Tournament Poker: Part 2 – Mid-game

It is in the middle parts of the tournament that we need to build our stack gradually by employing selective aggression while keeping a close eye on the ever-increasing blinds in order to not let ourselves get blinded out of contention. At the same time, we will be forced to gamble versus short stacks, keep a close watch on our opponents’ tendencies and strategies, make sure that we steal enough blinds to keep our stack healthy while not letting other players steal our blinds too easily. We also have to be prepared to make re-steals preflop with any two cards to keep aggressive players in check. 

Does it sound complicated?

It is. The middle phase of a poker tournament is probably the most difficult and complicated of them all. The average stack will often be at around 20-30 times the big blind. Preflop blind stealing and re-stealing become evermore important aspects of the game. So – what general pointers are there to give?

If we have a big stack, we can allow ourselves to be more liberal in stealing blinds. Smaller stacks know that they are forced to risk their tournament life in order to go up against us, which makes them more prone to fold. Of course, we should still be careful. In the middle phase, a tight strategy is an absolute must. We simply cannot afford to open too many pots, since other players will catch on to this and re-raise us preflop, forcing us to fold, thus slowly decimating our stack. When having a big stack, our goal is to steal blinds or make well timed re-steals to keep on acquiring chips. We will stay out of big pots with other big stacks involved (unless, of course, we have a good hand), but we can gamble a bit against short stacks.  

The same applies for an average stack. When having an average stack, we cannot however apply the same amount of pressure (since even a smaller loss would substantially decimate our stack), therefore we need to be even more passive and selective. In early position, we will often fold low pocket pairs and the like. In late position, we will be very careful with what hands we raise with. Yet, we still cannot become too passive and let our stack get blinded away. Mid-game poker is a fine balancing act, and the only way to get really good at it is to practice. With experience comes knowledge.

As for short stack poker (10xBB or less): 

As soon as our stack drops below 10xBB, we need to get moving. We will wait for a decent (AT+, any pair) hand and go all-in pre-flop if we are first in, hoping to steal the blinds or to double up. If we start approaching 6-7xBB, we need to push any two cards when folded to us in late position, or else we will get blinded out of the tournament. By pushing, we at least give ourselves a chance. 

Written by Andris Kangeris for24hPoker.com

Tournament Poker: Part 1 – Early Game

So, we have all seen the big shots and high rollers on the final tables of major tournaments, and online, there is an abundance of tournaments with big cash prizes for the winners. Tournament poker on TV is one of the main causes of the poker boom of recent years. A tournament win in a bigger event has been the start of many a successful poker career. 

 

Tournament poker as a game differs from cash games since all players start with the same amount of chips, and unlike a cash game, the blinds are not fixed, but increase as the tournament progresses. Therefore, tournament strategy changes over time – employing the same strategy in the latter phases as in the early is just plain suicidal. This article will cover the first three or four levels, when the average stack compared to the size of the blinds is still comparatively large.

There are basically two viable general strategies for the early phases – loose and tight.

If we decide to play a loose early game, we will play quite the same way as we would in a cash game. We will call with marginal holdings like suited one-gappers and the like, when in position. When first in the pot, we will raise any hand that we are going to play. If it is folded to us in late position, we sometimes open very loose, with perhaps something as bad as 64o. We will play our draws aggressively and we won’t mind gambling for our whole stack when having just a slight edge. 

If we play it tight, we are waiting for good cards. Sure, we will still play suited connectors and small-medium pocket pairs when in position, but our main goal is to just sit tight, observe the opposition and strike when we have a premium holding. A lot of hands will be thrown away preflop, but when we do play a hand, we will play it aggressively. We try to avoid big coin flips and unnecessary gambles in order to survive.

The loose strategy, logically, leads to busting out earlier more often, but when we do make it deeper into the tournament, we will often have a big stack. The tight strategy, which is more focused on survival, will take us to the middle stages of the tournament more often, albeit often with a comparatively much smaller stack. 

So – which way to go, loose or tight?

It is all a matter of personal choice. Find out which playing style yields the more success for you, and then work on optimizing it. However, do keep a close watch on your table. For example, even if we like to play loose early on, should it turn out that the whole table is full of maniacs pushing preflop every hand – well, then we just have to sit tight and wait for a premium holding.

 

That’s poker! 

Written by Andris Kangeris for 24hPoker.com

The Flop

Don’t be afraid to cut your losses, after seeing the flop. A common mistake made by novices is to decide, “I’m already in this hand, so I might as well play it out.” Wrong.

With seven players at a table, two pair or better will generally be the winning hand. If you don’t have the high pair after the flop (e.g. if the flop is K-9-5, the high pair would be two Ks), and you’re not in good position for a straight or a flush, you should probably get out of the hand.

Remember that as the number of players goes down, so does the potential of a strong hand — so if you’re at a table with just two other players, it could pay off to be more aggressive.If you’re first to bet after the flop, don’t be afraid to check. This can work to your advantage in two ways. First, if your hand is on the weak side, you might be able to see one more card without having to put more into the pot. Second, if your hand is strong, you could convince an opponent or two that it’s weaker than it really is.

Evaluating Your Cards in Texas Holdem

The first decision you make in a hand of Texas Hold ‘Em Poker happens with your only knowledge being what your two cards are. When you look at your cards, be careful not to reveal anything with your reaction – facial or otherwise. Taking a sharp breath, no matter how quietly you do it, can tell a wily opponent all he needs to know to have an advantage over you. Keyword: emotionless.

How do you know if your cards are good?

It depends in part on how many players are in the game, but a general rule is that you should seriously consider folding before the flop if you have two non-pair cards, both less than 10. A more conservative player might fold if just one of the cards is less than 10; a more aggressive player might stay in with, for example, an 8 and 9 of the same suit (because those cards give you decent possibilities for a straight or a flush).

If the big blind (a forced bet designed to ensure that every hand has a pot) is low enough, it may be worthwhile to pay in so that you can see the flop even if you don’t have particularly strong cards in your hand. But don’t abuse this exception to the rule — it can get you into trouble more quickly than you imagine.

A lot of Texas Hold ‘Em strategy is based on the cards in your hand. You must be willing to suffer through a series of poor hands (e.g. 5-8, 2-6, 4-9) without getting impatient. The good hands will come, eventually, and you’ll be in better position to take advantage of them if you don’t waste your chips trying to get something out of nothing.