Poker Tournament Strategy

Registration and Showing Up

Whether it is a live tournament in a Las Vegas card room or online, it is important to be sure to register for tournaments well in advance. The registration materials provide necessary information about the rules of the tournament, any special procedures, and most importantly, the schedule. Being punctual is essential, as the tournament will start without you. Most procedures do not accommodate late entries.

Before showing up for a live tournament, many experienced players prepare themselves mentally, just as an athlete might before a game or event. Time is spent alone and in quiet, getting "up" for the game. These measures help filter out distractions and focus attention on the task at hand. Players visualize themselves at tables, playing attentively, and pressing to win. Some make sure that what they eat and drink is nutritious and easy on the system. Obviously, drinking alcohol is inconsistent with playing well in a tournament.

Tournaments may proceed in one of two ways. The more traditional approach was to go through rounds. Nowadays most tournaments simply consolidate tables with other tables as people are eliminated. The larger tournaments - particularly multi-session or multi-day tournaments -- may us a combination, with early rounds being more like satellites, moving the top two or three prevailing players from each table to a new round with the prevailing players from other tables. Online tournaments mainly just move players to fill empty seats at active tables as entrants bust out. Really the only difference is whether the realignment of seats and tables is accomplished for all at once, or gradually and piecemeal. Regardless of the structure - rounds and brackets or continuous multi-table tournaments - there is a definite dynamic in the life cycle of a tournament. The opening phase is much different from the middle. The end game is different from both.

The Opening Phase

The earliest phase of a tournament is the shakedown stage. Players are just getting settled down. One table might be off and running as if it were a sprint -- with players nervously rushing into the competition, pressing hard, calling too much and not folding enough. Another table may start cold and tight, with timid players who flee from risk, minimize chip loss, and suppress the action.

Players who just relax and play their normal, focused, intelligent game will do just fine. The more a person departs from the lessons of his or her own practices and experience, the worse the performance will be. A good player will play tight when that is called for, and more loosely when the situation and the bankroll permits. The sooner a person gets over nervous, shy or defensive attitudes, the better.

The first few hands in the opening round are very important from the point of view of evaluating the competition. Follow the tips expressed in "How to Think in Poker" http://www.vegas365.com/how-to-think-in-poker and keep your eyes open to size up your adversaries.

Early in the game the bets and blinds are low, and everyone has more or less the same stock of chips, so one or two losses will not be a catastrophe. Do not let an early beat spoil the focus or the positive mood. Even the first place winner will have lost a few pots. Chip stacks in the early stages are much less of a factor than they come to be later.

If the range of skill represented at the tournament in the early play is wide - that is, there is some skilled play but also some fairly inept play - do not make each game like the final table of the Main Event of the WSOP. All you need to do is beat the more beatable of the players. Save the ingenious stuff for later. Keep it simple. Play solid combinations. Fold wisely. Play position (i.e., use late position to advantage and sit out early position unless the cards are really great). Do not take on the tigers if you can knock off the lambs.

The Mid-Game Phase

There will come a time in a tournament game when a couple of opponents will have gone bust and left. The remaining competitors are probably closer to the same skill level, and the smaller number of players means that some ugly hands can be played - in the right circumstances -- to win some pots. Surviving players should make a mental switch into a highly technical mode. The playing style of the remaining opponents is familiar, the chip stacks are known, and the game proceeds.

One expert describes this mental switch as follows: In your average tournament, a certain number of players will eliminate themselves by making mistakes. To survive, all you really need to be is competent and let the errors of the others take their toll. But at a certain point, the surviving players are all skilled and disciplined. Competent play is no longer enough to win. Play must be creative, technical and intense.

When mid-game comes, whenever that is, "playing it safe" is dangerous. It is a losing strategy, just like playing for a tie in a hockey or soccer match. Each pot can become expensive. Most hands will be resolved between two, maybe three players, with lots of raises. Knowing when to press for the pot is both an art and a skill.

From the mid-game onwards to the end, bluffing and reading bluffs is very important - more important than betting solely on what your own hand tells you in terms of probabilities and pot odds.

Because the size of the pot will be large in comparison to the size of one's chip stack, some discretion will be required in choosing which hands to play. In mid-tournament it is important not to chase so-so cards with real money (something a player might try to do, just for fun, in the early stages), unless something tells you that your opponents are no better off. Also, position becomes somewhat more important as a matter of tactics, and acting last is more of a benefit in a given hand now than it was in the earlier part of the tournament. This is because by aggressive raising you can leverage good hands into more chips.

Probably the biggest change from the more carefree feeling in the early stages is that the number of players at the table and the number of players in the pot will be reduced. If tables started with 8 players, now there might be 4 or 5 in the deal and only 3 or 4 in the pot.

