Multi Table Tournament Strategy

Multi Table Tournaments (and especially freerolls) feature huge fields of competitors, thus requiring quite a peculiar strategic approach. Many good tournament players are lousy cash players and vice-versa. The problems usually stem from the differences - some obvious, some subtle - between the two types of structures.

In a tournament, winning is not just about coming in first. In a cash game, winning is winning and losing is losing. Some tournament experts define two basic types of tournament players. One is called a "fox", the other, a "farmer". A farmer's goal is to reach the money. A fox's knows no compromise though. He's out to win. There's a lot of controversy about whether it's better to be a fox or a farmer. From my point of view, being a little bit of both is the winning recipe. You need to act like a farmer at times, other times acting like a fox is going to take you much further. It's all about flexibility and the capability to adapt, really. This is the biggest difference between tournament play and cash games in my book: while a mostly static attitude with few gear-shifts (some people call this good old basic healthy poker) may still earn you money in a cash game, it just won't cut it in a tournament. Dan Harrington was the person to set the best guidelines for multi table tournament play. He introduced a variable which he named the "m" variable and which is basically the BB+SB in any given moment. According to how one's stack relates to this "m" variable in a certain moment in the tournament, he set a few basic recommendations.

If your stack is larger than 20 such "m", you can play relaxed. This doesn't mean you have to tighten up like crazy or that you have to go bully everyone around either. It just means you can sit back, and search for the optimal weapon in your arsenal to best combat the problem at hand. Being tight under such circumstances is not a bad choice, especially if you know how to exploit the tight image you create and if the blinds are small (according to Sklansky, and to pot odd calculus, the smaller the blinds are in relation to future bets, the tighter you should play, the bigger they are, the looser you should be). When you have between 10 and 20 "m" remaining in your stack, the pressure is beginning to make its presence felt. Under such circumstances you can no longer afford to relax completely. You need to create more potentially profitable situations and you need to get much more active. Don't wait the EV+ to come to you. Go out there and earn it instead.

If you only have 6-10 "m" in your stack, you're beginning to run into trouble. Larger stacks will slowly but surely assert their domination on you. You won't be able to scare people out of anything anymore by coming over the top, even if they do think you have something solid. They'll be able to afford to keep you honest, whatever it takes. If you get all the way down to 1-5 "m" in your stack, you're with your back against the wall. You can't run anywhere, and your once large weapon's arsenal has been reduced to a lonely spiked club: the all-in. The all-in gets some pretty nasty odds in tournament poker, because losing an all in means you lose everything. Most of the time, you won't be able to rebuy, (some tourneys do allow that though) and it just represents the ultimate loss from every perspective. Even if you do rebuy, you'll be affected by your initial loss.

In case you're down to 1-5 ms though, you have no choice. Look for a raiser in front of you, one that will possibly thin out the competition and shove your chips in on any acceptable starting hand. Do not go for the value. Even though you do need the ships badly, going for value will usually diminish the odds you get on your hand many times.

As you could see, different situations call for radically different approaches in tournament poker. EV+ is something you should always be on the lookout for. A rakeback deal will help your EV in tournament poker too, even though you pay no rake per hand played, you'll still get a rebate on your tournament fees.

The most popular form of poker tournament play is the Multi-table tournaments. They are hugely televised including the WPT and the WSOP. These tournaments tend to have hundreds of payouts so if you have the stamina to play there are big dollars to be won. Some of the best poker players in the world started out by playing in large multi-tabled tournaments online. Chris Moneymaker and Greg Raymer are just a couple of the internet poker room Cinderella stories.

Tournament structure is quite simple really. There is always a buy-in that players must pay to enter the tournament. Each player in the tournament is given exactly the same number of chips to start and seated at as many tables as necessary to accommodate the number of sign-ups. When a player loses all his chips he leaves his seat and the remaining players are moved around through out the tournament to ensure an equal number of seats at each table left.

These tournaments take hours to play so be prepared to sit for the long haul if you want any chance of winning. Typically depending on the number of entrants to the tournament the payouts will be determined when registration is closed. Usually in the larger poker tournaments there are payouts for the last remaining hundred players or so. That being said the actual amounts are quite minimal, the big dollars can be found at the final table.

The strategy for winning these types of tournaments is a little more complicated. Let's break down the tournament into three stages. The first stage which is the early stage of the tournament, here is where the fish and suckers can be found. These players usually bust early except for a lucky few. These are the all in guys who want to increase their stack early. Chances are this strategy will backfire and you will be out in no time.

The second phase of the tournament is the middle; this is the tougher go as the remaining players all have some decent skill. This is the part of the tournament where you will try to increase your stack by playing some pretty shrewd players. Watch your opponents first before jumping into the play. I tend to sit for a few rounds unless I have an exceptional hand. This will give you some idea as to your competition. Play with caution at this stretch of the tournament, however play smart as you enter the final phase of the tournament you will need a decent stack.

The last phase of the multi-table tournament is the final table. If you are holding the smallest stack you are a sitting goose. Blinds are increased and at this phase the blinds can get pretty high. Again watch a few hands to measure your competition. If you have made the final table you are definitely playing against pretty good players. Don't panic if you lose a few hands and your little stack is diminished, relax and play your best poker. Who knows you might just win the big payout!

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