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Poker Strategy

A Multi-Table Tournament Strategy That Works

Written By: PokerNet.com | May 13, 2013 | Posted In Poker Strategy

Multi-Table Tournament Strategy for PokerAny winning multi-table tournament strategy should be broken down into sub-categories. That’s because early tournament play is way different from MTT play in later rounds.

This multi-table tournament strategy is simple and effective. Follow these tips and combine them with your own poker tournament experience for a winning MTT strategy that really works.

Early Stage MTT Strategy

If you’re new to online poker tournaments, you should play an extremely tight poker game in the early rounds.  Yes, blinds are cheap in the early stages of your average MTT, but that does not mean you should head for the flop with an average hand. Think of it this way—since your cards are relatively cheap in early stages, this is the best time to be picky about the hands you play. Some MTT players are so strict in early rounds that they won’t play anything less than AA or KK.  If you bet tough and avoid trying to trap your opponents, you almost can’t lose.

Early stage MTT strategy is designed to let the fish at your table bust out, so play a ridiculously tight game early on and avoid bluffing.

Mid Stage MTT Strategy

In the middle rounds of your MTT, you’ll sit at a table composed of players with some poker skill. That means it is time to loosen up and play your everyday game of poker, hoping to rake in the chips and hit the final tables with a good stack. The middle stages of a multi-table tournament are also the best time to bluff a little. You’re using a little bit of psychology here, hoping your opponents are thinking too hard about the money they’ll soon make and freezing up at the table. The other reason a slightly loose game works in mid stage sis that you’ve worked hard to convince your opponents that you never bluff and only play the best hands. That means they’ll respect any bet or raise you make. That’s how you steal blinds in the middle stages of an MTT. Just make sure you don’t play so loose that you end up at the final table with a short stack.

Final Table MTT Strategy

At the final tables on an MTT event, your chip power is worth more than the best cards you can hold.  Look for the players who have stumbled into the final table with a short stack—they are your first targets.

The final table is a time to be even more loose and risky. Force those short stacked players all in with any average hand you’re dealt. By the same token, avoid going up against the players with the biggest chip stacks.

The easiest way to blow it in the final stages of an MTT is to get locked up in complex pots.  Ideally, you should let any other two other players beat each other up before you get in the middle of a multi-way pot. Winning final table strategy at an MTT means showing off your chip stack, force short-stacked players to go all-in, keep up the loose game you started at the mid stages, and be comfortable taking risks going after a top finish.

Remember that no tournament strategy or set of poker tips is an exact science. For starters, there’s no way to know just when you transition from early to mid-stage, and in some cases it is even hard to know when you’re at the “final table” stage. Tournaments featuring tough competition will force you to move to mid stage strategy very quickly, while a loose tournament may force you to hold back on final table tactics until you are down to the last 15 or so poker players.

 

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