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The Three Stage Theory Of Online Tournament Play - Part 2
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In Part 1 of our 3-part look at how to win online poker tournaments we discussed "Early Play", which we defined as the first 3 Rounds (30 hands typically) of a sit-and-go or until the first 5 minute break in a multi-table poker tournament. In Part 2 of our article we're going to deal with "Middle Play", the most complex and crucial time in any poker event.
In Middle Play you must alter your previously conservative and strong-tight strategy. You must now become very aggressive, overplaying hands before the flop and pushing other players around. There are no prizes for being eliminated here, and going quietly is not an option!
When the blinds are raised players will become tighter, and less inclined to risk their stacks. Some will also start to play just to finish in the money. You must feed on this weakness, by realizing that elimination is a possibility but victory is a more likely possibility through strong and confident betting. Your opponents will already have you read as a tight, conservative player after the first rounds of play. They will be less likely to want to confront you now that the blinds are raised. They will respect you and probably lay down their hands.
The converse of this is if they re-raise you, in the face of the info they have about you, it means that they have a legitimate hand, and you can then act accordingly. You are getting plenty of information in exchange for your betting, and the good news is that your strong bets will take down a certain percentage of pots uncontested. Do not be afraid to lay down your hand in the face of a re-raise. The tournament can only be won if you have all the chips, and you don’t have to acquire all the chips at once. If you are overmatched, acknowledge it before it costs you the tournament, and live to fight another day. This is especially true if you hold a medium pair (JJ, TT, or 99) and are re-raised substantially. Your best case scenario against a decent opponent is a race that comes down to a coin-flip. Unless the player is clueless, and even then sometimes, it pays to lay down these hands. What makes tournament poker so fascinating is that there are times when you can re-raise preflop with these same holdings, and depending on your read and position that can be a fantastic play!
Regardless, you must understand one thing: this second section of the tournament is your time to make a powerful move. This is particularly true in large, multi-table tournaments. In Middle Play, the so-called "moving time" survival is no longer good enough. The blinds will catch up to you and force you out of the event. You must be prepared to take risks, to accept the possibility of defeat, and to go on a rush where you will accumulate the chips you need in the final stage.
In our final article on winning online poker tournaments we will discuss the correct strategy at the final table, or when it is down to three players in a sit-'n-go tournament. How should you play now that you are in the money?
Related Poker Articles And News Items:
> Online Poker Tournament Strategy - The Absent Opponent
> Evaluating Starting Hands In Tournament Poker
> Poker Tournament Bankrolls
> The Three Stage Theory Of Online Tournament Play - Part 3
> The Three Stage Theory Of Online Tournament Play - Part 1
> Refining The Gap Concept For Online Tournaments
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