Poker Tournament Players' Guide to Success

Why play MTTs?

1-There are two reasons to be an MTT grinder. The first is obviously the same reason that many people play poker: to make money! There is a tremendous edge (advantage that one player has over another) that can be obtained by learning very basic concepts. Factors such as knowing how to play different stacks well, adding aggression at the right moments and having accurate reads are three characteristics that will make you win many more tournaments than most of your opponents, thus being more profitable. If you have a lot of edge and divide it among the hundreds and thousands of tournaments that you will play, you will certainly show great profits and make good money!

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2-Win! That's right, you have to play a tournament to win it, there is no better feeling in poker. The hours after winning a tournament will be completely happier, that's for sure. When you win your first MTT, you may end up becoming a player, due to the feeling of reward. Typically, when you play tournaments with very large fields, the wins will be considerably spaced apart, so when you win, the feeling of victory will last for days, maybe even weeks!

Which MTTs to play?

1-This is a very bankroll-dependent thing. In general, you should have 100 buy-ins for the level you are playing. Low stakes MTTs are great because they have a very soft field (average/weak players) and they will still give you the opportunity to improve and practice your game without spending a lot.

Some examples of which tournaments to play based on your bankroll:

$100 – $1 tournaments on PokerStars, mixed with SNGs to help grow your bankroll
$200 – $2 tournaments (180p) on Full Tilt, until you have $400
$400 – $4 tournaments (180p) on PokerStars
$500 – $5 freezeout tournaments on PokerStars and $1+R tournaments on Full Tilt
$1K – $10 freezeout tournaments on PokerStars and Full Tilt – high variance, be careful – also add some $12 tournaments (180p)
$1.5K – $3+R tournaments on PokerStars
$2K – add $20 tournaments (180p)
$2.5K – add freezeouts of $24 on Full Tilt and $27.50 on PokerStars

By now you should be well on your way to success as a poker player. Remember, when you encounter a downswing, take a step down so that it doesn’t affect your bankroll and confidence too much.

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How to improve at MTTs

1-Play. The only way to improve is to go through the learning process. Play, learn, and improve. Think about your decisions before making them. At the end of tournaments, take your hand off the mouse and think before doing anything. Know why you want to do something before you do it.

2-Watch videos and frequent forums. Watching other people in similar situations can give you different perspectives on the game. When situations repeat themselves, you will know what the best decision will be that will give you +EV in the long run. It is also interesting to observe players who have gone through the micro and low limits and are now playing in more difficult and expensive games. Absorb the knowledge from these people and incorporate it into your game. This will only help you.
Participating in forums, such as Poker Tips, will also be a great help. Post your hands, questions and doubts, as well as opinions, in all types of situations and plays. In MTTs, many decisions revolve around all-in/fold, so you will want to have as much knowledge as possible when analyzing which will be the best decision. Read, study, win!

Article translated and adapted from: A Tournament Player's Guide to Success