| MTT strategy is the hardest and most dynamic skill in | | | | let yourself blind out. This is horrible play and people are |
| poker. Multi table tournaments can be hugely rewarding | | | | constnatly busted doing so. You need to find the next |
| with ROIs in the thousands of percentiles. This article | | | | opportunity to make a big steal preflop, or to double up |
| will discuss early/middle/late stages of tournaments to | | | | with a premium. |
| give you an indepth knowledge of how to play. | | | | 15bb stacks are the best! |
| First of all I'm going to recommend a few things | | | | 15bb stacks have the most fold equity for shoving. If |
| - PokerSavvy or PokerXfactor. Subscribe to one of | | | | there is someone on the BTN or CO who has been |
| these instructional video streaming sites! Their | | | | raising 15% of the time preflop and he raises your big |
| importance cannot be stressed enough and the | | | | blind, you should be shoving back at him with a big |
| strategy you will learn there is priceless. | | | | range. The best cards to do so are hands like 45 |
| - Poker Office or Poker Tracker. Get one of them! | | | | suited to 9T suited. Anything higher and you will be |
| Poker Office can be free if you rake enough hands by | | | | dominated if you are called and may be a 30% dog or |
| playing one of their affiliates. PT3 costs ~$90. | | | | less. 45 may only be 5-high, but it has a better chance |
| Early MTT Strategy 10/20 to 200/400 | | | | against AK than A5 does. Think about it, the BTN has |
| This varies from turbos to deepstacks. I'm going to | | | | raised 3bbs and you shove 15bbs from the big blind |
| apply all my strategy tips to semi-deep normal speed | | | | with 45s. The pot before your shove is 3bbs + |
| games. I.e. 3,000 chips, 15 minute blinds. | | | | sb+bb+ante. At semi-deep stages you could be |
| Start the tournament off by playing TAG (tight | | | | earning yourself 5bbs for that 15bb stack of yours. |
| aggressive). If you have PO or PT running then you | | | | That's 33% increase. If villain raises from the BTN or |
| want to play about 20 hands very tight to get a feel | | | | CO a lot then chances are he is doing it with air and |
| for the table. This is hugely important as you will find | | | | will fold. And if he does call, then you're still not bad |
| out who will be raising light in position and you can | | | | odds for a double up. Just because you have a bad |
| adjust your calling range when necessary. | | | | hand preflop, doesn't mean you can't win and double |
| You really want to only be playing premium for the first | | | | up. Everyone needs a bit of luck at some stage in an |
| few levels. Don't get involved in EP or MP with KQ/KJ | | | | MTT. |
| or even AJ on a raised pot. If the structure is good, | | | | Late MTT Strategy 500/1000 to HU! |
| then you will be fine to double up or build a stack | | | | You're now deep. If you have got 15bbs or less then |
| before the blinds start getting big. Even if you are | | | | do as said above and make it your prime aim to |
| unlucky enough to go card dead, you will be able to | | | | double up or take down huge pots by 3-betting preflop. |
| double up with some of the advice I will give later. | | | | If you're a big stack then DO NOT get carried away. |
| Early stages in MTT strategy is very boring. You | | | | All too often people who have big stacks try to bully |
| rarely need to worry about the opponent you're | | | | the table too much and get caught up with odds to |
| playing and just have to sit back and be incredibly | | | | double up a short stack. |
| patient. If you are impatient and start raising/calling | | | | You want to still play TAG but increase your raising |
| marginal hands preflop then you will leak chips that are | | | | range. If tables are getting short handed then start |
| vital for a double up later on. | | | | raising preflop with suited aces, suited connectors and |
| There's nothing to it. Just sit back and play TAG. Don't | | | | all the premiums of course. Remember that other |
| bother making bluffs or tricky plays. Keep it simple and | | | | deep stacks are going to be hugely scared of you. |
| it will pay off for later stages where you can start to | | | | You can take them out in one foul swoop so |
| get tricky. | | | | remember to keep 3-betting roughly once every 3 |
| Mid MTT Strategy 300/600 to 1000/2000 | | | | orbits if they have shown that they raise light preflop. |
| Ok. Now you're getting deep. If you have picked up the | | | | Always look to your left and make sure you know |
| hands and played them right without leaking chips then | | | | what stack sizes your opponents have. Don't |
| you should be on a 20-30bb stack or more. | | | | constantly steal from 10-15bb stacks with very little as |
| Here's some key moves you need to remember: | | | | they are very likely to shove light. Remember that if |
| - Stealing | | | | you have a tight image, UTG raises are hugely |
| - 3-betting | | | | respected. Don't be frightened to raise (standard |
| - TAG | | | | 2.5bbs) with a hand like 67s as you can catch a huge |
| It's important to keep a tight image. You don't want to | | | | flop or represent a huge hand. Aggression is hugely |
| keep stealing blinds every orbit or even every other | | | | important, but blind aggression is a big stacks downfall. |
| orbit. Players will begin to 3-bet you light preflop and | | | | The basic lessons you should have learned is that it is |
| you'll start leaking precious BBs. | | | | important to not let your stack get blinded out. Don't be |
| Hopefully you have been on the same tournament | | | | frightened to make moves with very weak hands if |
| table for most of the game and you have a good 80 | | | | you think that you're opponent is going to fold. |
| or so hands on your opponents. Keep an eye out for | | | | Remember - Players raising ranges are generally |
| the players who raise 3% of the time and the players | | | | much much larger than their calling ranges. If a tight |
| who raise 20% of the time. These are hugely | | | | player shoved back at you from the BB would you |
| important stats. | | | | even call with AQ? A lot wouldn't. |
| If you find yourself getting short stacked, then do not | | | | |