Live tournament - Play more agressive as big stack?

NicNacCH · #1 02-20-2007, 06:56 PM

Hi

Today I was playing a 70 people MTT at a local casino. At the beginning I was playing very tight and was able to double up my stack in an all in situation holding AQs. The blinds were going up all 15 minutes, so the tournament was over after aproximately 3 hours, so quite a tough structure.
After doubling up with my AQ hand, I was the big stack at the table quite a while. Twice I stole a pot holding KQ, when I hit a Queen on the flop, holding high card high kicker. But the rest of the hands I was playing tight as well. Was this wrong? Should I have played more loosely? Soon the blinds were at 500/1000 when I only had 2500 left. For me it was clear, push or fold. Thankfully I was dealt AKo and went all in right away. I was called by a guy holding A5o and of course he hit the 5 and I was out as 17th of 70 players. Not that bad but not in the money.

What do you do especially in such fast tournaments? Do you loosen up as the big stack or what did I wrong? I really played only quite strong hand out of a good position, but obviously this was too tight. The AK was just bad luck I know, but I'm still disappointed.

AragornX151 · #2 02-20-2007, 06:58 PM

You definitely have to loosen up. You should ideally not have gotten down to a 2500 stack with blinds that high. Your M is under 2, and you have no room to do a thing. You have to attack and really try to take advantage of situations to build your stack, or else your big stack rapidly shrinks and even if it's "technically" bigger than everyone elses, that can change in a few hands too easily.

Forget the AK hand; if you had won it, your M would still be under 3! You needed to take some chances earlier to avoid those kind of spots. The A5 had an easy call given the stacks there.

holdemft · #3 02-20-2007, 07:22 PM

When MTTs have an aggressive blind structure you have to change your gameplan accordingly. Playing tight just won't cut it, and if you're not getting the cards, you've just got to pick your spots and gamble a bit. You should have stayed aggressive as the big stack and taken chances, even if that means coinflips. The winners of an MTT with turbo-ish blinds are usually the ones who are aggressive throughout. Sometimes you'll have the best of it, sometimes you won't but if your stack is bigger then everyone else, you know they can't put you out. That counts for something.

AragornX151 · #4 02-20-2007, 07:24 PM

In these kinds of tourneys, you generally will go out early or be one of the finalists. You can't be concerned about coin flips; you just need to win them.

Cali4niaRaisin · #5 02-20-2007, 08:52 PM

Floping a Q with KQ does not qualify as stealing a pot...lol. Anyhow. Yea. try to take advantage of when it's folded to you when you're in late position. You can get away with a ton of aggression in some of the smaller stakes Live Mtt's, like $100 one's. Many times, players are simply accustomed to playing cash games and they won't play back at you nearkly as much.

Cali4niaRaisin · #6 02-20-2007, 08:53 PM

PS, regarding AI in the beginning with AQs....I hope this wasn't pre-flop?!

hamnegger · #7 02-20-2007, 10:21 PM

under 10 bb start shoving 1st in w decent hands

hamnegger · #8 02-20-2007, 10:29 PM

repeat after me "IM ALL IN" if you arent saying that very often in this structure you are playing way too tight

Cali4niaRaisin · #9 02-20-2007, 10:45 PM

[ QUOTE ]
repeat after me "IM ALL IN" if you arent saying that very often in this structure you are playing way too tight

[/ QUOTE ]

lol

NicNacCH · #10 02-21-2007, 01:49 AM

Thanks for ur posts..will do it better next time. Yes the all in was preflop. Actually the guy next to me went all in, but he did also before with pocket fives and stuff, so I thought it was a reasonable call holding AQ. However this time he was holding AK, but I was lucky and hit the queen.