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No Limit
Tournament Strategy
I wanted to continue the topic on NLHE tournament strategy this week. I covered some of my basic strategy for single table online tournaments in my last article. These strategic concepts focused mainly on bet sizing, hand selection, and “M” theory short stacked play. After my recent trip to Atlantic City, I thought it would be a good time to talk about live tournament play and some strategic shifts you must make when playing live. Where do I begin? Well, last week I decided to take a last minute trip to Atlantic City with my friends Ryan and Andy. I had problems withdrawing my money from my online account after the whole Neteller debacle, so I was heading out low on cash. I absolutely hate being low on funds in Atlantic City, but I did have a comped room and meals, so how could I refuse? I was ecstatic to find out that the Taj Mahal had midnight tournaments going on every night. I’m a night owl and this was perfect for me. I paid the entry fee and was given a computer print out with my table and seat numbers. I was happy to see that my friend Ryan was seated at my table. It was on! The first thing that I do when I enter a live tournament is to look at the structure. Here are some things you should look for: 1. How long are the levels? 1. I like tournaments with longer levels for the reason that I’ll be able to see more hands. If the levels are long, then prepare for a long day/night of play. Make sure you have plenty of rest and feel well enough to put in a long session. If the levels move up quickly (every 10-20 min. or so), then you won’t be able to play too conservatively. Usually, you have to get aggressive more quickly in these tournaments, as the blinds sneak up on you quicker. 2... Questions 2 and 3 go hand in hand. Some tournaments have starting stacks of 1,000 chips and start with 25-50 blinds. In this tournament you would have to play at a faster pace than to a tournament that has 10,000 starting chips and the same 25-50 blinds. This is just something to keep in mind. 3. Knowing what level the antes come in also can be critical to your overall strategy. When the antes come in, each starting pot (total of blinds and antes) gets bigger. Sometimes the difference in starting pot size can make a huge jump when the antes come in. So, I usually play very tight in the first few levels to create a tight image. This way, when the antes come in and each starting pot is significantly bigger, I can steal with no interference. You have to get more aggressive when the starting pot suddenly becomes much bigger. Take advantage of this. 4. It is important also to know how many places get paid. Usually, you can be more aggressive as the bubble approaches if your table is playing tight. Knowing which players are playing to survive to the money and which players are playing to win can make a significant difference in your style of play as the bubble approaches. Also, you have to decide what your overall goal is. If you really need the money, then play to cash in the tournament. If your overall goal is to win and the money isn’t important, then play hard and play to win! At the midnight Taj tournament, each player started with 12,000 in chips and the blinds began at 25-50. The levels were every 12 minutes. My overall strategy was to play tight in the first few levels and assess my competition. Well, right away I could tell that this was a table full of fish. Honestly, it was, as a collective, the worst players I have ever played with in my life. They were over betting pots, raising 100 times the big blind preflop (seriously), playing out of turn, etc. A few players were intoxicated. So, how exactly do you handle a table of complete maniacs? That’s a tough one. I decided that I would wait for a premium hand before I entered a pot. In the fourth level, I finally picked up KK in late position. One of the only solid players in the game limped for 300 from under the gun, a maniac raised to 2,000 in middle position and it folded to me. I had about 10k in my stack and decided to reraise to 6,000. The solid player folded (what I later found out was AK) and the maniac reraised me all in. He had me slightly covered. I called and he flipped up A6o. Yes, an ace hit the turn and I went out early. That hand obviously left me a little deflated, but I felt that I played according to my strategy. With very loose/aggressive players in a game, you have to be cautious when picking your spots. In this scenario, I managed to get all of my chips in the center when my opponent was drawing to two outs. I never like to get all of my money in preflop in a tournament, but with wild maniacs in the game, I’ll gamble with them when I know I have a nice edge. Here’s a great play that my friend, Ryan, made shortly after I busted out. With the blinds 200-400, Ryan picked up Ac As in the big blind. Four people limped in for 400 and Ryan raised to 3,900. Two maniacs called. The board came out 10c 8c 3c, giving Ryan the nut flush draw to go with his overpair. Ryan moved all in for about 8,000. One of the maniacs called the all in and turned up the 6h 6s! Ryan was now in a position to win a 30,000 pot with his sole opponent nearly drawing dead! Well, the turn was the 6c, making a set for the maniac and the nut flush for Ryan. The board paired the 8 and Ryan was knocked out. Ugly. Even though we lost both of our hands, I still feel we made the right plays. We forced players playing too loose to put in the money as a big underdog. Just think of what happens when our hands hold up….a MOUNTAIN of DONKEY chips! HA! The next night I decided to play the tournament again. I expected chaos, but was actually surprised at how tight my table was playing. It was a perfect table again, but in a different way. The maniac game was a great game because players were putting too much money in with weak hands. The potential to gain chips here was great, but the maniacs made us risk our whole tournament on one hand. The new table was perfect because I had a very easy time reading my opponents. I knew that if I built a tight image, then I could steal mercilessly later on. My strategy worked nicely. I doubled my stack by the first break and had only shown down premium hands. I was able to play position and chop away at small pots as the blinds increased. I had a nice run and knocked out a few players. I had a good feel for my table and was able to run them over when the blinds increased. Instead of having to risk a lot preflop, I was able to keep the pots small and play flops with my opponents. This is where I am at my best. In the end, I finished 15th and in the money. The final hand I lost when my KJ lost to K7 on the river. It was still a good experience for me even if I didn’t take it down. It was interesting to me how the dynamic of the game was so different on each night. So, the best advice I can give is to “feel out” your opponents and adjust to how the table is playing. Build a solid image that you can exploit later at a more crucial stage in a tournament. Stereotype each player according to their style or what you suspect their style to be. Once you know your opponents and the kind of game they are playing, then adjust your strategy accordingly. If all pans out well and you can avoid the beats, then you should cruise to that final table! Good Luck. -CP
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