Winning strategy for Micro Mtt and freerolls ?

[Simion Alexandru]

So i was wondering , if u have anything to share on this opinion : I believe in order to crack a micro Mtt , or freeroll , you mustn't play very tight , cause even if you only play monster hands , you'll still end up loosing , especially in the first 4-5 levels , I think it's better to play a little loose at first ( said a little , don't ambush me ) manage to build a decent chip stack , and then u can turn into a tight maniac , for me it worked pretty well , playing the pokerstars freerolls freerolls or Micro Mtt's , maybe it's just luck , who knows , but I got some pretty good results.
So please share your opinion on this matter
P.S : I'm new at this site but I've got my basics on poker covered , so hope u guys can share your thoughts on this .

[travz21]

Generally, playing tight-aggressive is the best way to make it to final tables. But it just depends on how your table is playing.

Your main goal is to not bust, obviously, because you can't rebuy like in cash games. So the more reckless you play, the more experienced and skillful you'll have to be to not increase your chances of going broke. Playing more loose and having a better chance of accumulating chips isn't worth the increased risk of busting, contrary to what most people believe. Unless you're very good and can minimize the extra risk of busting, trying to play more hands to accumulate chips shouldn't be a concern. Almost everyone would be better served playing tight-aggressive.

[Simion Alexandru]

Generally, playing tight-aggressive is the best way to make it to final tables. But it just depends on how your table is playing.

Your main goal is to not bust, obviously, because you can't rebuy like in cash games. So the more reckless you play, the more experienced and skillful you'll have to be to not increase your chances of going broke. Playing more loose and having a better chance of accumulating chips isn't worth the increased risk of busting, contrary to what most people believe. Unless you're very good and can minimize the extra risk of busting, trying to play more hands to accumulate chips shouldn't be a concern. Almost everyone would be better served playing tight-aggressive.

I agree with you , playing tight-aggressive is the way to reach final tables , but not in freerolls , or micro's on platform like stars where the the field is huge , and even if you play only monster hands , you'll get donked out .

[travz21]

You'll get donked out on more in general, not just with AA and KK. So playing more hands just increases those odds. When people are playing badly and playing too many hands, that doesn't mean you should open up your game. It means you should capitalize on their poor play. Opening your game up will just put you in many more marginal spots, which is fine in cash games, but not when you only have one life in a tournament. You want to encounter the least amount of variance possible.

[Marc Mildenhall]

Generally, playing tight-aggressive is the best way to make it to final tables. But it just depends on how your table is playing.

Your main goal is to not bust, obviously, because you can't rebuy like in cash games. So the more reckless you play, the more experienced and skillful you'll have to be to not increase your chances of going broke. Playing more loose and having a better chance of accumulating chips isn't worth the increased risk of busting, contrary to what most people believe. Unless you're very good and can minimize the extra risk of busting, trying to play more hands to accumulate chips shouldn't be a concern. Almost everyone would be better served playing tight-aggressive.

I definately agree with travz21 - the only way to play is tight aggressive. If other are playing idiotically it does not mean that you have to follow suit. By them playing like this it actually helps you to develop your skills. When you move up levels you will find that people play more ABC poker and if you have developed your skill through these mad freerolls and micro MTT tournaments you will have the upper hand.

An example of this is as follows:

I was playing in a SCOOP event on Pokerstars a while ago. It was a six max tourney - (I cannot remember the stake probably $100.00 buy in) I was on a table with one pro - fortunately a English man, two Germans, a Dutchman and a Canadian. Anyway I was on the button with A 7 Os and there was a raise for the UTG of 3 * BB, 2 * folds so I called. I did not know how anyone played so I was just fishing to see what type of hands they played. Everyone else folded. the flop came Q, 7, 4, the UTG checked so I checked, a K on the turn and then the the UTG bet 3/4 pot suggesting to me that he either had a K or Q - normally I would have folded here but as it was a deep stack tourney I just called. The river came a 7 - I thought what a result - I knew I had him beat. He bet about a pot sized bet - this made me think he definatley had either a K or Q probably AK or AQ, (Or perhaps 2 pair), so I assumed he thought he probably must have had AK based on his bets. I re-raised all-in - he actually called. I was right he had AK. I knocked him out. My point is that I probably played this wrong and was extremely lucky, but only by playing the lower stake MTT's or freerolls made it possible for me to play this. My last point is that the grief I was given by the player I knocked out over the next half hour was horrible. I got called a fish, a donk, a idiot, why did I play A7 os, "it was a bad play" etc. When I replied about the Ace - X rule and my pot odds etc. I received even more abuse.

