Joined: Mar '12
Location: United Kingdom
Age: 40 (M)
Posts: 1277
Not sure what's up with my play recently, but in MTTs I'm getting deep and then getting blinded down and often getting binked near the bubble or just after it with a small stack.
Early stages I'm building solidly, often I'm 3-4-5x the starting stack and in good shape - then I seem to lose out in the later stages.
Also, I seem to be losing out on blinds. I know steals are necessary as are defences but I can't seem to get mine through, so I end up losing a large chunk of chips on my BB defence with a limper or two unless hitting the flop nice.
And at the same time some donkers are raising QJo from EP and binking pots.
Any good strategy for blind defending? 3x raise, even 4x raise? But when I'm a medium to small stack, this then makes it almost a pot commitment.
Joined: May '13
Location: Mauritius
Age: 32 (M)
Posts: 2688
if you have a read that the villain is stealing, you resteal by going all in if you are short, if you are the big stack you can afford a raise,
Also look at the other player stack, if you re raise, and he has like 1/2 his stack on the steal, he will call the all in.
Also be careful of stealing short to medium stacks if you are shy of going all in, because they tends to defends by raising all in and that what i am recommending you to do. You see that all the time!
Joined: Apr '11
Location: Romania
Age: 35 (M)
Posts: 6669
I think a reraise can throw away many hands of your opponents, even as heskor suggest you could go all in BUT only with a small stack, it would be awful to lose a good stack just for a blind.
Also as always a good hand selection is a golden rule on ANY stage of a MTT, i mean by folding you can save chips on some marginal hands that you might be tempted to play.
Joined: Mar '11
Location: Croatia
Age: 43 (M)
Posts: 1738
I'm getting that too... i think the problem is with the tournaments i'm choosing thou. I tend to go to those turbo ones coz i dont have much time to play and they start ok. Before you know it, the blinds are at 10k/5k and suddenly ur 75k stack doesn't look so big anymore. With the pressure of being short stack i have to increase my shoving hands range since raising at that stage is pot commiting anyway if someone calls u or re-raises.
Hate to get small pairs in that stage. I know that if i shove and get called i'm going against overcards at least. Not a good feeling putting ur tournament life on the line with a flip on which you start as the underdog
Joined: Mar '12
Location: United Kingdom
Age: 40 (M)
Posts: 1277
Posted by lukasb: I'm getting that too... i think the problem is with the tournaments i'm choosing thou. I tend to go to those turbo ones coz i dont have much time to play and they start ok. Before you know it, the blinds are at 10k/5k and suddenly ur 75k stack doesn't look so big anymore. With the pressure of being short stack i have to increase my shoving hands range since raising at that stage is pot commiting anyway if someone calls u or re-raises.
Hate to get small pairs in that stage. I know that if i shove and get called i'm going against overcards at least. Not a good feeling putting ur tournament life on the line with a flip on which you start as the underdog
Yeah steer clear of turbos if you can - way more swingy, it means you need better hands more often and also gives donkers more of an edge.
As for the 66 shove when there's 3-4 to act, I feel you. You're always getting called by the big stack with Ax or suited paint, even unsuited paint by some. It's a chance to double up but if you get called it's always ugly, chances are you're not getting looked up by 55 or lower.
ADDITIONALLY - Until I read years ago about blind defending, I never knew what it was but you naturally do it anyway usually, especially if picked on by a BS bully. However, it can create a kind of SB/BB paranoia, like 'Are they stealing all the time?' I should call and raise more - AND THAT is when you get into trouble with that line of thought, because often it will be bluffing, but some time it'll be good hands too.
Edited by noonlion (30 September 2013 @ 20:04 GMT)
Joined: Feb '12
Location: United Kingdom
Age: 62 (M)
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You will find the donks, small satcks & blinds eating away at your chips if you miss or forced to fold ..a good move is to actually NOW & AGAIN in or out of position is is to re-raise similar stack sizes or just a little betterthan yours..do have something worth a re-raise tho, this can be pre- or post flop, folowed by a raise or re- raise on flop..regardless of position, this is best heads up or vs 2 players max as its a risky gamble steal that can also hit, but this move helps build or rebuild your stack IF you get villian to fold and you dont busto as you fold to shoves or 5-6 bets, adjust bet isze accordinglingly as if you have a strong to nuts hit..if you get called then you can fold to any bet/raise. This is worth a shot every 1-2 orbit with a good a holding, but stack-size & board texture + reads & hand equity are key.
I rather do this move 1 or every 2 orbits, than wait for a top hand & blinded down, but re-gaining stack i started with, which as you said don't mean as much since rounds and blinds levels.are booming..you have to gamble a few risky plays basically to get thru ..the thing about it tho is psychologically you will feel betterand and stronger-willed poker player at taking a shot here n there than being blinded down after good play to build a stack.boom or bust syndrome...its like the saying going out by putting up a good fight or challenge in boxing, top players respect that, don't worry what any1 else thinks..it in the long-run you will loose some but and when you hit & climb your on a roll and players fear your bets more and you can always adjust to that as you created it..
i hope this helps, but as the pros always say ..choose your spots well..gg gl
Joined: Mar '12
Location: United Kingdom
Age: 40 (M)
Posts: 1277
Posted by victoryv111: You will find the donks, small satcks & blinds eating away at your chips if you miss or forced to fold ..a good move is to actually NOW & AGAIN in or out of position is is to re-raise similar stack sizes or just a little betterthan yours..do have something worth a re-raise tho, this can be pre- or post flop, folowed by a raise or re- raise on flop..regardless of position, this is best heads up or vs 2 players max as its a risky gamble steal that can also hit, but this move helps build or rebuild your stack IF you get villian to fold and you dont busto as you fold to shoves or 5-6 bets, adjust bet isze accordinglingly as if you have a strong to nuts hit..if you get called then you can fold to any bet/raise. This is worth a shot every 1-2 orbit with a good a holding, but stack-size & board texture + reads & hand equity are key.
I rather do this move 1 or every 2 orbits, than wait for a top hand & blinded down, but re-gaining stack i started with, which as you said don't mean as much since rounds and blinds levels.are booming..you have to gamble a few risky plays basically to get thru ..the thing about it tho is psychologically you will feel betterand and stronger-willed poker player at taking a shot here n there than being blinded down after good play to build a stack.boom or bust syndrome...its like the saying going out by putting up a good fight or challenge in boxing, top players respect that, don't worry what any1 else thinks..it in the long-run you will loose some but and when you hit & climb your on a roll and players fear your bets more and you can always adjust to that as you created it..
i hope this helps, but as the pros always say ..choose your spots well..gg gl
Sound advice
You make a good point about being blinded down or making a stand. If I fold sb and bb a lot even marginal hands will be raising me, whereas by taking a stand every now and again, there's a small risk of going out, but more to be gained and if it sticks players will be wary in future of raising me in that spot.
The main trouble is when there are maniacs at the table, like 3-4 of them, in every hand to the point that blind defending doesn't work as a strategy. But that relates to your choose our spots part.
Also as the SS the mentality is to give too much credit for hands, as we are constantly 'at risk' of exiting.
Joined: Feb '12
Location: United Kingdom
Age: 62 (M)
Posts: 169
At this deep stage of tournee, you should have a little better read on who the maniacs are, the less players calling in a hand is always better, position is king on the long -run, and their obvious stack-sizes. You should not face more than 2 players in a hand who can bust you tho, altho hard to control, the rest is upto the poker gods ...experiment with your game play as we are forever learning, that's what makes poker fascinating, its full of the unexpected, gg gl
