The early stage of a tournament is very similar to a cash game. The stacks are still very big in relation to the blinds. The main difference to a cash game is that we normally can't re-buy in a tournament. In a cash game we can re-buy as long as our bankrolls allow. For this reason, in tournaments it's much more important not to lose all our chips (in a single hand), because this would mean elimination from the tournament.
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In order to play this stage of the tournament successfully it is helpful to read the article on the no-limit hold'em full ring strategy (or big stack strategy/BSS), because very similar principles apply.
Tight is Right
Many inexperienced players think that they can play even marginal hands in the early phase of a tournament as the blinds are still very low and they can see the flop cheaply. This way of thinking is wrong! In fact, the opposite is correct. There is little or no reason to play marginal hands, precisely because the blinds are still small in relation to the stacks. We play this phase extremely tightly, i.e. we only play our good hands, thus exploiting the loose style of our opponents.
In particular when we are in early positions we should play only premium hands such as JJ, QQ, KK, AA and AK. If we concentrate on these hands we will often be able to knock one or two bad players out of the tournament, simply by virtue of having the better hand. In later positions we can also play smaller pairs and suited connectors such as 7♥6♥.
A common mistake is playing cards that are easily dominated against raises from an early position. This occurs most often with hands such as AQ, KQ and AJ. These hands are weak when we are playing them against hands that are typically raised in early position (EP).
The tight game usually has two objectives:
- Firstly, we want to get into the pot as favourites and win our opponents' chips. Good starting hand selection makes our decisions in later rounds of betting considerably easier.
- Secondly, we want to create a suitable image for the later phases of the tournament when the blinds are higher, the image of a 'rock' who plays only the really good hands. If we are subsequently only dealt bad hands, this image will enable us to play a steal or a bluff.
There is one problem with this way of playing, though: when we are dealt good hands, we often get less action from our opponents. If a player continually folds and raises only once every twenty hands, even the most unobservant of opponents will become suspicious and fold the weak hands they would normally have resisted folding against other players.
Although this type of game is generally to be recommended, it does have a further disadvantage for good and very good players. They could make something out of weaker hands such as smaller pairs, e.g. 4♦4♣, or high Broadway cards, e.g. A♠Q♠.
The optimum type of game thus includes playing a few hands that are not quite as strong but which nevertheless have potential. This applies above all to hands played in the later positions.
- Small Pairs
Small pairs, i.e. all starting hands from 22 to 99 can rake in a respectable number of chips as soon as they become a set. If we don't hit a set, though, these hands are worth nothing. With cards like these we try to see the flop cheaply and hope for a set. 'Cheaply' means that we either limp if we are in middle or late position or are one of the blinds, or that we even call a raise up to a maximum of a tenth of our stack if we are in late position. In early position we always fold because, out of position and pre-flop, small pairs are too weak to hold out against a possible raise.
- High Pairs
it's from TT to AA should always be raised pre-flop, not only because they can make us a lot of money, but also because they need to be protected by a raise so that our opponents aren't able to improve their hands cheaply. If players before or after us raise more than once then we can fold hands such as TT and JJ, and even if there is only a single raise after ours we should consider folding this hand and waiting for a better opportunity. However, this decision depends largely on the opponent.
- Big Broadway cards
A♣K♦, A♠Q♦ & co. are also strong hands, similar to high pairs, and should correspondingly be played similarly pre-flop – AK like aces and kings, and AQ like a pair of tens, for example.
- Small Broadway Cards
Small Broadway cards such as AT, KJ, QT, JT etc. must be played with extreme caution in this phase of a tournament. The first rule is: if the small Broadway cards are not suited, or if there has already been a raise, then fold! An exception would be the situation in which we are in late position with six players ahead of us who only paid the big blind or called a minimum raise: then, naturally, we could also play. The big problem with these hands is that they are often dominated by better hands. For example, K♦J♦ or K♣Q♣ will seldom win against hands such as A♠J♥ or A♣Q♦ . With small Broadway hands we mainly want to hit monsters like straights or flushes, which is why it's important to see the flop cheaply with these hands. If we only hit a weak pair or not at all then we can quickly fold.
- Suited Connectors
Hands like 6♥7♥ or J♠9♠ can be played similarly to small pairs. Obviously we are speculating on a flush or a straight here.
- Other Starting Hands
All starting hands not listed above are folded without exception.
Stealing the Blinds
In the early phase of a tournament the blinds are unimportant as they are very small in relation to our stack. In the early phase of a normal PokerStars tournament we have a stack of 1,500 chips and the blinds are 10/20. In other words, we have 75BBs, and winning the blinds increases our stack by only 2%. And this must be seen in conjunction with the risk of losing a lot of chips if we go wrong.
