advanced poker play

Introduction

For any poker player losing all of their chips in a tournament is simply a disaster compared to losing them in a regular game. Quite simply any prize money you might be entitled to will depend entirely on the point in the poker tournament that you were eliminated and have nothing to do with how many chips you have when you are eliminated. For example, going bust fourth in the last four players, if you had the even the second best stack to begin with, simply means the other two can only all gain by you losing so heavily.

Avoid going broke

The most obvious and indeed simple strategy is just to make sure you don’t ever go broke in a poker tournament. Whilst you’ve got some chips, you’re still in there and able to at least start the next hand – even if that means hanging in there and only going for the less profitable hands rather than the big ones. The scenario you need to consider is one where you are in that last four, but with the second best stack of chips.

The most obvious and indeed simple strategy is just to make sure you don’t ever go broke in a poker tournament. Whilst you’ve got some chips, you’re still in there and able to at least start the next hand – even if that means hanging in there and only going for the less profitable hands rather than the big ones. The scenario you need to consider is one where you are in that last four, but with the second best stack of chips. For the sake of argument image the fourth player has $20,000 worth, third $50,000, yourself $100,000 but the lead player has $500,000. Compared to players three and four you’re well placed, but just how far dare you risk taking on the current lead player if they keep raising?

It really would be silly of you to try and take them on with such a big gap – unless of course you got that dream hand, regardless of whether the top placed player might be bluffing or ready to fold. A rash decision at this point could cost you what must be an almost guaranteed second place prize, if not the outside chance of going for the big win. For a tournament poker player this concept of avoiding low advantage close gambles should also apply earlier on in the tournament. Although it might seem counter-intuitive to you, giving up close gambles even if the averages expectation of it seems good – is the right thing to do. For example, in a game of no-limit Texas Hold ‘em, a player goes all-in with a hand that’ll barely break even – if you lost the pot you will be either broke or fatally wounded at best!

Finally, and again this is a tournament poker technique that you would probably ignore in regular poker games is – don’t slow-play a good hand. If you’ve got that absolute killer poker hand then OK, otherwise despite being able to engorge the pot with slow-play you’ll also generate too much of a risk of losing the whole thing.

Get them broke!

 Everyone plays differently in poker tournaments to a regular or side game. Why, well it’s the same for everyone – lose your chips and you’re out. The net result of this is that everyone is playing tighter and more slowly, unless of course they’re not a particularly serious poker player or aren’t really taking that particular tournament seriously. Inevitably the smaller someone’s stack is then their play will become even slower and tighter. However, for players whose normal game is very loose – this is a mistake to make in tournament poker and one that you can capitalize on. As stated above, in tournament poker don’t be afraid of going for those low advantage gambles and accumulate more chips slowly. 

Your advantage in doing this is that the loose player will be so way outside of his or her comfort zone playing tight that they will inevitably make mistakes, mistakes that you can clean up on. Of course this will also require concentration and discipline on your part, sticking to your plan and picking up on just how tight and uncomfortable other poker players might become.

Opening hands and who plays first.

 This is another of those differences between playing a regular game and tournament poker. In a tournament game, playing second, you need to have a better hand against someone who has already opened the betting – than you might need if you were to be the person opening the betting. The wisest move you can make, especially if the opponent is a loose player, is to open raise with a hand poorer than one that you would normally need to call if someone else had open raised. That way you’re avoiding taking on someone who is playing well, but can take advantage of anyone trying to keep hold of a small stack. This style of play does carry a couple of risks too. First be wary of what the players behind you are up to.

If they have either very large or small stacks don’t loosen up your play just because of what’s going on before you. The player with the small stack is more likely to call you and the one with the large stack won’t be worried about going broke by playing looser on, what are to them, relatively small bets. Another concern in playing this strategy is if as a subsequent player, the player in front of you has a large stack. Playing tight against them can end up with you giving too much away to them; compared to if you’d stuck to your normal strategy.

What is averages expectation?

 Average expectations was mentioned above and it might be worth just explaining what that concept means. Imagine you could repeat a bet in a poker game a number of times. Depending on your opponents, their cards, their play etc – you might win or lose that bet a number of times. The averages expectation is a simply a way of describing the average chances of you winning or losing that bet if you could place it a large number of times. Keeping it as simple as possible, imagine this. 1:4 times you put $100 in a $500 pot drawing at a hand – you make it.  So 3:4 you don’t and lose your $100. Ah, but you’re losing 3:4 and so you will actually lose $300!

But, on this law of averages, the next hand is the 1:4 that you win, so you win the $500. That means across the four hands you’ve actually netted a profit of $200, which is equivalent to $50 a hand. So calling the $100 gives you an expectation of $50 on average. Bearing in mind a tournament can be time limited, you can also work out an average expectation on the number of hours you play. Play at a tournament for 100 hours and win $5000, your average is obviously $50/hour, giving you an expectation of what you should be earning on average at the tournaments you play in.