How much do you let tournie position affect your decisions?

[Dodgey]

I'm doing well in MTTS - have for a while now, but sometimes I wonder if my monitoring of my position affects my play adversely.

Example: I'm in the lead by 10k chips. 32 players left. I end up in a fight on a draw. I have an up and down straight draw. I have him covered easily. He pushes after my raise. I have about 2:1 to hit if I call. I fold. Why? because it's a 1 in 3 chance I'll win, if so great. If I lose, My chip lead goes down to 2k instead of 10k. All on a 3:1 call.

I was pondering, perhaps if I didn't know the exact ship standings I'd have called?

Note: in MTTS I watch the tournament lobby when I'm doing well. I'm not interested in making the bubble. I want top 3 or better.

What do you think or do? do you ignore the leaderboard (like a live game where you never really know where you stand, unless you are on a break) or do you use it to your advantage?

p.s. oops! - this should be in Holdem Strategy

[spr]

I dont know whats right, but playing alittle tight to make money is fine by me, hell I dont even get mad when players hold the clock till the last second to increase thier chances to get in to the money. I also seem to moniter where Im at in a MTT. If I have a guy covered with that many chips I would have called, if you loose then play alittle tighter If you win you are sitting real well for the Final table (Where you want to be) not going to make many FTs without taking a few risks and I would rather have 3-1 odds then what you might ve forced to take latter on in the Tourny

[Assistanc3]

looking at the leader board is very useful and if you can take advantage of reading it

you can spot players that are more active and involved in hands, even when they are on a different table, that gives you information with out even being there.

by your above example
your the chip leader, but what I would be looking at is the 2nd place stack at your table, to me thats more important then 2nd overall.

its who can catch me now

[Dodgey]

Funnily that's exactly what happened in a recent game when I won. It was all about maintaining a safe lead, and making sure if I folded a hand i was involved in that it went to someone that was not a threat. Mind you - that was a "top x places get a ticket" game

[Mist]

If it's not relativly deep in a tournament I don't really care about my chipcount compared to other players. The only thing I care about is my stacksize compared to the blinds and antes.
As the tournament goes on you become more aware of the other players stacks, but your own stack compared to the blinds is still as important until the bitter end.

[Poker Orifice]

Unless I'm shortstacked I'm not pushing with marginal holdings (ie. calling off a ton of chips on a str. dr.).
Along with TONS of other stuff, I'm keeping myself well aware of my stack size in relation to the others who are on my table (and then also in the tourney but to a lesser degree.. my table is more important), along with of course the size of my own stack size and how this affects what kinds of hands I choose to play and how I choose to play them.
A 'good' poker player isn't going to call off a large portion on their stack in hopes of hitting the lottery (or even with only a marginal advantage). They'll wait and get it in there when they either know they're ahead or when they can chip away at other stacks, etc. etc.
How one's chipstack relates to the rest in a tourney once ITM isn't really all that important (although for sure it influences your style of play and how you may or may not need to play certain hands and how to play them). What I mean to say is.. if you're sitting in 4th.. or 12th with 35 left say,.. it doesn't really make much difference. Once the blinds get huge it becomes bet, 3-bet, shove, fold, etc.,... and one's chipstack can double up in a heartbeat (10th can become 1st in the matter of one hand and vice versa).

[dpk57]

used to push when i had the chips on low stacks but have learned not to. i have been burned to many times just out of the money so i play tight if possible. let the low stacks push somebody will almost aways call them just to knock them out.

[kentucky_jim]

Hello i'm new to your forum and will try my best to be as active as possible I was reading this thread and it brought to mind what I had heard fossilman say about this matter.
His take on it is very simple -- he doesn't care about his tournament life. What Greg Raymer believes and focuses on during his tournament play is to play every hand as perfectly as possible. If he makes correct decisions: proper bet sizes, proper reads against opponents and proper use of selective aggression, then so be it if the hand results in his being eliminated from a tournament.

[khicks26]

a lot of people say to not look at it. you should be more worried about the stack sizes at your table. and play to win a tourny, not finsh in the money.
good advise which i don't use. i am allways looking to see my place. a bad habbit i must break.

[shakingspear]

I've been trying to get my girlfriend to stop looking at her position in the tournaments when she's playing. I think it has a negative effect on her play. She'll be 10 hands into the tournament and saying things like "Ugh, I'm 43 out of 78. I want to be in the money." She focuses too much on her position.