For this reason we should pass up on stealing the blinds with weak and marginal hands in the early phase of a tournament. However, this does not mean that we shouldn't attack the blinds when we have stronger hands such as pairs, aces with strong kickers and suited connectors.
The post-flop Game
The flop is a decisive moment in Hold'em, and the really important decisions are made here.
Just like the pre-flop game, the post-flop game is also very tight. In general we can, as mentioned above, keep to the recommendations made in connection with the full ring no-limit cash game (BSS) as our solid basic strategy. Nevertheless, let's look at some special situations.
Heads-up on the flop
- Pre-flop Aggressor
As the pre-flop aggressor we should make a continuation bet regardless of the flop and our position. How much to bet is a question of playing style; a continuation bet will normally be ½ to ¾ of the pot.
- Not the Aggressor, Out of Position
If we hadn't grasped the initiative pre-flop (i.e. we only called another player's bet), then as a rule we should fold weak hands when we're out of position. With strong hands we can decide whether to:
- check/call,
- check raise or
- bet out.
Check/call has the advantage of keeping the pot small and avoiding a re-raise if the hand isn't strong enough.
- Not the Aggressor, in Position
If we are not the aggressor and in position we have considerably more opportunities for playing our own game, but normally, we should still fold a weak hand.
With strong drawing hands like flush draws and straight draws it's a good idea to vary one's game. Let's assume that the pre-flop aggressor has made a continuation bet: we now have the following options:
- We can semi-bluff (i.e. raise), in which case we should usually also bet the turn if our opponent checks it.
- We can also simply call on the flop and wait to see the turn card. If this is helpful we can then bet on the turn or raise our opponent's bet.
With very strong hands such as top pair/top kicker or better we also have various options:
- If our opponent checks we should always bet, for the simple reason that the pot is still relatively small and we want to generate a big one. We can make a classic value bet here.
- If our opponent makes a continuation bet on the flop we should vary our game: sometimes we'll call, at other times we'll shoot back with a raise.
Multiway flops
- With the Initiative
If we didn't hit on the flop there's not usually much point in betting if we have several active opponents. This applies even more so if we're out of position.
However, if we're holding a strong hand we should always bet on the flop. It's a big mistake to risk everybody checking when we're playing a strong hand against several opponents. This gives away a free card, which could in the end give an opponent a better hand.
- Without the Initiative
Especially when we're playing against several opponents we should always fold weak hands. Playing on with hands such as small or medium pairs is a common beginner's mistake. Good hands, though, should be protected against drawing hands by means of bets and raises.
Drawing hands can often be played very well against several opponents. The reason for this is that the pot odds are better when several players call and we will possibly win more chips if we hit our draw.
- Limped Hands
In the early phase, merely calling before the flop is quite legitimate. Similarly, in an early position we can call with a variety of hands. Amongst these are small and medium pairs, suited connectors, and even hands such as [ahqh] or [kdqd]. Another possibility is calling when one or more players have already called before us. Depending on our position, we can do this with a lot of hands. In particular when we're on the button and several other players have called, we can limp with just about any cards.
If we're in middle or late position, the players before us have folded, and we decide that we want to play the hand, then as a rule we should raise.
In limped pots we should only continue playing if the flop is really good. It is hardly worthwhile bluffing in these pots because they're very small and it's difficult to gauge the opponents' hands as the range of limped hands is extremely broad.
Small pairs are especially suitable for limping, if possible when other players are already in. However, small pairs must always be folded if we don't hit our trips.
Turn and River
On the turn the pot is often very big in relation to our remaining effective stack.
'Effective stack size' is the term for the size of the stack of the player with the fewest chips who is active in that hand. If, for example, there are still three players left in the hand, and
- player 1 has 1,000 chips,
- player 2 has 500 chips, and
- player 3 has 200 chips,
then the effective stack size is 200 chips.
Rule: if the remaining effective stack is the same size as or smaller than the current pot, it is (almost) always right to play all-in if we want to bet again.
When the effective stack is small
With a strong hand we should always bet or go all-in. The aim is to get paid for our good hands. Especially in tournaments we will always see players who throw their chips around carelessly and who will also pay us if we show strength. The goal is of course to win as many chips as possible with our good hands.
With a weak hand we have to weigh up whether we want to go all-in or not. This problem can be solved mathematically:
- Assuming that the effective stack is exactly the same size as the pot and we're sure that we won't win the pot if we're called, then our opponent must fold at least half the time in order to make the push profitable.
