Multi-Table Poker Tournaments

Tournaments are a test of two different skill sets, poker skill and the ability to effectively adapt to changing circumstances (i.e. blind increases). Tournaments, whether at the lower stakes or high stakes, require a type of player who is studied in poker with escalating blinds. The approach here is different than that of cash games; therefore, the strategy that is required to win tournaments is different.

Multi-table tournaments represent the most widely played and televised style of poker tournament. For example, the World Series of Poker and the World Poker Tour are two of the biggest multi-table tournament series in the world. A trend for this-generation WSOP entrants is to win their buy-ins online playing in a multi-table tournament satellites, which makes studying up on multi-table tournaments a very valuable investment of any serious poker player’s time. Below are some focal points for your multi-table tournament training that will help you come out ahead of the field.

Survive
The only real goal in multi-table tournaments is to survive the masses. Especially in early stage, you don’t have to be chip leader. In fact, being chip leader should be the last thing you are worried about. While it is important to build up a decent amount of chips in order to represent a threat to your opponents, if you follow all the rules, your chips will increase almost systematically.

Know when to Be Aggressive
While most tournament advice suggests that you play tight, particularly at the beginning of a tournament, there is a place for aggressive play in tournaments. In fact, if you want to beat a multi-table tournament, you’ll have to be aggressive at some point, but there’s a formula for this. Obviously, you should wait for good cards before you start big betting, but you should also seriously consider your position in the betting cycle before you bet, as well. Don’t be scared to push your strong hands, but do it at the right time to decrease risk and increase impact.

Go All-In
You will most likely never win a tournament without going all-in at one point or another, so if you are squeamish about pushing all of your chips in on one hand, you might need to work on that if you are planning on beating a multi-table tournament. When you have a great hand, use it; be aggressive because if you plan on going for first place, you’ll need a decent sized chip stack. This is feasible if you play smart, steal blinds, and use your premium hands to double up.

Make the Most of a Good Hand
When you get a strong hand, use it to the best of its ability, but don’t overplay it. If you bet too much post-flop, you’ll push any potential contenders out of the pot before you have a chance to use your hand. Learn to calculate the probabilities of your hand beating your opponent’s hand. Use your big hands as traps.

Protect Your Chips
Don’t raise on marginal hands when you aren’t in proper position. Don’t gamble on the possibility that no one else has a better hand than you or on the fact that you believe no else has the courage to stand up to you. This is particularly foolish when the whole table is yet to bet after you. Don’t waste your chips like that.

Also, refrain from calling a large pre-flop raise just for the sake of calling. This is not a lucrative practice in tournament play. If you have a hand that is worthy of a raise, then by all means, call and re-raise even, to return the pressure. But if you have to think twice about it, just fold. Again, don’t waste your chips like that. In order to protect your chips, you may even have to fold a decent hand in late position if you foresee the possibility of losing your chips.

The Bottom Line
It all boils down to the fact that chips are power in late stages of a tournament. As the last hand is approaching, you need to keep your eye on the prize and do everything you can to get as close to that hand as possible with the most chips as possible. Those are the two most crucial factors that really matter when it comes down to winning a multi-table tournament. But it is also important to remember that you can’t and won’t win every time. That’s the catch to tournaments—no matter how many players begin the tournament, only one can place first, and while many more will cash, not everyone can win.