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Lesson: 15
How To Win At Tournament Poker, Part 2
Chris Ferguson
June 27, 2005
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.
Chris Ferguson
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