When the effective stack is very big
If the effective stack is still very big in relation to the pot then the game becomes much more complex, especially if we're out of position.
- In Position …
… in some cases it's right to check even strong hands such as overpairs on uncoordinated boards. The reason for this is simply that we don't want to make the pot too big, and we thus avoid making a difficult decision if our opponent raises.
On coordinated boards there would be less sense in checking because if our opponent is holding a draw he would accept the free card right away.
- Out of Position …
… we should often play carefully if our opponent shows a lot of strength, even when we're holding strong hands such as top pair. This keeps the pot small but doesn't stop our opponent from continuing a bluff. The disadvantage is that our opponent may use the opportunity to get a free card, or even that he ends up making a better hand after a (cheap) turn bluff.
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Multiway
If there are several opponents in the pot we must obviously play more carefully. Draws with which we called the flop but which haven't hit will lose considerable value on the turn because only one more card will be dealt – the river. We should fold our draws on the turn against bets that constitute a substantial percentage of our stack and of the pot.
We should continue playing very strong hands such as sets and top two pair aggressively.
Conclusion:
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In the early stage the aim is to win chips with our very strong hands and at the same time avoid marginal situations as far as possible.
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The middle stage is characterised by the decreasing relation of the stack size to the blinds and the ante. In contrast to the early stage, the game in the middle phase has much less in common with the classic cash game. The average stack is often only around 30 BBs. Decisive here is playing the right game for the various stack sizes.
Why steal the blinds?
As the size of the blinds increases, stealing them automatically becomes more interesting. This is particularly the case with the large ante at PokerStars, which is approx. 1/10 of the big blind. This substantially increases the number of chips we need per orbit (round).
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- Example 1
Blinds: 100/200, no ante
Every player has to pay 300 chips in blinds per orbit.
- Example 2
Nine players, blinds: 100/200, ante: 25
Every player has to pay 525 chips in blinds and ante per orbit.
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This is at the same time the number of chips already in the pot before the action has even started. By comparison with the previous example without an ante, this is an increase of around 70%! Stealing the blinds is thus much more lucrative. However, the increased bring-in is also a disadvantage because it means that we have to bring in correspondingly more chips in every orbit, which can quickly put us under pressure.
We must now adjust our strategy so that we attack the blinds more aggressively than the other players. In order to keep our stack constant we have to win the blinds and the ante only once per orbit on average. And if we manage to do it twice, we'll win 525 chips per orbit!
Tips for stealing the blinds
The classic blind steal is a raise from the late position, best of all from the button. The position is important for two reasons: firstly, because we have position on both blinds and secondly, because there are fewer players after us who could be holding a premium hand.
If we attack the blinds with a weak hand from a middle position we have the following disadvantages.
- Players in the middle and late position can call our raise. This would lead to difficult situations on the flop because we would usually be holding a weak hand while being out of position.
- Another player could decide to re-raise. In this case we would normally have to fold our hand.
The small blind is also suitable for stealing the blinds, but we would have the decisive disadvantage of not having position post-flop. If we are the small blind and the other players have folded, we have various options:
- Fold: as a rule we should simply fold weak hands here.
- Call: we can also just complete the small blind, which makes sense particularly with marginal hands.
- Raise: with stronger hands we should usually raise. Calling with a strong hand can make sense against an aggressive opponent because we can re-raise the probable raise from the big blind.
What is important for us in the small blind is that we raise more than normal, which again is dependent on position, and that we're only playing against the big blind. With a normal raise, the big blind would have such good pot odds that he could call with a large variety of hands; from a mathematical point of view, he would actually have to call. For this reason we should raise by least three times the big blind (in other words we should raise to 4 BBs).
- The strength of our own hand is important for a blind steal but not decisive. We can attack the blinds with a wide variety of hands, especially in late position. These include all Broadway combinations, pairs, suited connectors (also with a gap) and good suited king-queen combinations.
- Decisive for a blind steal is that no other player is in the hand ahead of us. If we are the first to enter a hand and we do so with a raise, it is known as an open raise. When another player has already called then we need a considerably stronger starting hand if we want to raise than in the situation where all the other players ahead of us have folded. This is because an open raise often wins the hand before the flop, so the strength of our own hand itself is irrelevant. However, if another player has already called, that player will generally also call a raise, and then we're going to have to hit a strong hand on the flop. The quality of our own hand in this case is therefore more important.