This fact alone requires a lot of adjustment in how poker is played. With a reasonably good starting hand, the odds that someone else is stronger have gone down. This is simply because there are fewer players in the deal. Good cards deserve more aggressive play. Check-raise whenever you can. Bluffing becomes more important - both to read it and perform it. For example (in Stud games) an ace on the door almost requires a nice bet, as if another ace were underneath somewhere, whether or not it's really there.

The other new phenomenon in mid-game is that some players will accumulate fairly large stacks of chips, and others will go short. Short stack players simply play poker differently from the others. First they may play very tight to conserve scarce resources. Then they may play very loosely, in desperate need of a fat win. Short stack players also will go all-in to try to recuperate (in fact, double up or more) their stack of chips. How other players handle these situations is really key in the middle phases of a tournament.

An unwritten rule of poker is that the short stack needs to be busted out of the game as soon as possible. Players with ample chips would rather compete with one another than have the short stack hanging around. It prolongs the tournament, and adds a certain element of doubt and risk to the proceedings. For that reason, there is a tendency for flush players to try to put short stack players out of their misery as quickly as possible. If you have enough chips and a strong hand against a short stack, another player may also still be in the game. Raise to that player, as if to say, "I can handle this." The idea is not to multiply the pot for the benefit of the all-in player, should he or she win it. If that other player gets the message, he or she should fold right there. If, on the other hand, that other player thinks his or her hand is solid enough to beat the short stack and you as well, he or she will not fold, but rather call -- or even raise. Then it's up to you to fold and get out of the way if you don't think you have the cards to prevail. Let the other player have the honors of busting the short stack. The basic concept is to reduce the number of players against the all-in, as more players in the pot only increases its value for the all-in player should he or she actually come out on top.

If you are uncertain about the relative strength of the competing hands, check to the other player. If the short stack has gone all-in, the remaining players (after calling the all-in) can check back and forth to get to a quick and cheap showdown, even if it means that the short stack has a chance of multiplying his or her chips by two, three or even four. If it then happens that another fully-funded player bets into a side pot, it makes sense to fold unless you think it's a bluff. As a general rule, fold whenever there is an all-in player and someone else makes a new bet, unless you are convinced that you are on solid ground.

It sometimes happens that two players fight over who will eliminate the short stack and overlook the fact that the short stack may have already won the main pot and doubled or tripled his or her money. If the short stack is not going to be departing, it is silly to fight over a small side pot. Get on to the next hand. It is also important to remember early in the hand that going all-in is a tactical move. The player may have decided to go all-in for some reason other than simple desperation.

When there are two short stacks in a game, let them fight it out. One of them may increase his or her stack at the expense of the other, but one of them will eventually go. Getting into the fight could cause you to lose chips and also double or triple the funds of one of your opponents without necessarily ridding yourself of the other.

The End Game

Whether it is the opening round or the final table in a tournament, it is possible that the right kind of mid-game play has placed you as one of the last two or three players at the table. What happens next?

A characteristic of the end game is that play is two-way (heads-up) or three-way at the most. The odds of getting good starting hands are the same as ever, but the odds that someone else at the table has a better starting hand have gone way down. Of course, each player is facing this same situation. Bluffing is now a more important weapon than ever before, and the ability to read a player's bluff becomes even more critical to winning.

In draw poker and Hold'em the frequency of winning hands is not affected by the number of players at the table. That is, the number of seen and unseen cards remains the same, whether two or seven are seated. In Stud poker, however, the absence of board cards for a large number of players makes it hard to identify dead outs. In a seven-handed stud game with three players folding and four players continuing to showdown, there will be 21 seen cards at the River. Each live out will be worth 1/31 or just above 3%. Players can then be looking at pot odds that favor draw hands to flush or straight, depending on what the board cards say in terms of live cards. When the play gets down to two or three players, the value of an out will go down (because the number of unseen cards goes up) and there is much less information about live outs (for a flush, say). As a result, when play in Stud games goes to just two or three players, the winning hands tend to be pairs, trips and two pairs, rather than straights or flushes, draw hands are harder to justify in terms of the pot odds.

The pressure on players to win pots increases, as the blinds and bet sizes go up to high levels. Thus, any given pot can represent a high percentage of a player's whole stack of chips. For this reason, players need to choose their battles wisely. Unless you pretty much know that you have the best hand, the cost of staying in the pot will not be worth the risk. This explains why players in the end game will be aggressive in the opening betting round, whether or not they are strong or bluffing. Seldom is there a mere call of the big blind. If the hand is worth playing at all, it's got to be worth raising the blind (or bring-in).

