07-20-05, LearnTexasHoldem:
Tight Tournament Play
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I reckoned a had a sound strategy when playing (I mostly play 6$ single tables online); playing tight the first levels, establishing a tight image and not bleeding chips seeing flops when I´m bound to be an underdog. Then, later in the game (4 or 5 persons left) I loosen up, do the occasional bluff, go all in when dealt AA, KK, AKs, stuff like that. usually people really don´t know where I´m at, and starts to call with worse hands.
It worked pretty good up until now. I find myself so tight that even though I don´t lose any big pots, by the time we´re short-handed enough to start playing aces and pocket pairs, I´m down so much that I find it difficult to survive the blinds. Also, if I raise pre-flop and it doesn´t hit and I have to fold to a large bet, I´m crippled.
I can see where I need to adjust, but I can´t seem to bring myself to play K10o when four people are left to act behind me...
What would you say is the soundest tournament strategy?
Kristoffer,
Sweden
Answer: Tight players very rarely win tournaments. And if the tight player makes it to the final table, it is usually with few chips. Why is this exactly? Simply because big hands don't come along very often and even if you do have a big hand, chances are that someone else doesn't have a huge hand with you. Most of the players who do well in tournament poker have the crash and burn style, not the old school T.J. Cloutier style.
The difference between the old school tourney style like Cloutier and the new school like Gus Hansen is that Hansen is more willing to create opportunities instead of just letting the cards dictate the action. (This isn't to say Cloutier isn't a great player, he is of course.) Gus Hansen knows how to play solidly, but he also isn't afraid to raise your blind with any two cards. To be able to make it through tons of competitors, at some point you are going to have to gamble.
The problem you are faced with right now is what happens when you reach the end of what playing only your personal cards can do for you compared with playing other people's hands too. Poker isn't just a game of waiting for AA all day and moving in, hoping that it is your day to win the tourney. If that were the case, it would be purely gambling. Most of the play happens when people don't have AA and KK. As every player evolves, new skills are acquired. What I suggest you work on is how to win some pots that you may not be winning now; add a trick or two to your arsenal.
No limit holdem is a game that allows a lot of flexibility if you are the aggressor. Learn how to you use this to your advantage. You want to add a little spice to your game. An example might be if you didn't raise a hand in a number of rounds and in middle position, after one limper, you got dealt a hand like T8s or 97 or something (nothing great). Why not throw in a raise here? If the flop comes back and misses your opponent, you'll have position and the initiative which will make it hard for them to continue. Since you play tight solid poker, when you throw something in like this every now and then it makes it very hard to play against you.
Don't go overboard or it makes it a weakness; you want the majority of hands to be good, and just a few in their to mix it up. What this is going to do is make you more of a contender. Remember, most hands dealt out to 9 players don't include a big raising hand like AA, KK, AK, etc (even if it did you can just fold after they reraise you preflop); right away if you do this some you'll give yourself a new path to winning.
Next, remember that the faster the tournament, the faster you have to play (looser). If you are playing in those 10 person tourneys online, you can't wait long for playable hands.
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