Tournament Strategy - Later Stages

[stooo V2]

Hey all,

Was just curious what kind of strategy you are employing in the later stages of tournaments....

I'm finding that when it gets down to the last sort of 20 when the blinds are high and everyone is just trying to hold on as suh, that i feel i might be acting a lil too tight here and so I'm seeing my stack go down cos of the blinds then i make a stupid play.

So yeah I was just curious about what you lot are generally thinking at this point....

the tactics you employ.

Cheers in advance!



Stooo

[GotaFancy?]

Very much dependant on the payout structure - but a typical MTT - I'm playing for the win, not to win my buy in plus a little bit back - as other players become tighter and more passive, I'll become looser and more aggressive (especially around the bubble) - fold equity is larger than normal, and that's what I want to take advantage of - I wont be calling much, but I will be raising and reraising a lot (and dependant on stacks, going all in).

[glceud]

Think you'll find with the majority of us it depends how much we have had to drink. And as we tend to play more like GaF suggests after a few, it might explain a lot of the success achieved while pissed.

GaF is right, but it is very hard to play that way after 2/3 hours and run the risk of getting nothing for your time but as every one else is in the same boat it must be doubley correct to play that way.

Often think that it would be worth buying someones tourney life and taking over and also selling my own tourney seat and letting someone else take over.
9/10 players play this stage wrong (me included) and the other one is either pished or just finished reading Harrington.

[ubermonkey1]

yeah i agree with gafs comments

i tend to play more aggressively nearer the bubble as everybody else is tightening up.
however if i am big stacked and the table becomes volatile with a few short stacks around ,i would sit back and wait for premium hands if i think i can get to the final 5 or so with a decent stack.

two reasons for this really,
the first is that my raises should get more credability when you reach the endgame, if i have been nice and tight for a while.

the second is that you can't win a tourney with 20 people left in but you can lose one
its very easy to throw away a big stack very quickly playing aggressively when a lot of shortys are having to push with mediocre hands.better to hit the final few players with a stack big enough to not get steamrollered(25% of the biggest stack isnt a bad guide).

if you can do that you always have a good opportunity to get the win as a lot of chips will be flying around ,you have enough to scare anybody on the table and also your recent tight image can pick you up some big pots with some well timed pushes.
if you are big stacked and there isn't much action on your table around the bubble then its still a great strategy to bully

its really down to your assesment of your opponents and their stacks ,if you have tight mid stacks acting after you then bully,short stacks and aggressive players are a danger and best to play them only with solid cards.

one way or another by the final 5 or so ,you do need some luck and you do need to be aggressive as the speed and size of the blinds will kill you if you sit back

[stooo V2]

Cheers all.

Thats kinda what i thought I needed to be doing, just having the confidence to go balls to the wall when you need to I guess.