MTT - Min Cashing

mickgreen

Heres the dilema i am facing - For some reason all i keep doing is running quiet deep in tournies but only ever min cashing! Dont get me wrong this is good for grinding up a bankroll, bust as we all know online tournies are very top heavy, what areas of my game should i be looking to improve if i am to take down a big one?

Cheers, Mick

Crunchybob

Hey mate.

I would suggest playing tighter as soon as the bubble bursts, ppl with low chips will look to shove and double up. so i tighten up abit and let the shorties battle it out.

What sort of position do u find urself in when bubble bursts? (avg stack, low stack, big stack)
If your confident enough you can loosen up just before bubble bursts as no one will want to get knocked out.

Just a couple of tips that i use..hope they help.

ps. if u want post some hands u bust out in the poker clinic as alot of ppl will help u.

grantorino

abuse bad players at the bubble to build up your stack

maybe loosen up early in tournament to try build a stack

percival09

don't be afraid of NOT min-cashing, what i mean is, don't tighten up towards the bubble so you can cash. As you've said, tournaments are top heavy and therefore maybe start to put pressure on the short stacks towards the bubble, raising alot in late position(obv depending on chip stacks) but generally don't let your stack depreciate so much that you have no real chance of winning, unless you double through a couple times. But if you're constantly min-cashing, you must be doing something correct so keep it up! 

GaryQQQ

Always play to win without fear of busting out. Try and keep your stack at 20BB or higher at all times, if you drop to 10BB or less look for a spot to double or bust asap, ignore the bubble, consider it a fail if you win a min-cash. You need to play with a killer instinct, don't keep checking the lobby, take calculated risks that offer you the opportunity to accumulate a large stack. Nobody ever wins a tournament without winning a few flips and surviving several scary all-in situations, you'll have to do the same if you want to be the winner. Don't play with 'scared money', your bankroll should be big enough that when you bust out you can just shrug your shoulders and move on to the next tournament without worrying how much you've got left in your account. 

A player who can win 1 in every 20 tournaments will make a much bigger profit than a player who can min-cash in 15 out of every 20, even if he wins nothing at all in the other 19.

For example;

In last Sunday's Primo a min cash was worth £104.25, first prize was £3753.00.
 
In the (highly unlikely) event that a player could manage a min-cash 15 out of 20 times that player would make a profit of £463.75 (15 x £104.25 - 20 x £55.00)

A player who can win 1 in 20 (much more feasible) would make a profit of £2653.00 (£3753.00 - 20 x £55.00)

So over 20 tournaments the 1 win guy makes nearly 6 times as much profit as the min-cash specialist.

Hopefully this randomly picked example can help players reading this thread understand that gambling for a tournament win is the optimal strategy, playing it safe for a min cash is not. Good luck.

BigBluster

In Response to MTT - Min Cashing:

Heres the dilema i am facing - For some reason all i keep doing is running quiet deep in tournies but only ever min cashing! Dont get me wrong this is good for grinding up a bankroll, bust as we all know online tournies are very top heavy, what areas of my game should i be looking to improve if i am to take down a big one? Cheers, Mick
Posted by mickgreen

About 20 places before the bubble, attack the medium stacks. If a small or big stack is in the pot, keep away from them - both will fire back. But the medium stacks will usually make massive folds. Do you often find you're one of those medium stacks who plays conservatively to make the money? If so, the more experienced MTT players will eat you. Sure, you'll cash, but realistically have little chance of winning it afterwards.

The_Don90

Controlled aggression works wonders. Bluffing with outs is a great way to build a stack. Keeping pressure on opponents, basically. Just forget about your call and check button. Fold or raise should be your desisions every time.

Also run good.

try to avoid calling off flips if you can, id rather shove for a 40/60 than call off a 50/50.