Quote Originally Posted by Thunder
I've also been tying myself in knots these past few days, as I've ran into every single "sterotypical bluff play" that have actually been monsters. The insta all in bet when a scare card appears - the guy really did have it; slow playing rockets, to the end, despite flush draws, so it's been even harder to gauge where I'm at as I think "well I doubt he has anything 'cos he'd slow play trip K but then again he may have the nuts and very eager!" or "his min bet means he's missed but then again he may be intending to look weak" and as a result I don't know where I am in the hand and it's down to suck it and see"

Well, if you think about it, this is kind of what poker is about - when you get to the point where you play against strong players, their strength lies in making plays which could as easily be a set as air, or whatever. The plus in your case is that it may seem that these players are playing unpredictably, and as a whole they might be; but once you have identified the *type* of player they are individually, it becomes easier to make the "right" decision.

In these situations, then, when you haven't been able to build reads on the individuals making these moves, all you can do is play "correct" poker - try and put them on a range and bet/raise/call/fold accordingly. In an MTT, as you know, chips gain value as you get towards the bottom of your stack, so often caution is the right play.