Copyright 2005 Full
Tilt Poker
June 27, 2005
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Poker Lesson: How
To Win At Tournament Poker, Part II
Author: Chris Ferguson
Last week I talked about not adjusting for tournament
play, answered three specific tournament questions, and stressed
that there is little difference between tournament strategy and
ring game strategy. This week, I would like to expand on that
by answering a fourth question, and address the two situations
where it's right to deviate from simply playing your best game.
The fourth question: Surely the different payout
structure between ring games and tournaments means something,
doesn't it?
Yes, tournaments differ from live action in that
you are rewarded for how long you last, rather than for how many
chips you accumulate.
In ring game poker, the chips you save by folding
are just as valuable as the chips you win by playing. In tournament
play, the chips you save are actually more valuable.
Consider a typical $1,000 buy-in tournament with
100 players, where first place is worth $40,000 out of a total
prize pool of $100,000.
At the beginning of the tournament everyone has
1,000 in chips with a value of $1,000. The eventual winner will
have 100,000 in chips and, in live action, would be entitled to
a prize of $100,000. In a tournament, that same $100,000 is worth
only $40,000, meaning that, at the end, each 1,000 in chips is
only worth $400. As your stack grows, the value of each additional
chip decreases, which means you want to be slightly more averse
to taking unnecessary risks in tournaments than you might be in
live action. (And if you are at all averse to taking risks in
live action, you're probably playing over your bankroll.) Don't
overcompensate for tournament play. Most people would be better
off making no changes at all, rather than the changes that they
do make.
Having said all this, there are two cases where
adjusting will help:
1. When you are just out of the money.
If you are short stacked, you need to be very careful
when committing your chips, especially with a call.
If you have a large stack, look for opportunities
to push the short and medium stacks around - especially the medium
stacks. These players will be a lot less likely to want a confrontation
with you, and it should be open season on their blinds and antes.
If you have a medium or small stack, you need to
be a bit more careful. Remember, though, that the other players
- even the larger stacks - don't want to tangle with you. They
just want to steal from you without a fight. Be prepared to push
them around a little, and even to push back occasionally when
they try to bully you. This often turns into a game of Chicken
between the bigger stacks to determine which large stack will
let the other steal most of the blinds.
2. At the final table.
Very little adjustment is necessary until you are
one player away from the final table. Here, again, you should
tighten up slightly because this is the next point where the payout
structure handsomely rewards outlasting other players.
Look for opportunities to push around the other
players, and the smaller stacks in particular. This is good advice
throughout the final table.
What about heads up?
There are no more tournament adjustments necessary.
You are essentially playing a winner take all freeze-out for the
difference between first and second place.
Remember: Tournament adjustments should be subtle.
It is rare that your play would be dramatically different in a
tournament. When in doubt, just play your best game. And if you
never adjust from that, you've got a great shot of winning, no
matter what game you're playing.
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