How tight is your image?
Your image at the table is what determines your opponent’s actions. Early in a tournament, loose aggressive can help build your stack but later in the tournament a tight image is what is going to make or break you.
If you’re the type of player who always tries to steal the blinds from the button or cut-off then you become predictable. Any smart blind can put in a large re raise with any two good cards and typically you will fold and they will call with mediocre hands and then check-raise you on the flop knowing there’s a good chance you didn’t catch if the texture of the flop is right. This represents a loose image. So in the beginning the blinds are smaller and not worth the risk, but late in the tournament if you have not been so loose and aggressive, your raise will seem more legit and your opponents will give you more credit. These blinds are the ones that help build your stack.
Your loose image will also make you a target. Experienced players will play back at you more and novices will get tired of being pushed around and play back too.
Too tight will cost you as well, you still can play at the blinds but less in the beginning will pay off better in the end. Just fold the mediocre or less hands in the beginning. This will set you up for a tight table image and probably save you chips in the long run. This will allow for the later rounds when you get a hand like A-6 and raise the blinds, you can steal the blinds or at least play with a hand that can win.
It’s not a good situation to raise the blinds 3X with 10-5 and have the big blind go all-in for 7X the blind. Now you are in a bad spot.
It has always taken good cards to be a winner but add a good table image and that will help you take down some pots with when the cards aren’t coming. No matter how you start the tournament, if you have a tight image in the end, it will put you in position to win.
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