Message Board : I need a solid advice on tournament play PLEASE!!!

Pawel - before I say anything I will warn you that I am not a particularly good player myself.  I describe myself as a "perpetual beginner" because I just don't have the time to play as much as I'd like.

You say starting stacks are "40 to 100" BB, but in my mind there is a big difference between those numbers.  100 BB gives you much more room to limp or make small raises in the beginning which will help you figure out who is passive and who the maniacs are.

But I think the most important thing to understand is that your bankroll is guaranteed to see huge variance in the type of structure you describe.  They say that tournament players should have a bankroll of 100 buy-ins but you might need even more.  You can't be afraid of busting out.  If you are playing with scared money then the maniacs will push you out of every pot.  A large bankroll will allow you to stay in with the maniacs when you think you have the best of it.  If you are playing a sound strategy, sooner or later the cards will come your way and you should come out ahead in the long run.

Big tournaments are a test of patience for sure.  The only money worth winning is at the final table and really the top 3.  All of your play need to be geared towards that.  Bottom money is not what you are pursuing.  It feels nice to cash once in a while, but that is not what you play tournaments for.

First things first.  If you haven't read Harrington I, II and III.  Go read them.  They are the standard for tournament play. 

Full tilt is putting out a book on tournament strategy with chapters from all their pros.  Having followed Michael Craig's blog (the author/coordinator) it looks like it has potential to be vey good as well.

Read these posts:

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=3436856&an=0&page=0#Post3436856

If you aren't too sure what you are doing yet, tight is right in the early stages.  You have more time than you think.  If you double up twice in the first hour, you are usually in pretty good shape.  Playing good card in position can often get you there.  Many of the high volume pros play that sort of tight, aggressive ABC poker through the early rounds.  As you get closer to the bubble, most good players are amping up their gambling.  Raising and reraising in position more.  Attacking weakness more.  Engaging in coin flips more.  Generally taking advantage of people looking to limp across the money.

Once across the bubble, all stacks are short all the time.  Play your best smart, agressive poker.  All of your deep stack strategies are out the window (playing suited connectors, limp calling with small pocket pairs, etc).  Resteal once in a while.  Challenge continuation bets.  Don't feel to bad if you go broke.  You'll bust out far more often than you will cash deep.

One more question: recently I busted out in the very first hand. Raised $80 from MP1 ($1000 stacks, $5-$10 blinds) with AKo and got reraised all-in from CO, (everyone folded), called (I knew his range), the guy showed K9s and hit runner-runer 9-high straight. I didn't want to push myself cause I don't want coinflips early (however I was 74.75% favourite). But should I have folded? pushed? limped?

And similarly what to do with QJs after I limped and some (idiot) moves in (assuming he's an idiot means he would do it even with Q7o on the first level blinds)

Thanks, Pawel

So it depends a bit on style, but unless you are looking to build a big stack and hammer away I don't think you can call with either of those hands.  Certainly not with QJs.  In both cases the pot is offering you very little overlay and both hands are drawing hands.  You happened to get unlucky with both, but in my experience, you are as likely to find a big hand on a first hand push as 2 rags.

In the case of AKo, I really don't think you want to be pushing there when the pot is only offering you the blinds.  80 is too big of a raise.  Don't be afraid to see a flop.  As for calling, it's close, you are calling 920 into a 1080 pot and are ahead of a lot of hands.  If you know he's a total maniac, then you can call, but I think you'll ofter find that you are in against 2 live cards or a pair.  You're not that big a favorite to the first and a dog to the second.  I think you raise to 30 or 40 and release the hand to an all-in.  Don't let the maniacs dictate you game.  If the action goes raise to 40, call, call, then you raise to 200 and one of the early players moves in, then the overlay you are getting makes a call a lot more compelling.

Finaly I've just read Ed's articles on playing short stack and yes! now my limping-to-raising problem is solved!

And just today I was playing again my style at Full Tilt and everything went good up to the moment, when I was all-in on turn with the best hand and got sucked-out on river (the guy hit set of Jacks). I went out some 180 in 2700, but up to that point I only lost a few hands I was involved in and most of the time had over-average stack (just on that hand I busted out I had 2/3 of average stack) and I hadn't doubled up on anybody.

Celebration time!

I have one
Started reading recently!