Main Event Qualifier?

Question

I recently qualified in a satellite tournament which won me a ticket to a main event qualifier. The top 3 from the main event qualifier get a seat at the main event. The field looks like it's going to be at least 300, more likely 500-600 people.

My question is, how do you adjust your strategy/play at a tournament where qualifying is basically the equivalent of a minor miracle? Do you loosen up and try to build up a big chip stack early? Do you tighten up and let the others try to eliminate each other, wait for a big hand and try to double up?

Answer 1

My advice would be to play poker as you always do. Do what got you there in the first place. I know when i first started playing i would play small 40-50 dollar events and i would play very well and win some of them, or at the least i would cash in the event. But as my roll got bigger i decided to play into a few 300-500 dollar buy-ins and i played so tight i layed down a pair of 8-8's on the button in an un-raised pot. This only lead me to bust out because i was so scared to bet a hand and go broke. After finaly getting over my fear i went on to play better poker when i don't think about it in tearms of making or lossing money, i look at it as fun now, and i have done so much better since them. So sit back relax and have fun.

Answer 2

Play tight early.  There's no sense in risking your tournament on an iffy all-in when you don't have to.  Your goal should be to increase your stack by 50-75% in the first 2-3 levels.  As the blinds get bigger, loosen up a little.  Be aware of your table image at all times, and make sure you change things up once in awhile so that your opponents don't get a good read on you.  Use your table image to your advantage.  If you have a loose image, you can trap people easily.  If you have a tight image, you can bluff a little more.

Answer 3

I have never played in this type of tournament, but my gut instinct says that playing tight is the way to go. Let the other people knock each other out. I would think your main goal is to get "in the money".

Answer 4

Early on, play just like any other tournament since your goal will be to accumulate as many chips as possible.  You won't need to make any adjustments until you reach the final table.  With only 1/2 of a percent of the players getting seats, you can't just play tight from the beginning.  If you get to the final table, you will need to take into account the fact that 1st through 3rd all get the same prize, and adjust accordingly.  This usually means tightening up when it gets down to 5 or 6 players, but if you have a short stack you will need to be more aggressive or else the other players will just wait for you to blind out.

Answer 5

basically, it depends on how you play any regular tournament in the first place, for some people you may not need to make any adjustment at all...if your first goal in a regular tourney is to win first place, and not to move up the money ladder, then there shouldn't be any change to your play, play the way you know how and hope it gets you to the winner's circle...however, if you do play for the purpose of moving up, then you will have to adjust and play looser in the early stages, because you want to build a big enough stack where you have some cushion when the blinds get big and shorter stacks have no option but to move in