NLH MTT's Strategy

ok so i've seen countless guides for other poker games like razz, stud, etc...BTW im still waiting on my OMAHA strategy chart ERIC! haha neways,
i have recently found myself going the distance for alot of NLH MTT's lately...so heres my strategy...i'll start with a little backround of my poker philosiphies, then sum everything up about them all...

The first book on poker i ever read was Phil Helmuth's...Play poker like the pro's...i think it's that one...i dunno anyway, Helmuth preaches a SUPERTIGHT PHILosiphy...get it...PHIL-osiphy haha corny...anyways, he overviews the top ten hands(AA,KK,QQ,AK,JJ,AQ,TT,99,88, and 77) and basically says that if u want to make money playing poker, you gotta get your money in with these hands, and in the long run you will come out ontop...true and not true at the same time...

the second book on poker i read was Doyle Brunson's super system 1.
If anyone is familiar with his writing, Doyle preaches aggressive poker. 4 or 5 bets preflop and always a follow up bet postflop. this is a great strategy for beginners, i found myself doing well at lower limit poker, HOWEVER i found myself putting my chips in the middle on alot of occasions...which doesn't work at the more advanced stages of play...he has you betting with a flush draw and shoving with two overs...etc...very scary play for you and your opponent, but once they know you do that they are more apt to call you down...bottomline, Doyle was a revolutionist about poker, he caught it and used his strategy at the right time back in the 60's and 70's and it worked people let him have pots...nowadays, the game has evolved, theres alot of players who like to gamble, to me, thats not poker, thats gambling, and if i wanted to gamble, id be playing blackjack all night instead of poker.

The third book i read was Daniel Negrauneu's Power Hold'em...GREAT BOOK FOR novice-advanced players...i have learned so much from this book, however, i read it about...6 months ago and not only until last month did i truly come to understand it. Daniel's style is SMALL BALL... 2.5-3 bet preflop, and a WIDE range of hands, which, when used in position can win you a lot of pots uncontested...the biggest thing that i have taken from this wasn't the positional play danny taught, but the ability to read your opponent by what he does and how he reacts to your action...such a KEY element to any sharks poker game.

The last and final book i am CURRENTLY reading is The Poker Tournament formula 2, by arnold snyder...great book which is similar to Daniel's Power Holdem, but it teaches/ and preaches the ins and outs of CHIP UTILITY...which is another essential element of any winning poker players aresenal...chip utility is a players chip stack in relation to the blinds...so if you have 20,000 in chips and the blinds are 100/200, you would have 100% chip utility...and chip utility means, the ability to play alot of pots, and...(small ball) win lots of pots uncontested...

ok so to sum up all of this, i took a little from each of these distinguished gentleman and added it as part of my NLH tournament strategy...
from Phil H, i used his supertight philosiphy for the start of tournaments when the blinds are low, AND also when i am gearing down from a rush of cards, i try not to get too ****y and play every hand in the hopes of running through everyone at the table. From Doyle, is use my aggression at a table of fish or very tight players, where you can just hear the legs squeak from under the table...i basically make those players my biotches and steal every last chip they have. From Daniel, i took alot of LATE tourney strategy play and i use that primarily at the halfway point of a tournament on in...the chip utility book is more of a basic knowledge that adds to the small ball aproach, and lets you know when you should be entering alot of pots and when you should shove to save your life...

ok so here goes for the actual strategy of the tourney-

early on, when you have a crapload of chips, i like to raise big with any premium hand, i will usually smooth call with 77 or less in the hopes of flopping trips, and i will also limp in position with any connector or suited connector...

midway through the tourney, my strategy all depends on my chip stack...if im bigged stacked, i implement my small ball approach and do small raises and steal alot of pots...if im mid stacked, i play fairly tight, and if i am small stacked i play super tight and shove with 88 or better...

mid-late in the tourney, if i have a medium stack or better at my table, im small balling to the final table, on the button im raising usually with any 2 suited cards, any ace, and any mid-hi connectors, 78 or better...occasionally you get played back at, but hands like these are easy to toss to a big raise, if a guy wants to min raise you, see a flop with him and see if you can flop two pair or a sick draw...enter Doyle brunson personality at this point, haha...


ONE THING I'D LIKE TO ADD IS THAT SMALL BALL IS ONLY ONLY ONLY EFFECTIVE, IF YOU VALUE BET YOUR GOOD/BIG HANDS...IT'S THE ONYL WAY TO MAKE IT MORE BELIEVEABLE![/I][/I][/U][/B]

Final Table...you made it, good job, but the work isn't over yet...
At the final table, this is where i use alot of my notes on players i have tagged, or if it's live poker, i made a mental note...i usually sit back for a few rounds at the final table and gather more info. Enter Phil Helmuth...usually 88 or better im raising, and if it's Jack's or better i will call an all in, or shove if i get played back at. I have this little system i developed with betting patterns while playing 6 person SnG's. Regardless of my cards, if i'm raising, it's a standard raise for that rush...and my raise depends solely on how many people could enter the pot. If there are 5 people left, and im in mid position, it's a 3 bet preflop. If im in early position, it's a 3.5 bet, if im in late pos, and noone entered the pot its a 2.5 bet...4 way action, is a little different, i generally only 2.5 bet bc the table is already so small, why risk alot of chips, if someone actually has a hand...AND YOU WILL KNOW WHEN THEY DO...

ok so your down to the final three, almost there...
If i am short stacked, im shoving with A9 or better, any pocket pair, and usually any two suited high cards. So Donkeys, don't come crying when your QT offsuit gets beat by K5...im talking about hands like KJ suited, QJ, KT, KQ...
If i am medium stacked, im making good positional raises with the hands from Mid-Late section
If i am big stacked, im taking alot of risks, frankly because i can afford to...any ace im putting someone allin, and two face cards as well, im also calling all in's with these hands, one of the biggest factors about this is to do this exact same strategy with your big hands too, such a DISGUISE. Putting someone all in with KK when they have QJsuited, you dog you, theyre helpless!

ok so heads up is a little different, i love seeing flops heads up for 2 reasons, small ball stealing AND getting a solid read on your opponent. This is where it all matters, Min raise to death, limp with monsters, thats right, limp in there with KK and get him/her to shove when the flop comes T82, and hes got AT...but get a solid read on them and youve got the tourney won...

cheers, and good luck on the felt,
Mike