The answer to all tournaments - whatever the stake - is play the way you feel happy with - Don't go mad because others are. especially relax and Concentrate!!!!!

Sorry I have gone on a bit................I hope it helps.....................

[Cookymonster198]

I definately agree with travz21 - the only way to play is tight aggressive. If other are playing idiotically it does not mean that you have to follow suit. By them playing like this it actually helps you to develop your skills. When you move up levels you will find that people play more ABC poker and if you have developed your skill through these mad freerolls and micro MTT tournaments you will have the upper hand.

An example of this is as follows:

I was playing in a SCOOP event on Pokerstars a while ago. It was a six max tourney - (I cannot remember the stake probably $100.00 buy in) I was on a table with one pro - fortunately a English man, two Germans, a Dutchman and a Canadian. Anyway I was on the button with A 7 Os and there was a raise for the UTG of 3 * BB, 2 * folds so I called. I did not know how anyone played so I was just fishing to see what type of hands they played. Everyone else folded. the flop came Q, 7, 4, the UTG checked so I checked, a K on the turn and then the the UTG bet 3/4 pot suggesting to me that he either had a K or Q - normally I would have folded here but as it was a deep stack tourney I just called. The river came a 7 - I thought what a result - I knew I had him beat. He bet about a pot sized bet - this made me think he definatley had either a K or Q probably AK or AQ, (Or perhaps 2 pair), so I assumed he thought he probably must have had AK based on his bets. I re-raised all-in - he actually called. I was right he had AK. I knocked him out. My point is that I probably played this wrong and was extremely lucky, but only by playing the lower stake MTT's or freerolls made it possible for me to play this. My last point is that the grief I was given by the player I knocked out over the next half hour was horrible. I got called a fish, a donk, a idiot, why did I play A7 os, "it was a bad play" etc. When I replied about the Ace - X rule and my pot odds etc. I received even more abuse.

The answer to all tournaments - whatever the stake - is play the way you feel happy with - Don't go mad because others are. especially relax and Concentrate!!!!!

Sorry I have gone on a bit................I hope it helps.....................

Sorry but what's ur point? Like u made a great play or something? u called a raise oop with a bad hand to do that with and luckboxed a 7 on the river, it was absolutely correct of them to berate u imo

[LionCorazon]

Save as many chips as you can for those few select hands you do get

[96225]

Dan Harrington's books on tournament poker say (and I have found this to be true), you have to play to the table you're at. If the table as a whole is uber-tight/passive, be a little bit more loose/aggressive. If the table is loose/aggressive, tighten up. Curiously he says (and I have found this to be true as well), you make the most money playing the style that is opposite to your natural style when the situation calls for it.

Bubble play is the toughest to master, but in micros and freerolls, you shouldn't be as aggressive as you would be at higher stakes. Too many people become hyper-aggressive in micros and freerolls on the bubble, so if you got 20 bbs or more, you're going to want to clam up for a bit here and let others make mistakes. Note that this is opposite of what you would do against players who play at higher stakes, because they're folding more often than micro/freeroll players will OTB.

Optimum overall strategy for any tournament is pucker-tight early, looser middle, cautiously aggressive at bubble, maniac late (meaning In the Money).

Hope this helps.
-V-

[LionCorazon]

Dan Harrington's books on tournament poker say (and I have found this to be true), you have to play to the table you're at. If the table as a whole is uber-tight/passive, be a little bit more loose/aggressive. If the table is loose/aggressive, tighten up. Curiously he says (and I have found this to be true as well), you make the most money playing the style that is opposite to your natural style when the situation calls for it.

Bubble play is the toughest to master, but in micros and freerolls, you shouldn't be as aggressive as you would be at higher stakes. Too many people become hyper-aggressive in micros and freerolls on the bubble, so if you got 20 bbs or more, you're going to want to clam up for a bit here and let others make mistakes. Note that this is opposite of what you would do against players who play at higher stakes, because they're folding more often than micro/freeroll players will OTB.

Optimum overall strategy for any tournament is pucker-tight early, looser middle, cautiously aggressive at bubble, maniac late (meaning In the Money).

Hope this helps.
-V-

The tables are constantly changing tho so rarely will a table remain tight or loose. Also in freerolls and micro's Id be betting even more aggressive with fair hands on the bubble as looser players calling is clearly what we want long term.

No one way to play of course (personally over 20% itm in big field tourns for last 4 or 5 years )