I've come back from overseas after many years, and my friends, who used to play a variety of poker cash games (draw, 5/7 card stud) now exclusively play tournament NL holdem.

It's fun, but I find myself playing overly tight and somewhat passively because... the tournament buy in is $20. There are typically 8 to 10 players. Blinds start at 25/50 cents and double every 12 minutes.

Putting seven bucks into the pot for a call or a raise eats up a third of my stack, so I tend to be cautious. I've asked my most gracious hosts to either up the buy in or drop the initial blinds to be more in line with what I've seen as "normal" or recommended, but no dice... if I'm going to play with these folks, these are the terms.

So... any thoughts as the best way to approach play overall in this situation? I tend to play nothing but the top cards in EP, rarely play middle cards in LP, (depending on the calls and raises earlier) and only call as the BB, never more, when I have crap as the BB. But, it seems too conservative.

Thank you for your advice.

Cheers.

Welcome and hopefully you will find some useful information mixed into this forum. Use the search features with key words to find threads that may help.

When you look at a tournament structure it really comes down to what the host (and Players) is trying to gain. I would suspect in home games it just for some fun and short term 'bragging' rights so to speak. A big issue with a home tournament is what do the busted Players do while (hopefully) waiting for the next go-round. If there's no cash game to play then a turbo structure seems to be a must.

It's very possible that you are taking things way more seriously than the rest of the crew. Only starting with 40bb is an issue ... hopefully you win the Button (or maybe not). But basically everyone is short and thus forces the issue with your ranges and really isn't much 'poker' being played by the Turn or River.

Not sure how to help, there may be some basic structures online that you can show your friends and just modify them to 'chips' your using. GL

Thank you. Fun... but a bit of money to be made as well. Friday night games, Saturday afternoon/night games, sometimes a game or two on Sunday for those trying to crawl back out of a hole.

We hold this in the great outdoors... protected table... but busted players can sit around a campfire, play some 'shoes, catch a bass in the pond, or sit around and lie about their sex lives.

12 minute blinds usually means that a game is finished in an hour or less when blinds reach $8/$16, and BB is forced to play most all of a stack even with bad cards.

What's the issue? just play short stack poker.

just check raise bluff the rivers like bryn kenney. there might be game theory nerds in your game but they might not have the balls to call you big check-raise bluff on the river even if their pio solver says its correct to call.
no need to talk strategy anymore since bryn doesn't talk to any other player about strategy anymore. just play old school bro.

bryn kenney is leading the $ race according to hendon mob so hes worth listening to.