Multi table tournaments or MTTs are Sit and Go tournaments that are played on multiple tables. These tournaments are usually very high paying, considering the number of players in registering for the tourney. But you should still ensure that the winnings are worth your time. For instance, if the prize money is $3 for the 5th position in a tournament with 2000 players, then the four hours or so you play the tourney is wasted time.
Apart from the inner drive for winning a tournament, you also have to make sure that there’s enough time at your disposal to play through it. Larger tournaments typically go on for hours and there’s no reason to play one if you are short on time. You have to understand the fact that when playing a MTT, your chances of winning are very slim. The luck factor plays a huge role in these tournaments as they contain many variables, bad-beats, all-ins and other things beyond your control. That said, you can easily discount half the players, and so you have a lot of chance of being in the money.
Before the final table
During the early stages of a MTT, you will be given a large stack compared to the blind size. In general, your total stack will be considerably larger than 50 blinds. As you proceed to middle stages, your stack will typically be in the range of 15-50 big blinds. This phase concludes just before the bubble.
To play the early and middle phases in MTTs, you can follow the tips given below:
Play solid games like slot online , and avoid jeopardizing stack with medium strong holdings.
Don’t get into hands where you have a top pair but lack a good kicker.
When you have strong hands, play straightforward and aggressively, such as when you have a set or pocket pairs.
Always play the flop if the investment is cheap.
Be ready to let go of hands at flop if your speculative hand doesn’t materialize into something good.
Once you have successfully played through the early and middle stages, it is time to survive and build upon the bubble so that you are finally in the money. The bubble phase should be used to make a deeper stack going into the final tables. You should keep the following in mind when playing the bubble:
Building a deeper stack should be your priority instead of simply surviving.
Target weaker players who are trying to save their chips.
Be aggressive in stealing blinds.
Once the bubble bursts, you will find players who go all-in at every opportunity. Pick them out and especially so if the hand is still in blinds.
Avoid calling if you have small pairs.
Defending and stealing blinds are very important in MTTs, and more so when playing the bubble all the way through to final 9 players. Stealing blinds can be achieved by:
Raise aggressively if everyone ahead of you has folded.
Play carefully when someone ahead of you call or raises.
Go all-in for re-raises if the hand is a probable steal.
Re-raising all-in should be done when your stack size is about 3-5 times the raise.
Play aggressively on and beyond the flop when trying to defend a blind.
At the final table
If you have reached the final table, take a step back and congratulate yourself! It is quite an achievement to reach the final table when playing against thousands of players. As such, you have to ensure now that all your hard work doesn’t go to waste. You have to give your best and aim for the top positions as the prize difference can be huge between 1st position and the 9th. To play the final table, you should:
Observer and exploit weaknesses: When you have reached the final table, the players will stay the same. This allows you ample opportunity to observer their game play and exploit any weaknesses.
When you have reached the final table, the players will stay the same. This allows you ample opportunity to observer their game play and exploit any weaknesses. Tackle bullies: Players with bigger stacks are bound to come after you aggressively. You should avoid getting into mediocre hands with these players. When you get into a hand, be decisive and aggressive. If you go all-in, the big stack is unable to make any raise.
Heads up
You can ruin heads up play for the first position by playing tightly. During this phase, both you and your opponent have the same probability of winning a hand, i.e, 50%. As such, you have to make sure you play more than 50 percent of the hands to get a shot at the 1st place. Play as many hands as possible and be aggressive if any of your cards and combinations hit. Playing fewer hands can be disastrous for you at this stage.
Multi table tournaments are a great attraction in online poker. The large prize money can be very alluring, and if you are willing to devote concentration and time to the tourney, you have a real chance of landing in the top spots. As the article suggests, you have to play aggressively against shorter stacks, and avoid undue confrontations with the big stack bullies.
The early and middle phases are where you make decent sized stacks, and the bubble phase should be used to make a deeper stack. Finally, tight play should be avoided and you should always factor in luck when playing a multi table tournament!