Which ever buy-in levels and number of opponents you choose, todays online poker tournaments are tough to win. Using the strategies outlined will help players to build a big stack early in online poker tournaments, giving an extra edge when it comes to making the paying positions.
Tip #1 - Manipulating the Pot Size
When playing with a deep stack (50 to 100 big blinds) it can pay to plan ahead for the pot size that you want. This can be applied to building a big pot for your monster hands and also to keeping the pot small when you have a good but not great hand.
When you have a monster hand such as a set you should actively focus on your opponents stack and make a plan for getting as many chips as possible by the river. Split the chips into ‘chunks’ and bet them in such a way as to keep your opponent in the hand. Ideally your last bet should be less than the size of the current pot - offering your opponent attractive odds to call on the river.
Tip #2 - Defending Your Button
As stacks become shallow, tournament play involves defending your blinds - as well as stealing those of others. When the stacks are deep at the start of a tournament you should instead focus on defending your button. The button gives you the advantage of acting last after the flop. Seeing what your opponents do before you act is a huge advantage that will enable you to pick up many pots. Make sure you defend the right to act last from the button and the seats before it.
Tip #3 - Bigger Implied Odds
Deep stacked tournament play means bigger implied odds - that is the reward for hitting a monster hand will be large in relation to the percentage of your stack risked to hit it. This means you can play many hands such as small pairs and suited connectors early, even for a raise. If you hit the flop hard there are 3 more betting rounds to build a big pot. If you miss completely then the damage to your stack is limited to the small percentage from the initial call.
Tip #4 - Using the ‘Call Bluff’
Deep stacks allow you to make many more post-flop ‘moves’. A profitable scenario can often arise when there is a draw on the flop. If you completely miss the flop after calling a raise but the flop contains (for example) 2 hearts then it can be profitable to call a bet after the flop. Your intention is to see what your opponent does when the turn hits. In this example if a 3rd heart falls and your opponent checks to you it is likely that you can take the pot down with a bet. The great thing about the call bluff is that you are not committed to follow through. If an ace falls on the turn and your opponent bets it is easy to fold and move on to the next hand.
Tip #5 - Second Level Thinking
Second level thinking is a key component of hand reading in poker. This involves looking through your opponents eyes’ at your actions and deciding what he thinks that your hand is based on the betting. You can then analyze your opponents actions based on what he thinks you have. For example, if you decide that your opponent puts you on a weak holding he is more likely to be bluffing when betting into you on the river. Conversely if you have indicated strength that same bet may be with a monster hand.
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Article originally submitted by Mark Holland
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