I recall Raymer saying in an interview that most professionals fold around eighty percent of starting hands in the first levels of a tourney. This seems a bit much for me, I figure you'd wanna play probably around 30 - 40 percent. Does anyone else have a figure that they think is a good level of tightness?

I'm also wondering about NL ring games. NL cash games are my best game, so I was wondering how tight you should play? Obviously you can play much, much tighter in a ring game than in later stages of a tournament, due to the static blinds, but how tight is that? I could see 80% folded being a viable figure here.

Obviously it depends on the cards you're dealt, but I'm referring to averages here. One could argue that you should never, ever play mid-suited connectors, couldn't they? If you're in a ring game, it would seem to me that playing nothing but premium hands would be +EV, since you never have to "make a move". However, I know that the beauty of suited connectors is that somtimes they hit a flop that will pay off far and away more than a flop that perfectly hits a premium hand. What do you all think about this?

I should say that I play very low-stakes cash NL games. Playing straightforward is usually a good play, and protection is very necessary. For instance, I was sucked out by someone who had K-2 for a pair of deuces, and rivered me for a deuce after making a bet that I assumed would eliminate draws that would threaten my top-two pair.

In high stakes NL cash games I assume suited connectors have greater value, because trickiness becomes a key element to the game. Thank god I don't have to worry about trickiness yet.

CT

that doesn't sound right to me at all. In the earlier stages of a tournament, the blinds are tiny compared to stacks (usually). This is the best time to play deep stack poker. I love to play lots of drawing hands early in tournaments and take down huge pots. Plus if you miss a couple times the blinds won't really mess with your stack. Later on you want to be raising more to steal blinds and take advantage of everyone trying to make the money.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I was final tabling every other tournament I played in, including 2000 person freerolls for weeks before I went out of town...
EDIT: and in the tourney I'm in now I'm chip leader with 2x the amount of 2nd...with 16 players left...I must be doing something right
EDIT again: placed 1st...

only a $1 tourney cause I was just trying to build a BR by making money in freerolls on Absolute Poker, got it up to 40 after starting with 10, just made $50 here.

You should be seeing a lot of flops in a ring game IMO but if you dont like tough decisions or your post flop game is not great then you should stick to playing premium hands. The problem with that is you wont get paid off because opponents will know you are a rock. You will end up losing big pots and winning small ones with your big starting hands.

In tournament play you really don't have to play marginal hands in the 1st few levels because the blinds are so small. Generally the "correct" strategy is to play tight early and then loosen up as the blinds increase. It obviously depends on how your opponents are playing though.

Too many trains of thought - it simply comes down to "what is best for you".

McEvoy and Cloutier say in the first four rounds of a tournament "Tight is Right"...play premium hands and survive the maniacs.

Negreanu disagrees because he believes at that stage of a tournament there are easy pickings from weak players...if you don't get their chips, someone else will.

So, what are the facts...10 days ago Cloutier won his 6th bracelet by winning the 5k NL hold'em event...DN has won about 38 cents this year (so far) but is 2004 player of the year and arguably one of the top 10 tournament players in the world.

So, their respective styles both work for their respective images.

Me, I change gears a lot in the first few rounds of a tournament, but I still try to play opposite the table.

I think in the end it doesn't matter...loose or tight...when you do play, play aggressive.

I think sticking the first couple rounds into something that concrete would be a huge mistake.

Last night the tourney I played in had some very weak players and I got aways with seeing the flop with about 55% of my hands in the first couple of rounds...

2 weeks ago I was in a tournament with some much better players and I think through the first couple of rounds I was closer to 25%

You really have to gauge what the people around you will let you profit from. If you find that there aren't a whole lot of raisers pre-flop you can see a very high percentage and profit well from it...but if players are coming out and raising with strong hands you have to play it differently.

If you're on FullTilt Poker you get these emails with tips from some of the pros on there every once in a while. Chris Ferguson sent out one that I got today answering these exact questions actually. Copy and pasted:

People often ask very specific questions about how to be a winning tournament player:

* How many chips am I supposed to have after the first two levels?
* Should I play a lot of hands early while the blinds are small, then tighten up later as the blinds increase?
* I seem to always finish on the bubble. Should I tighten up more as I get close to the money, or try to accumulate more chips early on?

Surprisingly, all three questions have the same answer:

Stop trying to force things to happen. Just concentrate on playing solid poker, and let the chips fall where they may.

In fact, that's the best answer for almost any specific tournament question. Here is a more useful question:

How much of a difference is there between ring game strategy and tournament strategy?

The answer: Not as much as you think.

Before you worry about adjusting for tournaments, concentrate on adjusting for the other players. The most important skill in poker is the ability to react to a wide range of opponents playing a wide range of styles. Players who can do this will thrive in both ring games and tournaments alike.

Many of the most costly tournament mistakes are the result of players over-adjusting for tournament play. Let's look at these questions again:

How many chips am I supposed to have after the first two levels?

The short answer is: As many as you can get.

Play your cards. Play your opponents. Do not try to force action simply because you think you "need" to have a certain number of chips to have a chance of winning. You should be thinking about accumulating more chips, while trying to conserve the chips you already have. The more chips you have, the better your chances of winning. The fewer chips you have, the worse your chances.

Forget about reaching some magical number. There is no amount below which you have no shot, nor is there any amount above which you can be guaranteed a victory. A chip and a chair is enough to win, and enough to beat you. Getting fixated on a specific number is a good way to ensure failure. Next question:

Should I play a lot of hands early while the blinds are small, and then tighten up later as the blinds increase?

Your play shouldn't change much as the tournament progresses. Gear your play to take maximum advantage of your opponents, irrespective of how far along the tournament is. Most players are too loose in the early stages of a tournament. Rather than become one of these players, adjust for their play instead:

* Attempt to steal the blinds less often
* Call more raises
* Re-raise more frequently

Likewise, when opponents typically tighten up later on, you should steal more often and be less inclined to get involved in opened pots. Again, this should be a reaction to the way your opponents are playing, not an action based on any particular stage of the tournament.

Last question: I seem to always finish on the bubble. Should I tighten up more as I get close to the money to avoid this, or try to accumulate more chips early on?

Usually the people asking this question are already tightening up too soon before reaching the money. In other words, they are over-adjusting to tournament play. Not only is it incorrect to tighten up considerably before you are two or three players from the money, doing so is the surest way to finish on or near the bubble. Just play your best, most aggressive game, and try not to let your stack dwindle to a point where you can't protect your hand with a pre-flop all-in raise. If you do, your opponents will be getting the right pot odds to call, even with weak hands. Look for opportunities to make a move before you let this happen, even if it means raising with less than desirable holdings.

Next week, I will address the two situations where adjusting your game will help.