What's the optimal strategy in MTTs where you can add multiple Day 1 stacks before Day 2?

What's the optimal strategy in MTTs where you can add multiple Day 1 stacks before Day 2?

ACR runs some of these tournaments (The Dime and The Squeeze) where you can play multiple Day 1 flights over the course of a month and then it restarts as mystery bounty format on Day 2 close to the money. I would say the average stack from each Day 1 is around 10-20bbs. Is it +EV to play as many as possible to build a stack once you've bagged once or does the EV of adding 10-20 bbs become less than the buy-in at a certain point?

21 July 2025 at 02:37 AM
Reply...

5 Replies


Earlier posts are available on our legacy forum HERE

It depends on the amount of money that is going towards the bounties, and what the average stack will be.


In the dime I believe it’s 5.50 buy in min cash is 11 and min bounty is 15 max bounty is 5k and then in the squeeze it’s 22 buy in min cash is 46 and min bounty is 50 and I think max bounty is 13k


That doesn't tell me what percentage of the prize pool goes to bounties.

As a general rule, bounties are like reverse ICM; they encourage you to gamble. In those spots, it is OK to play multiple flights. There is still some diminishing marginal utility of chips once you get to a very large stack. Ie, if you are chip leader, you don't benefit as much as you would if you were in the middle of the pack.

The key is covering as many stacks as you can when the bounties start. As the bounty phase continues, they gradually lose their importance relative to the prize pool, so it is most important to have a big stack at the moment they start.

It still matters how much of the prize pool goes to the bounties; if it is a small amount, then ICM discourages extra chips; if it is half (which I suspect it is) then fire away!


In the Dime, 50k prize pool (18k to bounties, 32k to main prize pool). In the Squeeze, 100k prize pool (20k to bounties, 80k to main prize pool). Sorry I was half asleep when I responded this morning.


by provolonesocks

In the Dime, 50k prize pool (18k to bounties, 32k to main prize pool). In the Squeeze, 100k prize pool (20k to bounties, 80k to main prize pool). Sorry I was half asleep when I responded this morning.

I'd be less inclined to try to get multiple bags for these, especially the one that only 20% goes to the bounties. You are paying too much an ICM penalty to try to build a big stack that has ever diminishing value.

Reply...