Courage seems to be the watchword for the endgame. If no one else has much in the way of a starting hand, a confident and courageous raise can carry off the blinds and antes. Calling can become expensive. If you call a bluff, you better be correct. Also, you had better have the winning hand. It is expensive to call a bluff for the benefit of the third player at the table, who takes the pot. If necessary, raise players out of the game. Make it expensive for people to take you on.

In the end game situation, a short stacked player should stay out of as many hands as possible, waiting for a really solid starting hand or an equally persuasive bluff. Be careful about bluffing, however. It may be that when you do play the hand, the other players will force you to go all-in, so you might as well wait for a hand you know you can win. There's no bluffing when you're all-in.

Raise-or-fold is a common end game tactic, especially for players who are less aggressive with raises under normal conditions. It is like a full court press in basketball. By moving to the tactic of making raise after raise, you will probably push the other players into retreat for a while. Before they figure out that it is just a tactic, go back to playing tight and folding often. This will make the next sortie into raising more effective. Mix it up, as usual.

Good poker habits are also an essential element of success. When a bluff is not working, fold. Don't insist. When aggressive raising and re-raising is not causing players to flee the hand, go back to cautious calling and raising. The fundamentals matter.

The essence of coming out on top once the end game has started is the realization that it is not the cards, but the quality of play that will ultimately determine the winner. For example, the winning hands in the Main Event of the WSOP have not necessarily been great starting hands. In 1976 and in 1977, Doyle Brunson won with 10-2 (unsuited in the second year). In 2005 Joe Hachem's 7-3 suited beat Steve Dannenmann's A-3 unsuited. In 2003, Chris Moneymaker won with a 5-4 unsuited over an unsuited J-10. Most weekend players would have thrown those hands away.

In heads-up play, give no quarter. Do not ask for or hand out any mercy. Raise if the hand is good. Fold if it is not. Stud, unlike Draw and Hold'em, gives opponents a glimpse of the cards in your hand. If one of those is an ace, bet it aggressively. If an opponent has an ace on the door, flee unless you've got more - even just matching the ace is not enough to win. In all games, try to sense strength and weakness and counter it. Raise against checks. Call calls. Fold against raises. (Of course, do the contrary if you are convinced it's a bluff.)

What Happens With a Change in Table?

In a multi-table tournament a sign of success is being moved to a new table or receiving a new player at your table. Sometimes this is like being in Kansas in one moment and Oz in another. The substitution of just one player out of ten at a table can change the dynamics of the game entirely.

So when a new player arrives, or when you become a new player at a different table, recall the need to play a few hands to get to know the players. Recall the need to make adjustments in the game for the number of active players. Recall the need for focus and concentration.

One phenomenon is that a given set of players at a given table can establish a "mood." It might be intense and rapid-paced, or it might be laid back and more thoughtful. It might be convivial, or grumpy. It can have many different shadings. The point is that this "mood" tends to travel with the player. When entering a new table, try to perceive and adapt to the prevailing mood there and be aware of the "mood" you have just come from. If you do not adjust a tactical and thoughtful mood to an aggressive and intense table, you will be throwing away winning hands. Conversely, if you carry an aggressive mood to a more thoughtful and tactical table, you will find that it is harder to bluff, as people are not as inclined to fold with an iffy hand.

Likewise, when receiving a new player at your table, be aware that the prevailing dynamic can change. This awareness is particularly important with respect to the seats to your left and right. If a wild and crazy guy just got busted out of your left-hand seat, and now someone who is timid and tight sits down, obviously a change in play is called for. Bluffs will work better than before, for example. If the tight guy on the right leaves and is replaced by a loose goose, then obviously a few more bluffs will be coming your way.

Later in the tournament, time becomes a factor, and each hand can become more and more expensive as a percentage of the chip stack. Therefore, the speed of adjustment to new players must be much quicker now than it was at the outset, when one could spend quite a few hands just feeling out the crowd. In a case of doubt, being very picky at the outset of play at a new table is a good idea. You will sit out more hands, and this will allow you to go to school on your company at the table. Some players recommend the opposite tactic: to play very fast and aggressive at the outset. This will win some chips before people catch on that it's just a tactic and you're not just being blessed with incredible cards. It's a bit like being tough on your first day in a new school. Everyone will agree that it is important to mix up attitudes and approaches so you can not be easily "pegged" or comprehended by the others at the table.

Obviously, with a change in table or with the arrival of new players at your table, the correct approach can move backwards from end game to mid-game to opening phase. By the time more than half of the entrants have been eliminated, opening phase is no longer appropriate, even at a full table. This is because the players all have arrived at the table with a certain mood and momentum, and the play will surely be more technical and intense than in the earliest round. Every time a table gets down to two or three players - maybe even four - move to end game strategy. End game comes earlier at a table in the later stages of a tournament because players often play a lower percentage of hands, but play much more aggressively when they are "in." A four-person table late in a tournament generates heads-up play most of the time.