I'm wondering how to devise good opening ranges for MTTs.
Yes, I know plenty will say that you don't need an official list, but with the understanding that charts should be adapted to the players at the table, that doesn't change the fact that certain hands tend to be profitable and some are not.
Now of course, there's tons of opening range charts out there, but those opening ranges are all for cash. Tournaments are quite different. You need to consider relative stack size, bubble factors, antes, etc.
With so many different factors, it's not practical to have charts for all the possible scenarios, but I was thinking I could at least define ranges based on stack size. But how to even define that? How does a 30BB stack opening range differ from a 20BB stack?
I think HoldemResources Calculator might be useful, but it seems a little tight at times.
The top 1/2 is value of each range, the bottom half is constructed as bluffs.
100BBs+ deep, tend to use a polarized bluffing range. Hands that have potential make better than top pair. Small pairs, suited connectors, suited aces.
60BBs- Start using linear ranges as top pair hands have more value, so my range moves from using small pairs, suited connectors and small suited aces as bluffs to using broadway hands for balance.
In MTTs, you cannot play like a nit. If I raised only value hands 99+ and AQ+, that playing like a nit.
There's nothing wrong with playing like a nit from early position, especially for someone starting out and asking about constructing preflop ranges. Having a bluffing range from EP can get you in plenty of difficult spots postflop, which requires strong postflop skills.
instead of looking at charts look at hands. You can look at thousands of hands online on forums, in books, on video training sites, on sites like pokerstars that show all hands face up at final tables and on youtube live final table hands.
There's nothing wrong with playing like a nit from early position, especially for someone starting out and asking about constructing preflop ranges. Having a bluffing range from EP can get you in plenty of difficult spots postflop, which requires strong postflop skills.
I suppose that depends on what stakes you are playing. Even in a measly $10 tourney once you start getting deep most of the players know about stealing and re-stealing meaning you can't just wait for the action to be folded to you so you can open the j3o on the BTN. So if you find opening JTs UTG in a fullring table with antes in play where the stacks are even only about 30-40BBs deep is too difficult for you, you should probably move down in stakes so you can play your game without too much difficulty. I spent a couple of years playing play money tourneys and freerolls until I was good enough to win in real money tourneys.
Not only should you be developing hand ranges for different stack depths but also consider whether antes are involved or not. If there are antes you should be widening your range due to the additional dead money in the pot.
This article does a great job of analyzing this and showing some possible range options. It recommends almost doubling the number of hands you open from each position. It opened my eyes because I mostly based my ranges on stack size.
