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Part 2 of the 3000 player MTT

• 31.06.2025 2:09 pm
• Helen
• 0 Comments

Knowing your goal as well as making use of the lucksack strategy was discussed in Part one of this series

In this part, you will learn and understand the concept of the pray and push kind of conservative start. It is a normal occurrence to see a losing player very fast to call large tournaments crapshoots or bingo when the good players will fair quite well.

Starting conservatively

You should not always gamble in tournaments. When your stacks ratio to the total of the antes ad blinds is above 20, you have no business with gambling. This is because this ratio gives you the chance to play real poker.

What this means is that you are at liberty to fold, raise or call in whatever situation. However, this does not mean that you should turn down a chance to gamble in case you have an opportunity presenting itself before you.

This is the point in poker where you need to play conservative poker to ensure that you do not have to go through a coin flip.

There are pro players who will debate on moving all in with an M (the ration of your chips to the sum of blinds and antes) that is over 100 without giving regard to how strong your hand is.

They justify it by claiming that even with 80% chances it is really not worth the trouble as you can fold waiting to get a spot that is less risky. This is the reason most pro players will fold their AA when in the main event when facing an all in during the first round.

While there is nothing wrong with the above philosophy, there is still some doubt on it. It is not bad as they understand that your chips determine your life at the tournament and thus the need to protect them. It is only wise to fold as the best player in the table in the above situation.

When you have deep stacks against the other nine players who are less skillful it allows you to steadily add to your stacks without any risks.

In case you are not the best player; you will feel the need to get into the largest pot possible when you are at your best play.

It is advisable to stay as far as possible from large pots when in a conservative start as this is where you are most vulnerable to coin flips or even worse. You can no longer raise call or fold when your M starts getting low. With M at 6, you are likely to pot commit in any hand you play and this only means you are playing for stacks.

Pray and push

In online tournaments, it is common for the late tournament stages to be reduced to all in fests. Never be fooled to following the multitudes as all good players have techniques to their play. It is often said that you are better off risking the maintenance of your M above 20 that to risk the possibility of getting it back.

Getting the right time is far more important than the hands you are dealt. You need to count on the blinds and timing as it is hard to determine the kind of hands you are dealt after the one that is current. It is better to be the first at the pot than to be the first one to call all in.

For instance

If your M is at 6, you are looking for an all in hand you can move with. You get dealt and your opponent's M is 5 with

In case you make an all in move before your opponent does; it is possible that they will fold. In case he acts before you have the chance to open the pot, there is a high chance that they will make an all in move with what they have.

Making a call with K Q is behind most of the hands a player may push with; it is possible that the same players may fold with the same hands if you are the first one to go all in. Being the first to go all in is far more important in this part of the tournament than the kind of hands.

In the event that you are in a place to do it, try and select the most appropriate time as well as player to move all in. You need to ensure you move all in with a player who is likely to cover you than with one who is hesitant.

In case you lose when against the small stacks, you are definitely going to be left with M less than three and it will be the same as a bust. If the –VEs are the same as the equals, it is best to get into scenarios that will be of profit to you.

It may seem of no use to win extra Ms, but it can prove to be lifesaving with the increase in antes and blinds as well as the future pots. This is because the extra Ms will turn to double the Ms the next time you move all in and win.

Playing the bubble          

The bubble is of no use to you as you are playing to win. You need to base your play on making the most perfect moves in order to add up to your possibility of seating at the last table.

Most poker players play to win the money. For this reason, they are not willing to get into difficult situations that can risk their turn at the tournament when playing at the bubble. This gives you the perfect opportunity to force the other players to fold as much as possible at the same time you get to pick more blinds. You therefore need to assess your opponents keenly to know the players who are unwilling to play during the bubble. They need to be your target to building stacks.

Try as much as possible to avoid players who play the same game you are at this time of the tournament.

It is possible to get into a much larger pot that you anticipated when you and the other player increasing in aggression.

If you are in game where there are seven players who are more than willing to give out their blinds, it is pointless in playing large hands with the other aggressive players.

Always be wary of small stack players who are likely to push or fold at any time as they are more than willing to push the top of any raise you may make if they have a good hand. They are willing to go all in to see a coin flip or a possible resteal than they are willing to blind out.

With this article, you will be better placed to mold the kind of game you play in order to increase you chances of getting seats at more final tables.