[BrettButter]

This post will probably give away a lot about my tournament mentality and strategy, but it's not doing me any good anyway, so it's not a concern with me.

I've always been a tight player by nature. I don't like confrontations in person, I'm fairly shy and meek, and this naturally imposes its will on how I play poker. I'm fairly well-read when it comes to poker, but some things I just can't teach myself to do.

I play tight. I (believe..) that I have a tight image when I walk into a game with people who have seen me play. There is no way to know this for sure, because people don't like telling other people what image they put off, in fear they might use that information, or change it.

In my own mind, this makes me think it will be easier to steal blinds later on in a game if I have a tight image. I am starting to think that this is not entirely the case though.

If I get moved to a new table, with people who are unfamiliar with my play, they have no idea that I've been playing tight. Also, when blinds move further along in tournaments, people are likely to call any player with certain ranges of hands, regardless of image.

I see all of the big money tournaments on TV. I see smaller events from Cardplayer, and I rail a lot of tournaments on P*. The guys who are winning the most are looser, aggressive players. I have a few friends who make very good money playing the online "tournament circuit" - and they are not tight players.

I guess I'm just kind of running out of steam, and getting discouraged. I've been patient for so long, and I just can't seem to pull out a win in a MTT. Should I flip my style a lot, or just stick to being boring and patient, in hopes that it will indeed even out for me?

I know other styles, and I can play a looser game, but I like being a tight player. I'm getting to the point where I'm losing my mind just waiting around though, and losing faith in the ability to win these things while playing tight. There's a ton of money to be made in tournament poker, and I want a piece of it. I just want to know what everyone thinks is the best approach to getting it.

[littlebu]

Brett,

I consider myself a pretty tight player in the CT tournies. In other games I loosen up some. Not sure really what to tell you without seeing whole HH's. All I can say is that there will be a learning curve when changing styles, so don't get completely discouraged.

[Poboy]

I'm not a tournament player, but if I were, I'd definitely have something like SNGWizard or SNG-PT. Also search 2+2 for ICM (Independent Chip Modeling).




I don't think you can/should rely on image to get away with steals. As blinds go up and stack/blinds get smaller, people are going to get into pots whether you've been tight or not. They might also figure they can steal from you post flop.
How tight is tight? Are you a fit or folder? Do you play the same in all stages of the tournament or do you have an early strategy, chip accumulating strategy, and end game strategy?

[BrettButter]

I play very few hands early on in tournaments, unless I'm forced to with a big hand. First three levels, I lay pretty low. I'll try to limp to see some pots with suited Ax, small pairs, suited/gapped connectors, but only if I'm sure I can see a flop cheaply.

I accumulate chips by playing strong hands, and getting people to call me when I have them. I c-bet flops if I miss (MOST of the time..) but this is where the tight image helps as well. I like to keep the pots small, and avoid showing cards.

Middle levels I become a little more active. I raise a few more pots, and open my range of starting hands. I try to pick on a few tight players, maybe even 'better' players, hoping they'll notice my inactivity and solid play.

I don't get to the end game much, but when I do, blinds are usually so high that it plays itself.

[littlebu]

SNGPT is gold. Learning ICM will def. be beneficial to your game. It is very hard to get down. Prepare for a lot of studying.

Originally Posted by Poboy

I'm not a tournament player, but if I were, I'd definitely have something like SNGWizard or SNG-PT. Also search 2+2 for ICM (Independent Chip Modeling).




I don't think you can/should rely on image to get away with steals. As blinds go up and stack/blinds get smaller, people are going to get into pots whether you've been tight or not. They might also figure they can steal from you post flop.
How tight is tight? Are you a fit or folder? Do you play the same in all stages of the tournament or do you have an early strategy, chip accumulating strategy, and end game strategy?

[jdunford]

Well, when I started playing NLHE tournaments, I was a lot looser (but equally aggressive) than I am now, and I was usually finishing 1st or 2nd, or 1st or 2nd OUT. Then I started reading books on NLHE tournaments, developed a much more solid game, and now I'm consistently busting out on the bubble.


...


DOH!

On the other hand, my cash game has improved dramatically... and we usually (live) play a cash game after our home tourneys, and I usually win back my tournament buy-in plus some, partly due to the image I've presented during the tournament, plus I'm deep-stacked and not under pressure.

In the twice monthly tournaments I play, two players consistently finish 1st and 2nd (well, I do win the occasional one, as do others, but these guys lead the season rankings by a long-shot): one is ultra-loose aggressive (will raise all the way and push on the river, showing down a bluff with 23o, or will do the same and show you the nuts) and the other is ultra-tight-aggressive (sometimes won't play a hand for several levels, then when his M is 5, then starts pushing all-in or raising 6-10xBB preflop with any hand he plays, which are always going to be better than yours).

Neither of these guys does well in the cash game. The ultra-loose guy will bust and reload a dozen times (also tends to tilt easily), losing his tourney winnings and then some, while the ultra-tight guy gets slowly blinded down, and when he finally does raise pre-flop, everyone folds and he steals the blinds.

So I guess what I'm saying is (a) you might find it easier to win tournaments if you're looser, or at least more aggressive, and (b) you might want to try more cash games because you'll probably kill them.

[jmc]

Are you not making enough on your good hands?

As a tight player, you must be good at getting maximum value for your hands -- you get so few of them to work with.

If your tight image makes your opponents' hands easier to read, you must use this knowledge to extract money from them.

Also, consider semi-bluffing more -- your tight image creates for fold equity for you.

[FL70]

Originally Posted by jmc

Also, consider semi-bluffing more -- your tight image creates for fold equity for you.

Good advice.

[coyote]

The problem with really tight play in tourneys is that you NEED to hit hands to accumulate chips. And if you're playing really tight, then many times you won't get paid off on your big hands.

Would it be accurate to say that quite often you find yourself in the mid stages of the tourney with a below average chip stack? That puts you in a spot where it's tough to make moves. One bad play and 1/3 of your stack is gone.

[VARoadstter]

Tight alone is not a sufficient description of a style. There's a huge difference between tight/aggressive and tight/passive. Tight/aggressive players are scary. Tight/passive players are just going to get run over in tournaments. Based on what else you included in the OP, I suspect that you are more likely T/P than T/A.

Aggression is by far the most important quality to develop and master. I datamined tens of thousands of poker hands on Party for several different stake levels. Tournaments and cash games. The aggressive players were winning the most and it wasn't even close. You simply have to give your opponents some reason to fear you at the table.

I'd say more but I'd rather you gave me more insight about how you rank on the passive/aggressive scale.