MTT Strategy - Planning your Multi Table Tournament Strategy

An essential part of any poker tournament is the art of Heads-Up play. Like cash games, limiting the amount of opponents in a pot is very key. The fewer the opponents, the better the odds are you can take down the pot. Of course a lot of other nuances of the game come into effect in situations like these, but we’ll move onto that a bit later. Right now it’s important to focus on the actual subject at hand, and that of course is heads-up play and how you can use it effectively and to your advantage.
Playing a multi-table tournament is like playing a game of chess. You have to strategically place you and your stack at the right times, and adjusts to the notion that sacrificing during critical moments can actually help you win in the long-run. One of the best ways to control the pace of the action and add to your chip stack is by directing who is and who isn’t allowed in your pot.

Beginning

In the early blind levels, standard 3x to 4x raises will normally clear out a lot of those “would-be” limpers entering the pot. A small amount of players is something you’ll want to have when you’re holding both premium hands (QQ through AA) and/or marginal hands (KQ, AJ suited). A larger amount of opponents takes away the value from certain hands you may possess, basically making it more difficult to take down pots when you don’t hit significant piece of the board. It is essential to possess a solid table image before you start raising a lot of pots pre-flop. If you get a reputation as a player who will raise with A.T.C. (any two cards) early on, it will cause a lot more players to see flops with you, and otherwise prevent you from taking down important pots. However, if you can earn a reputation as a solid player, it’ll be much more easier to get the pot down to a heads-up situation – where playing your image will be just as important as playing your actual hole cards.

Middle

In the middle stages of a tournament are where things will really start to pick up and you’ll notice a lot of players will start to tighten up a bit. A lot of the pots will be picked up uncontested pre-flop, and any pots that do manage to see a flop will be seen by only 2 or 3 players, max. It’s during this stage where you can begin to accumulate a decent amount of chips. The money bubble is normally approaching here, and a lot of players will be a lot more conservative with their respective stacks. Utilizing position raises will be a contributing factor to you picking up pots uncontested after the flop. And as I mentioned before, you will not see a lot of 3+ way pots. So it is very important to use image, position, and knowledge of your opponent when you get them cornered into a heads-up situation. As in the beginning levels, really make a concerted effort to keep your bets consistent (3x to 4x the BB pre-flop). Prior to what many people believe, there are a variety of “online poker tells” that even decent tourney players will recognize, one of those being a variation in bet sizes in accordance to your hand strength. Keep it a mystery and you’ll see yourself keeping your fair share of pots.

End

The final stages of a tournament are where you’ll literally see no action. Like the money bubble, the Final Table bubble of a tournament will really keep players on edge, as well as keep them very conservative. You want to apply as much pressure as possible at this point. Whether you’re a tight player or an aggressive player, it’s important you really try to once again utilize position in a heads-up situation. Something that was excluded in the discussion of the early and middle stages of the blind levels was that when you see a flop HU, the overall texture of the board and your relative position should help you determine what type of move you should make. This will never be truer than when you play the endgame portion of your game and the tournament.

Always follow up pre-flop raises with continuation bets, whether you hit a piece of the flop or not. If it’s a heads-up situation – which it most likely will be at this stage in the tournament – you’ll want to tread lightly if you feel your opponent might have a read on you though. Continuation bets might get check-raised all in, and then you’ll have to act accordingly to not only your cards, but also your read on your opponent. In those spots where it’s tough to follow through on a continuation bet, don’t be afraid to give up the pot or check/fold on certain streets. Whatever chips you save then can always be utilized for when you have bigger hands later on in the match. The point is you must really apply the pressure to your opponents, especially heads-up late in a tournament. Don’t be afraid to take chances, and don’t fear stabbing at pots, because let’s face it – when you’re heads up the better hand can always be beaten by position or just making the better read. Learn to use these strategies in your heads-up situations, and the better you’ll become overall in tournaments.