Taking an early lead in a MTT

[PauloCot]

Just wondering what the considered optimum strategy is when you take an early chip lead. Say when you're 2 to 3 times the average stack. Go tight, loose, bit of both, etc...

[PauloCot]

Or a big lead in at any stage.

[mrtrebus]

The way I look at it is, I dont really need this many chips if everybody else is <100. Obviously they come in handy in the later levels as blinds go up, but I think, even in huge field mtts, this is a great chance to start building a stack to go very deep with.

I see my stack, almost like a freeroll at everybody elses stack. Dont get me wrong, Im not saying Im getting it all in all the time. Im quite an aggressive, small ball player. But when I havev this many chips, and the blinds are low, I'll see almost all flops and try to stack someone, it still requires playing well after the flop, and I wont be bluffing off my chips, just trying to flop big.

If all goes well I can get into he middle stages with up to 100-200 big blinds while the average stack will be approaching 30 bb. At this stage I can really push people around, steal blinds and build for the end game.

[PauloCot]

I mean what do you do once you get to the stage of being 3x the average. Is it better to play tight or loose?

[Barton]

Like all poker questions "it depends" , Tight you are more likely to make the money but less likely to win. Who's at your table? People you can bully, desperate short stacks, maniacs?

One thing you should almost always do, is if you have a big stack and it's near the bubble, pick on the medium (not the short) stacks.

[cainer]

If your still very early in the tourney and the blinds are still small, well, it makes no sense to be raising and being the bully with average hands, even in position. JMHO

As one poster stated earlier, if it is still early in the toruney, id be playing like Gavin Smith and limping with just about anything in position, to see some flops and hope to outplay them after the flop with big made hands.

[acekingz]

If It ain't broke don't fix it... If your 3x early, your doing something right. Keep it up whatever your doing until either you make a mistake or you get to what mrtrebus was saying

[nutbuster]

I agree with cainer, if I have a stack over 100BB I like to use position to try to stack off medium sized stack. Otherwise, try to protect your stack against having short stacks double through you.