First ever live MTT: looking for advice
Posted by Sam Lang
Posted by
Sam Lang
posted in
High Stakes
First ever live MTT: looking for advice
What assumptions that I make online should I not make live?
What adjustments should I be making when playing live?
What should my default stance on unknowns be? What should I assume about a young guy compared to an old guy etc.?
What reads/tells should I be most self-conscious about giving off?
What reads on other players should I take into consideration? common tells etc.?
Should I hood/sunglasses up or not? I think it looks stupid xD
Any advice on how to deal with the long hours and monotonous days?
Please say anything else you think is relevant, thanks.
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Hood/sunglasses do look stupid, but it's your first tournament, you should be a lot more concerned with being comfortable than with looking cool. When I started playing live tourneys I did the hood/sunglasses thing and I loved it because when I was deep in the tank I didn't need to worry about shit like "uh oh if I blink he will think I am bluffing" followed by "uh oh my eyes are watering time to find a spot to blink, lets hope he doesn't snap me off" Additionaly when you watch how clueless most of these people are at the strategic elements of poker, remember that despite their apparent bravado they are pretty inexperienced at poker in general and any skill they have in reading others could just be guessing right on coinflips.
1) 95% of them are not reading you.
Make the plays you think are right with no fear of being soul read.
2) They are ABSOLUTELY not thinking on your level.
Do not give them credit to fold when you 'can't be bluffing' or to bluff when you 'are usually weak'. Do not expect them to be leveling you, or to not bluff just because they should know they can't rep anything. Pay attention to how they are playing (often very systematically, based on cards, positions, and standard lines).
I really can't stress enough how important it's been for me to fight off giving people too much credit. I've made so many mistakes because I thought people were thinking on a much higher level than they actually were. I missed many bluffs because I knew I couldn't rep anything, but the truth is, they wouldn't have known that.
GL!
-Your standard cbet size needs to be much smaller than in cash games. Most opponents aren't even observing sizing and won't adjust correctly.
-Don't eat a big dinner, a lot of blood rushing to your stomach for digestion will make the brain work in slow mo.
Gl!
The biggest mistake I made thereafter was becoming scared of giving off any tells after I recognised I had given things off. I found I had trouble stopping myself from shaking when I was in a big pot even though I wasn't or shouldn't have been feeling anxious.
My personal opinion is that listening to music is a very good thing, I didn't for a long time cause I was disorganised but you should still be able to be very alert and observant with music playing in your ears, I think it will just help to settle you. Keep it on low so you can hear the chat at the table and you won't flip out when the dealer asks you to give someone change and you don't realise what's going on. I'd encourage not hiding behind glasses as well; there's obvious arguments to do it but not doing so projects a lot more confidence both to others and within yourself. Maybe come up with a few ideas for what to do with your eyes while someone's trying to soul-read you that you can keep consistent regardless of your holdings. If you think you're still giving off tells, like Phil said few people will actually be able to interpret them, and you have to learn and practise anyway. GL!
In my opinion, you should not give your opponents credit for thinking at a high level, reading your hand well, or being balanced. They're usually going to be very bad players. HOWEVER, don't think that means you're entitled to win most of the pots.
I have gotten carried away playing way too loosely, like James mentioned, planning to 'outplay' my opponents later. You're going to be able to make good bluffing, value betting, and calling decisions, but many times you'll find yourself on the turn or river in a spot where you have no hand to call with, and you know they aren't folding to any reasonable action. How are you going to outplay them now?
A lot of these guys will be bad, yes, but some will be VPIPing 15%, and raising with 10%. Don't get caught trying to take your T4s and your 50bbs and "outplay" the guy with KK.
Take long walks on the breaks.
I agree that it is very easy to get carried away trying to win too many pots and outplay, what you assume are all weak, opponents. Don't let this stop you from trying imo, just be aware of how much everyone is paying attention and likely to adjust/exploit. Try to figure out what level people are on by being a human and talking to them and asking questions.
Play a live cash session before you play the tournament and get any nerves out of your system. Each year at the WSOP, my first day is a weird one. I'm at/near my highest level of attention, but I'm also slightly more nervous/anxious/uncomfortable.
No music, unless you think it makes you play more focused or more patient. Placebo type of problem, but -ev mostly.
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