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MULTI TABLE TOURNAMENT GENERAL TIPS
So before we get specific and explain our winning tournament system through the different stages in poker tournaments, let`s talk a little in general here, let`s talk about all the small things you have to consider when you are playing those multi table tournaments.
So this is general information applicable to just about any poker tournament you are going to play.
Multi table tournaments played at any level, be it live or online, are generally a very high variance form of poker. That simply means that you can be the best tournament player in the world but you still have to go through long droughts and have to accept large bankroll swings dictated by the nature of the game. So this is why we have recommended a bankroll of roughly a hundred buyins before.
So unlike in a cash game, where you will face similar situations all the time and where you can expect a gradual increase in your bankroll if you are beating the game, a poker tournament player`s bankroll is exposed to larger swings, with quite a couple of small losses followed by a big win. This is a very important fact to keep in mind. It helps you to bring your best game to the table even if you have busted out in the last ten tournaments you played. But that`s why thousands of people love to play these tournaments, because there is always the possibility of the big score each time you play.
One thing more to consider is that MTTs (short form of Multi Table Tournaments) have very top heavy payouts. You are not playing these to just get in the money. You have to most certainly play these to win or at least reach the final table. So usually the first down to the fifth place is the spot that really makes a difference in your bankroll. That means that sometimes you have to sacrifice a small payout by gambling as a short or medium stack to reach the big payout you are looking for. Simply finishing in the money from time to time isn`t enough if you are planning to climb up the ladder and take some serious cash back home. Furthermore over a given time you are going to lose much more money than you are going to win, definitely not the result you are looking for.
So our fundamental theorem of winning poker tournaments is: Never fold away your tournament.
You need to be willing to gamble in certain spots, you need to be willing to play for hours and hours and then push all-in on the bubble and end up with nothing more often than not. If you don`t have that mindset yet, work on it. Or playing in a tournament simply isn`t for you. You can`t play timid poker.
If this is making you feel uneasy, read
As funny as it sounds it`s true that bubbling in, meaning being constantly aggressive on the bubble and sometimes bust out with nothing is part of a winning poker strategy. This is because in these tournaments you never going to receive enough premium or solid hands, so as the blinds escalate you cannot sit back and wait for Pocket Aces or Kings.
Getting blinded out is as worse as folding away your tournament!
You have to get in there to win pots with mediocre hands, you have to build your stack when the blinds rise. Let them hit you too often and they will ruin your stack. It`s not everybody`s thing to push and gamble with sub standard hands. But we will help you and point out the situations when to do so later on.
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