17 replies to this topic

[TB17]

I'm looking to start playing limit tourneys. Are there are big time differences between cash games and tourneys, or would a successful cash game strategy work well in tourneys? (And yes I know that a ton of luck is needed to profit in these)

[MasterLJ]

As with any tournament, the amount of your stack in proportion to the blinds dictates play.

[Actuary]

Limit Tournies are gay.

No offense to butt ****ers.

[TheCinciKid]

Limit Tournies are gay.

No offense to butt ****ers.

LMFAO.

And you're very right. I played a limit SnG the other day by mistake. $22 I'll never get back. I'm generally a pretty good limit player, but this was just absurd.

[Zach6668]

I've played one Limit SNG, and I pwned it. However, it was clearly a crap shoot, and I will never play it again.

- Zach

[doubleatrain]

I have never been able to get the hang of limit tourneys, SNG or otherwise. I don't think I can be blindly aggressive enough to pull it off or something. Then again, I can't play NL cash games, but I do alright in tourney NL. That of course would suggest to me that I can't play post-flop. Epiphany.

[WestcoastCanuck]

From my limited experience, you have to push your good hands way harder than normal. People do some really stupid **** in these tournaments (largely because a lot of NL donkeys accidently sign up for them). Also, as you get closer to the money and the blinds go up, start stealing blinds more. Stealing blinds is surprisingly succesful.

[screech]

From my limited experience, you have to push your good hands way harder than normal. People do some really stupid **** in these tournaments (largely because a lot of NL donkeys accidently sign up for them). Also, as you get closer to the money and the blinds go up, start stealing blinds more. Stealing blinds is surprisingly succesful.

As an aside, you also need to play your hands wiht small edges relatively passively. You want to conserve chips. Pushing small edges hard is a high variance play that works well in cash games, but in a tournament situation, it's a good way to go broke.

[MasterLJ]

And now, and excerpt from a limit tourney to emphasize Actuary's point:

"I CANT BELIEVE YOU CALLED WITH JACK HIGH!

JACK HIGH MAN!

JACK HIGH!!!!

CAN YOU BELIEVE HE CALLED MY HOBO-*** WITH JACK HIGH?!"

[dimseven]

I final table a lot of limit MTT's. Never won one yet.

[doubleatrain]

I final table a lot of limit MTT's. Never won one yet.

As someone who has had success in them, any toughts on strategy?

[dimseven]

As someone who has had success in them, any toughts on strategy?

Eh, its variance. I play similar to my cash game strat but there are definite times during the tournament where I think to mself I would never do that in a cash game... nothing specific is coming to mind though right now... I stick to a rock-ish low variance game, except early on in the first couple blind levels when the play is just ATROCIOUS.

[essay]

I play three or four thess every week. They are LITERALLY the easiest money you can make in the poker world. i would say only get more aggressive. people play badly and you should capitalize. always look out for the guy who thought he signed up for a no limit tourny, cause he wants to leave in a hurry.

My results are great and i dont play all that much limit.

[pokerplayer24]

As an aside, you also need to play your hands wiht small edges relatively passively. You want to conserve chips. Pushing small edges hard is a high variance play that works well in cash games, but in a tournament situation, it's a good way to go broke.

I disagree with you here. In limit tourneys I think you really want to push your small edges early in an effort to accumulate chips. It will allow you to steal and punish the blinds at later levels. I think the trick in limit tourneys is get big early or go home as playing showdown poker with 10 bb midway through the second hour of a tourney isnt going to have you doing to well.

I play three or four thess every week. They are LITERALLY the easiest money you can make in the poker world. i would say only get more aggressive. people play badly and you should capitalize. always look out for the guy who thought he signed up for a no limit tourny, cause he wants to leave in a hurry.

My results are great and i dont play all that much limit.

PLO tourneys are easier. Basically playing with a bunch of people that think 2 pair or a 10 high flush is the nuts.

[Abbaddabba]

The level of play in limit tournaments is much lower than in cash games near the beginning.

A 20+2 is well below a typical .50/1. Probably on par with the .10/.20, if i had to guess.

What's even funnier is that once it gets later in the tournament, they change from retarded lags to retarded mice, who'll let you steal each and every blind from them. Or rather - maybe it's just a matter of the mice being the ones who survive that long.


Ive made 3 LHE MTT final tables, came in first in one and second in another (8th in the third)... out of maybe 10 that ive entered since i started playing online. Ridiculous luck for the most part. There's really not a big difference between it and cash games. Just be aware of the mental retardation factor. It's not uncommon to have 6 way pots that were capped preflop.



I disagree with both screech and pokerplayer. I dont think you should make any adjustments in the early stages of tournaments. It's only applicable when you approach bubbles, and even then there are few bubbles that are significant enough that warrant any big changes to how you approach the game.

[screech]

I disagree with both screech and pokerplayer. I dont think you should make any adjustments in the early stages of tournaments. It's only applicable when you approach bubbles, and even then there are few bubbles that are significant enough that warrant any big changes to how you approach the game.

You don't really disagree with me, you just think you do.

What I meant was that when the blinds get relatively high, you can't push your small edges as hard. At the beginning, just play normal. I wasn't clear on that.

[essay]

2-2nds out of 4 entries in the UB 20 +2 this week

good for 250 each. Seriously if you like money play these tournys

[The Nuts]

You'll find yourself chasing draws more often than you would in a cash game. This is because nearly every pot you play will be a multiway pot (possibly with half the players in or more) and thus you'll always get odds to chase a flush or straight draw.

Limit games seem to attract NLHE players who think in different terms when betting. Limit Hold'em players put value in the amount of bets placed out. NLHE players place their value in the actual the size of the bets. So, in situations where they'd bet the pot in a NL or PL Hold'em game, they are unable to bet that much. So, they'll do what they can to reach that level and that means capping bets.

You want to play your made hands as hard as possible in an attempt to isolate opponents if you're at a chase-happy table. Have as little people see the flop as you can. Make it as expensive as possible for other players to chase. In the long run, you'll come out on top since they'll miss their flush/OESD/straight flush draw about 70% of the time and more often for other draws. You'll win with your made hands and do fine.

Through this, I also play a wider range of starting hands more aggressively. I have no qualms three-betting with small suited connectors if people will only call with high cards. If you bill yourself as an action player, players will be a bit more hesitant with raising/betting when they have a strong (though not the nuts) hand, thus saving you bets in the long run.