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Bluffing |
MT Tournament Strategy |
Position |
Glossary
Hundreds of people enter all with the hope of being the last one standing. Every hand you play could be your last. No wonder Multi Table Tournaments are one the most popular forms of poker.
So with that in mind what is the best strategy to win a Multi Table Tournament? While there is no magic formula that will insure a money finish every time, there are some basic tactics you can employ to avoid elimination.
- Play here is reminiscent of the opening stages of a car race. Everyone is jostling for an early lead and there are going to be some huge pile-ups. If there are re-buys this will be the case even more so. People are going to be striving to build up their chip stack while the blinds are still small and that means there is going to be a lot of early carnage.
- Going all-in pre-flop with other players can put you in a fantastic position if you win – that is if you win. Given this, it is a highly risky move and should only be considered if you have a hand such as AA, KK or QQ.
- At this stage you need to be tighter than a clam and the reason for this is to avoid getting a bad beat to a guy who is playing any two cards he gets. You should not waste chips on draw type hands or even low pairs, and do not attempt to steal blinds as they are too low to be worth stealing. Play premium cards only and play them aggressively. Be tight enough that someone would think you were in perpetual "early position" where almost every hand is folded. You can't win the tournament in the first hour, but you can easily lose it!
Your Playable Starting Hands: AA, KK, QQ, AKs, JJ
With about a quarter of the field gone and no more chance to re-buy things will begin to settle down. This is the heart of the tournament and the time you need to make your move while the blinds are still at a reasonable level. Loosen up in order to build your chip stack. Don’t be afraid to bluff here and given how tight you were earlier this should work well. Be aggressive where you should be especially against the short stacks but be careful when up against the larger stacks.
- Your Playable Starting Hands: Any pair and combination of any two cards between Ace and 10. Depending on your position and your chip stack it may be worthwhile to play with suited or connected cards.
Now the tournament is getting to the business end, and you want to take advantage of all the hard work you have done in getting this far. The name of the game is not being eliminated and trying to survive as long as possible but at the same time the blinds are rising quickly and you can’t be swallowed up by them.
- At this point chip stack size means everything, possibly even more than the cards themselves. The more you have the more leverage you have. You want to flex your muscle with the shorter stacks and bide your time with the larger ones until the right hand comes along. If you are short stacked and in the blinds you have two choices: limp in and hope to hit it big on the flop or go all-in pre-flop as soon as you get decent cards and hope to double up. If everyone folds and you steal the blinds you have also won for yourself a free trip around the table. If they don’t you could double up.
- Unless the short stacks have the nuts they are most likely to fold more often than not as it’s not worth their while to risk elimination. Of course if you have a good hand you want as many people to play as possible because you need all the chips you can get.
- Your Playable Starting Hands (Short Stack): AA, KK, QQ, AKs, JJ, 10-10, 9-9, 8-8 any combination of two cards from Ace to 10.
- Your Playable Starting Hands (Big Stack): Anything
Heads Up
- In heads-up, judgment of human nature plays a crucial role. You have to know when the opponent is bluffing, semi-bluffing, or trapping you with a strong hand. Accordingly, you have to be able to find the correct bluffing situations. Tight mathematical poker, which is the winning strategy in loose ring games, is not enough in heads-up. Here you must stay aggressive. You don’t want to be pushed around by your opponent who causes you to fold every time he calls.
- If your opponent is very aggressive, you have to trap him by slowplaying a strong hand, leading him to bet, and raising on the turn or on the river. In the final rounds the stakes are so high that one hand played to the river can be decisive for the result.
- If your opponent is passive, seeming to play only strong hands, you have to bluff and semi-bluff a lot on the flop or on the turn, trying to pick up the blinds. If you get called, you have to believe him that he has something. Your main concern is to avoid getting trapped. Furthermore, it is essential to fold your small blind sometimes, supporting your tight image. Patient, disciplined playing is the winning strategy.
- Any face card is generally worth a raise, and any Ace, King or pair can be considered an all in hand. Most hands are won preflop and will be won by the aggressor. The only time you should look to limp-in is with a premium pair with the intention to slow-play him. In this case you should give the other player a chance to bluff at the pot and then nail him for a good portion of his chips.
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