Strategy & Gameplay

Don't punt

The goal is not merely to survive early stages. If that were the case, then the proper strategy is simply to fold everything. That would guarantee survival, but puts you at a distinct disadvantage as blinds rise. You will have less than the starting stack, while many of your opponents will have quite a bit more.

So donÂ’t play to just survive but to build a stack. You should be looking to chip up at all times in a tourney, and early stages are no different. If you are playing online low-stakes MTTs, my experience is that a lot of the pool plays them exactly backwards. You see a lot of almost maniacal play at the beginning when blinds are low, and almost everyone plays loose early one. When blinds get bigger they all tighten up. A good rule for poker in general is to not copy your opponents but do the opposite. This is the case here. Play a tighter style early on (but donÂ’t be afraid to GII if the right situation presents itself), and play a looser style later when stealing blinds and antes is more significant. Just play good solid poker early on and donÂ’t worry about survival. ItÂ’s overrated anyway. If you bust out on hand 1 vs busting out a couple hours later on the bubble, whatÂ’s the difference? You didnÂ’t win anything either way.