poker - 3rd hour of large tournament

[Fouts]

Looking for some input from the tournament poker players here. What is a good strategy for the 3rd hour of the tournament. Usually the tourney is just outside the money, but I don't really want to just make the money.

Should I be raising with marginal hands (Ax, kq, etc) or waiting for premium hands? I am normally around the average stack size.

[Radii]

Originally Posted by Fouts

Looking for some input from the tournament poker players here. What is a good strategy for the 3rd hour of the tournament. Usually the tourney is just outside the money, but I don't really want to just make the money.

Should I be raising with marginal hands (Ax, kq, etc) or waiting for premium hands? I am normally around the average stack size.

Depends on the tourney. In the only long ones I play lately the rebuy period deepens the stacks a little bit, so there is a little(but not a lot of room at all) to play with. If I make a steal raise with an average stack and someone pushes and I have to fold then I'm not dead yet, I'm just below average, I can't steal as readily anymore but I have to take the shot...

You have to try to continue to build chips. By the 3rd hour, hopefully you've been at the table with a number of the people around you for awhile and have a few reads on people. Who defends their blinds agressively and who doesn't. Is the overall complexion of the table tight or loose? If its tight, pick spots when you're first in the pot in decent position(you can't just wait for the button here...) and put in a raise to try to steal, if the blinds are not very agressive blind stealers. Of course if a blind is an extremely short stack you might end up having to show your hand when thy go all in and you are basically mandated to call by pot odds, and if the blinds stacks are huge then they are more likely to play with you.

If the table is loose then often all you can do is pick a hand and be ready to play it very agressively.

Without detailed reads on at least a couple of players and stack sizes relative to the blinds(and probably specific hands) that is probably the best advice I can give.

If you don't have the books yet, I'd point out that Dan Harrington gives the advice in a lot more detail and with a lot more accuracy than I do. Harrington on Hold 'em vol 1 and 2. Best poker books I've ever read.

[Fouts]

Thanks for the reply. I have both books and am reading the second one now. The only problem in my game (as I see it) is the 3rd hour, as I tend to blow up with calls to people who go all-in over me. I really need to learn how to lay down my AQ.

I'm trying to be more agressive, but it's very hard with q7, or k9.

[Lathum]

It's all about position brother. If you are close to the money people tend to tighten up and you can easily steal blinds from late position.

[dixieflatline]

Originally Posted by Radii

Without detailed reads on at least a couple of players and stack sizes relative to the blinds(and probably specific hands) that is probably the best advice I can give.

No this is the best advise you could give:

If you don't have the books yet, I'd point out that Dan Harrington gives the advice in a lot more detail and with a lot more accuracy than I do. Harrington on Hold 'em vol 1 and 2. Best poker books I've ever read.

Seriously Radii summed it up well. Stealing blinds becomes important when you are starting to become short but not there yet. Once short people will call you more so you need to pick a hand and go with it.