More single-table tournament strategy
August 31, 2009
Unlike the early rounds of a single-table tournament, the middle rounds will introduce larger blinds to deal with. Not only this, but in most case you’ll be facing fewer players, as some already will have been knocked out of the tournament. So whereas you could play tight and let eight others fight it out while not losing much from a $2/$4 blind (or perhaps a little higher), now we’re faced with blinds as much as 10 times that amount, and fewer players to hide behind – or blend in with, as the case may be. As you would expect, these poker conditions require a shift in strategy to stay alive and prosperous.
Remember when I talked about not only playing safe and smart at the best online poker sites, but acting on your opportunities to position yourself as a chip leader as early as possible? Now’s the time you’ll wish you had listened, or thank me for that reminder. Because if your stack is the big obstruction at the table, you can and should start playing more aggressively to put the pressure on the rest of the table. Let’s say instead of 8-9, there are now 6 players left. Of the 4 that might stay in on a pre-flop betting round, you can estimate half are probably limping. It’s your job as the chip leader to put them to a decision before they can limp themselves to a leap-frog position over you in terms of hand strength. Be careful not to cross over into the bully realm, though, as one player is likely to call with a good hand and turn the tables on you. Getting a limper out isn’t worth a major risk to your chip lead on one hand, so don’t apply the heat if you don’t have enough lighter fluid to back it up and keep it going.
If you’re not the big stack poker, it’s important to change your strategy from the earlier rounds, which was playing tight. The bully stacks will be looking for you to continue your auto-fold mentality, so you have to throw them a few curve balls, and I guarantee they won’t be expecting it, either. All it takes is one well-placed “against the expected grain” bet to change the dynamics of the game. Suddenly a decent player leaning on a huge chip stack is falling over and subconsciously allows a timid, “just burned” mindset to affect how he plays. That opens the door to you or someone else making the kill and further narrowing the field.
Filed under: online poker