Much of this is common sense and most at least vaguely know these things, but perhaps it helps to say it all and to include a tip or two. Also much is GENERAL advice, but all of us forget the fundementals from time to time, and one must always keep fundementals in mind...anyway, just trying to help out...here goes...

1) Of course play solid poker...you must REACH the final table first. Don't start playing the maniac just because you see some other guy doing it, and having success with it...there are LOTS of maniacs in a tourny, and yes, SOME will have good luck at it...for awhile.

2) You just can't get unlucky much...get sucked out on...you're 95% ahead before the river and the opponent hits his 2 outter...you just really can't afford more than one or two of these...sometimes 1 will put you out...sometimes you can recover...of course it depends on your stack in relation to theirs...but again, you just can't get UNlucky much...it happens, and if it does, you won't go all the way. You can't run into bad timing...e.g., your're short stacked, and find QQ in the pocket, you go all in...and just to your left is AA.

3) Conversely, you've got to GET lucky at least a time or two...the larger the field, the more times you'll have to catch that suck out card...YOU must get lucky a time or two...remember MoneyMaker catching that 3rd 8 on his pp 8's vs pp A's? He got lucky there.

4) You've GOT to make some good laydowns...when most likely you're beat, but you think about 'pot odds' and 'pot committed' ... so you call anyway... nope...tournaments are about survival...and many times you must throw pot odds and pot committed OUT the window. Yes, you may get shortstacked by doing it, but you CAN recover...better to have a chance of recovering, than to be OUT.

5) One must make good decisions and take risks. You have a gut feeling he's weak? Act on it and reraise...he may fold...you act weak on the flop, he puts YOU in? You make a good decision and call, and you were right...he didn't have much...you win. Danger flops, AA7 or 3 of a suit, sometimes you bet these hard with absolutely nothing to pull them down. On a flush and straight draw and a pair...all in over someones raise and you either win it right there or hit on the turn or river...etc. Good decisions and situational risks.

6) Switching gears...some really GOOD players are aggressive and go a long way, and get on the bubble or make the final table...but they don't switch gears...they STAY in high gear...remember that young Math teacher in the 2003 WSOP? Dean...he had a massive stack of chips...but stayed in high gear...2 hands later, he was OUT...if he'd switched to extremely low gear, only played AK, AA, KK, maybe QQ ... he could have blinded his way to an extra millions bucks. ... but he stayed in high gear... aLOT of tournament players fall into this trap...and yes it's difficult to switch...but it can get you a lot further. One MUST be able to switch from hi to low or low to high immediately and from hand to hand given the situation.

7) On the other hand, you're known as a TIGHT player...on the bubble with 8-10 BB's...you often must switch gears and all in w/AJ, 88, 99, 1010, even lower pairs, when someone has raised it 3x BB or no raises in front...you'll steal alot of blinds, and sometimes double up... or seeing several limps in front of you, and you're on the BB, throw a huge bet, even with no cards, or you know 2 really tight players are behind you so bet 4 or 5 or 6 times the BB (not always 3 x) and pull in some good blinds, even with no cards....AND you can't be too conservative...you cannot throw away your coin flips...more in #8

8) And of course, when you DO get to the final table, you MUST win some coin flips...
you call an all in short stack with AQ or AJ and he has 88, 1010, or 22...you must hit and win the flip...the luck again must go your way. I know one regular player, who IS pretty good...but he's TOO tight and TOO conservative...he never goes for coin flips...when you're on the bubble or at the final table, you just cannot throw away coin flips...most players DO go for them, and if you're not, then you'll very soon get shortstacked and blinded away...e.g. you have 12 BB's left, final table...guy UTG goes all in and he has 15-20 BB's in his stack, you have KQs...the only hands that really dominate you are AA, KK, QQ, AK, AQ...that's 5 hands...most others are probably going to be coin flips...you must win a few coin flips to win 1st or 2nd...another example, this tight/conservative player would throw away 22 - 99, maybe 1010 and JJ if there's an all in in front of him...well again, the all in guy may have AQ, AK or a slightly lower PP, and so YOU're slightly ahead, but a coin flip...You cannot be afraid of coin flips...sure, you'll lose about half of them and be out of the tourny...but you'll win half and be in good shape to go all the way...

9) of course, you have to have PATIENCE...don't get bored/frustrated and start playing weaker hands you'd normally not play. Have you ever played a dumb hand, and after getting beat, thought, hey, i don't USUALLY play that hand...You just fell prey to NOT being patient. And that ONE hand could have sent you packing.

10) When it does get down to the final table or close to it, you must start playing the player and not just your cards...you must PRACTICE this and do it when you know the players and their tendencies...always observe and learn the tendencies of the other players, to help you with this. Know whether they're super tight, or conservative, or LAGgy.

This is most of it...they all have to go your way...or whomever most of this goes their way, will come in 1st and 2nd. If one finds they make it to the bubble alot, or to the final table, but aren't coming in 1st or 2nd...it could just be the law of averages, and you will get the 1st's and 2nd's soon...hang in there! In the words of Wyatt Earp..."Justice is coming! "

Are you referring to MTT's with slower levels or the regular internet MTT's with the 10 - 15 minute levels?

-Cork55 (Hrnac on UPF)

Great post Wild Bill!

That advise will work both on line and live.