- Another important aspect is the size of the blinds' stacks, in particular that of the big blind. If one or both blinds have very small stacks, there is an increasing probability that they will very often go all-in. Big stacks defend their blinds more often because they don't like being 'pushed around'. Difficult situations can arise in both cases if we try to steal the blinds with very weak hands. Ideally, both the small blind and big blind have medium-sized stacks and are known for often surrendering their blinds.
Why raises are smaller from the middle phase onwards
In the middle phase of a tournament, players change from a normal raise size of 3 BBs plus 1 BB per limper to the slightly smaller raise size of around 2.5 BBs. At first sight this may appear pointless or at least irrelevant, because the pot is larger thanks to the addition of the ante. The idea behind this was that it would lead to bigger raises. In practice, however, exactly the opposite occurs.
Because of the high blinds and the ante, the players have stacks that, measured in BBs, are relatively small, as rule between 5 and 30 BBs. If we now raise a hand like 77 in a middle position and with a stack of 25 BBs, it makes (almost) no difference to the players after us whether we've raised 2.5 or 3 BBs. But if a player re-raises us, we will often be forced to fold. A raise of only 2.5 BBs would save us 0.5 BBs! The smaller our stack, the greater the effect of this 0.5 BB.
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Here's another advantage: in that we now risk fewer chips – the raise doesn't have to be successful as often in order to be profitable.
- Example
Nine players, blinds: 500/1000, ante: 100
We're holding 77 in the middle position.
Four folds, Hero raises to 2,500, everybody folds
In this example we win 2,400 chips from the pot. Because we bet only 2,500 chips, our raise has to win the pot straight away only once in every two attempts in order to be profitable in the long term. In those cases in which we don't win the pot before the flop, we win additional chips after the flop if our hand improves and becomes the strongest one.
Another advantage of this minimal reduction in the raise is that if we are called, the pot is correspondingly smaller. We thus have less difficulty folding weak post-flop hands if our opponent shows strength.
It is a disadvantage that players who enter the pot after us get good pot odds. This applies particularly to the big blind. In the example above, the big blind only has to put 1,500 into a pot of 4,900, giving him worthwhile pot odds of 3.3:1.
Defending the blinds
In the above sections we have seen that we get very good pot odds, especially as the big blind, thanks to the ante and the smaller raises. In general we shouldn't defend our big blind against raises in earlier positions when we're holding marginal hands.
Faced with raises from middle and late positions, we should usually re-raise when we're holding strong to very strong hands. Especially against players who often attack the blinds from late positions, we should also defend our blind with marginal hands such as 55 or [qhth]. When we do so, the important thing is to select cards that give us a chance of hitting a good flop. Hands that are easily dominated, such as low ace and king combinations, should be folded. This will enable us to avoid problems if we hit top pair without a kicker.
If we only called in the big blind we should very often check the flop to the pre-flop aggressor and then raise, call or fold, depending on our hand and the flop structure. An exception may arise when the flop is good for us but very draw-heavy. In this case it makes sense to bet ourselves and thus deny the pre-flop aggressor a free card.
Starting hand selection
Starting hand selection in the middle phase is quite different from that of the early phase. Because the average stack is now only around 30 BBs, the implied odds are no longer adequate for many speculative hands.
The first to lose their value are the small pairs and the suited connectors, both being dependent on high implied odds. With these hands it isn't profitable (any more) to call raises purely on their set value or to hope that the flop will turn the connectors into a monster.
There are other ways of playing these hands. One way would be to re-raise both types of hand instead of just calling. The advantage of this is that we could win the pot before the flop. There are two reasons for this:
- our opponent has either a weak hand, or
- a fairly good hand, but one that he doesn't want to play against an aggressive opponent because he misses the flop too often.
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Another advantage of the pre-flop raise is that we represent a very strong hand and a continuation bet on the flop can often be sufficient to push better hands into folding.
It is a disadvantage that we will have built up a big pot with a weak hand, and we risk a lot of chips.
An alternative way of playing speculative hands would be to call the pre-flop aggressor when we're in position, and not fold right away if we don't hit our set, two pair or strong draw on the flop. On the other hand it can be enough to grasp the initiative on the flop as soon as we think we're ahead of our opponent's hand range.
If the flop looks as though our opponent very probably missed it, then a bluff attempt also has good chances of succeeding.
However, there are certainly good arguments for simply folding speculative hands and concentrating on those hands that increase in value in the middle phase: middle to high pairs and aces with high kickers. These hands are strong enough for a pre-flop all-in, and they can also be played well post-flop if we didn't go all-in beforehand.
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