Poker Essays
Playing
Tournament Poker
By Pokershopping.com
January 2006
Tournament poker has been described
in many different ways over the years. For example,
David Apostolico applies ancient Chinese war philosophy
to tournament play in his book "Tournament Poker and
the Art of War". Many other attempts to capture the
essence of this exciting playing form have been made,
one more imaginative than the next, but basically
they are all treating the same problems. Which playing
style is the most effective? When is it right to be
aggressive? How do I handle different types of players?
When should I push all my remaining poker
chips into the pot? How should I adjust my
game to the size of my chip stack? In this article
we will try sum up knowledge gained from reading a
vast number of books on poker tournament strategy.
David Sklansky's gap concept
It's almost impossible to write about
tournament strategy without mentioning David Sklansky.
He has written several books on the subject and greatly
influenced the way poker tournaments are played with
the introduction of the "gap concept". In short, the
gap concept means that you need a stronger hand to
call a bet than what you need to open the betting
yourself. The difference between the strength of the
two hands is called the gap. The size of the gap will
vary during a game and between different games. The
most important factor is the playing style of the
players you're facing. If you're up against loose
players the gap will be smaller and if you're facing
tight players the gap will increase. Loose players
call a lot of raises and might raise themselves with
mediocre cards. Tight players, on the other hand,
generally enter the pot with really strong hands,
and they will certainly think twice before calling
a big raise. Note that Sklansky's gap concept doesn't
apply if a player acting before you just calls instead
of raises. The core of the concept is that it's absolutely
vital to take the initiative when you're playing in
a tournament. If you become passive you will get bullied
around by aggressive opponents.
Playing style - loose or tight?
Which playing style is the most effective
in poker tournaments? Loose or tight? The simple,
and perhaps boring, answer is - it depends on the
player. There are wild and loose world class players,
like Gus Hansen, who has won three titles on the world
poker tour, and really tight ones like the WSOP champion
from 1995, Dan Harrington. The best advice is to try
to find a playing style that suits your temperament
and personality. Don't try do be someone or something
you are not. However, there is some general advice
to give on how to act in different situations in poker
tournaments:
Strategy in the early stages
In the beginning of a poker tournament
the blinds are relatively low compared to your stack
size. Consequently you can play a lot more marginal
hands if there are no big raises. Small pairs and
suited connectors often give huge payoffs when they
hit, and if you get to see the flop cheaply you should
play these hands. However, there is no need to take
big risks early in a tournament. It's a good idea
to play conservatively after the flop. You should
be prepared to throw your cards away if your hand
doesn't hit (unless it's a really good opportunity
to bluff). Your goal in the early stage of a poker
tournament should be to build up your poker
chip stack, don't be concerned with knocking
other players out of the tournament (the prize list
is too far away). Choose the playing style that suits
you the best - well-timed aggressive play or a more
conservative approach. As mentioned above, both these
tactics can be successful if you play your cards wisely
(of course you will need a little luck as well).
Strategy in the middle stages
As the blinds get bigger they become
more desirable to win. In the middle stage of a tournament
you have to start playing more aggressively. If you're
first to act in a pot, you should strongly consider
raising in order to steal the blinds. This strategy
will actually work rather often since your opponents
will be risking a large part of their stack to call
your raise. At the same time it will be difficult
for you to call if one of your opponents raises. When
you do play a hand you have to be aggressive; if you
become passive the other players will bully you around
and your stack will quickly start shrinking. A rule
of thumb is to try to win the blinds at least once
a round - this will at least give you some breathing
space. If you have a small chip stack in this stage
of the tournament you're in a bad position. Since
you eventually will be forced to play more marginal
hands most your raises will be called by opponents
with bigger chip stacks. Have the patience to wait
for really good cards as long as it's possible. This
strategy will give you a chance to double up (or even
better). If you get the chance to limp in with an
average hand you should take it, since you don't know
if a better opportunity will arise. If you have a
big stack you should play aggressively and use your
advantage to pick on rivals with small chip stacks.
If you get the chance to knock an opponent out you
should try to do so. However, remember to don't get
careless - things can turn around very quickly in
a poker tournament.
Strategy in the late stages
When you've reached the late stage
of a poker tournament you're obviously aiming to get
into the money. The blinds are really high at this
stage and play is normally becoming short-handed (with
fewer players at the poker
tables). If you want to reach the top spots
you have to pick up the pace and make some moves.
If you have an average sized or large chips stack,
you should generally play very aggressively. Make
big raises even though your cards are not that good.
However, you will need a really strong hand to call
if one of your rivals raises. In general you should
only play hands against players with smaller stacks
than yours, since they will be afraid to get eliminated
from the tournament. This strategy will give you a
lot of pots and further strengthen your position in
the game. Opponents with large chip stacks should
be avoided unless you have really strong cards. If
you have a small chip stack (but not extremely small)
it might be a good idea to play a tighter game. If
you're really close to the money spots you can actually
wait for other players to get knocked out of the tournament.
You won't win this way, but you at least will get
some prize money. If your position is desperate, you
have to pick a hand and move all-in with it. If you're
really lucky you might fight your way into the game.
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