as you mentioned, then be sure you are taking advantage of this at the right times...make they pay to see more cards. Also, I'm guessing the same players show their faces...try to determine WHAT types of hands they play with, and HOW they play those hands. I don't have the luxury of playing live but a few times a year, but you do, so pay attention to their body language as well. Eventually you will begin to notice small things they do that will help you decipher what they might have and play accordingly.

Hopefully you have chips in the middle and late stages, but this is where aggression plays a bigger part of winning pots and making other players define their hands a bit more. Odds come into play more here because of the stack sizes and cost of blinds too. Players get scared, desperate, etc. Also, make sure you are aware of the other player's stacks, and your OWN mannerisms, tendencies, habits, etc. This will throw off your opponents, especially the regulars.

[Dinsidious]

I've been reading Caro's book of poker tells and you are right, it's fairly easy to notice what most people hold during the course of a hand.
I am thinking of loosing up a bit today to semi-loose aggressive, while try to follow the outlines you mentioned as well.
It's just frustrating how I end up blinded out so fast and get dominated every time I pushed so far with card groups 1 and 2 max.

[PantsOnFire]

This tournament structure is very steep and thus you will need to get lucky. I would not play in a tournament like this.

The guys who get the best cards and the best luck are going to do well here.

You can play a little loose and look for chances to double up. However, you can bleed off a lot of chips doing this. When you play hands like suited connectors, you might be better off simply pushing all-in with the flush or OESD especially if you also have a pair. This is not ideal poker but you have to get lucky so why not throw in some fold equity by being the aggressor.

The other way to play is to play tight aggressive, almost like Ed Miller's NL cash short stack strategy. You are looking for a great starting hand and good flop and moving all in and hoping for the best.

Because this tourney is so fast and you only start with 30BB, you should be looking for a favourable situation and pushing hard. You can do this playing loose (this works better if the table is passive) or playing tight. Either way, you are looking at getting into a pot, seeing a flop and then deciding whether it is time to make a stand.

Now you still can play some poker as well if you get into pots heads up or the very first few orbits. However, unlike most tourneys with regular blind structures and starting stacks, you need to fly into high gear very early in this one.