Deep Stack Poker Strategy Tournament
Posted By admin On 01/04/22- Deep stack poker tournament strategy at 888poker ™ Learn more about the tournament type that plays out much like cash games, involving deep stacks and lots of creative, post-flop play!
- So while tournament only players may get plenty of practice with push/fold strategies or decisions that end either preflop or on the flop, they sometimes struggle when money is really deep. In this article, we are going to address preflop strategy adjustments for early stage/deep stack play, and in my next article we will address post flop.
- Deep Stack Poker Strategy Tournaments
- Deep Stack Poker Tournament Strategy
- Deep Stack Poker Strategy Tournament Strategy
Although playing a poker tournament requires a much different strategy than cash games in general, the early stages of MTTs have many similar characteristics: the stacks are deep and there are no antes in play yet. Deep Stack Tournament Strategy In Deep Stack tournaments the number of chips you start with is greater in comparison to regular freezeout MTTs. The blind levels are also twice as long, which makes them preferred by tight/conservative and skilled players who adopt a small ball game. Poker Tournament Tip 1: Steal a Lot, But Don’t Go Overboard “Open small and often.” This phrase drove the pre-flop strategy of almost every tournament regular for years, and it still has some merit. With antes in play, a 2.25BB open has to pick up the pot less than half of the time to show an immediate profit. (And that’s not including.
Poker Strategy Adjustments For Deep Stacked Tournaments – Are You Making The Right Plays?
Deep Stacked Tournaments with double or even bigger the usual chips to start and slower blind levels are increasingly popular online. The early levels of these tournaments involve some poker strategy adjustments which are more familiar to cash game players than tournament regulars. This article looks at how to get the most from deep stacked poker tournaments – then goes on to recommend some of the best deep stacked tournaments online at 2 leading poker sites.
Whether you are playing the Sunday Million on Poker Stars or a $8 turbo deep stacked tournament 888 Poker both your pre-flop and post flop play will need to adjust during the early stages of a deep-stacked tourney.
Deep Stacked Poker Tournament Strategy - Hand Values Change When Deep
The first thing to note is that hand values change. Hands with high implied-odds potential go up in value while unpaired high cards go down in value.
High implied-odds hands include small pairs and suited connectors. The deeper stacks mean that you have the potential to win a very large pot with these hands when you hit a straight or a small set against an opponent with an over-pair. Calling small raises before the flop, especially from position and / or when you close the betting should be a routine part of your deep stacked strategy.
The reason that unpaired high cardsgo down in value is a direct result of the number of chips in play. Imagine you raise with Ace-Queen (for example) before the flop and were called in 2 places. Sure, a continuation bet will usually take the pot – however what about when you bet on a queen-high flop and are called from a player in position? You bet again on a ‘safe’ turn and are re-raised half your stack… in a short-stacked tournament you would usually have a clear decision based on the number of chips in your stack. In a deep stacked poker tournament you have a tough decision – is your top pair + top kicker good? Are you prepared to bet your whole stack on this?
Deep Stack Tournament Strategy - Hand Reading And Pot-Control
Playing any hand in a deep stacked tournament involves post-flop skills such as hand-reading and pot control. The fact that there are enough chips for betting on many streets means that the value of position is also increased. Position will enable you to see your opponent’s action before you decide on your own – giving you a clearer indication of the hand you are up against.
With deep stacks and a slow blind structure the temptation for many players is to tighten up during the early stages and only play the very best hands. This is a potentially dangerous strategy for 2 reasons:
- When you do finally play a hand you may get no action.
- If you do get action it may well be from a hand that beats you, for example a small set against your aces after the flop.
Balance your play by raising a number of hands from position, this will help disguise the times when you have a monster holding.
Deep Stack Poker Strategy Tournaments
Deep Staked Poker Tournament Strategy - Opponent Temdencies Matter!
Finally, the tendencies of your opponents become more important in deep stacked online poker tournaments. Make sure that you are aware of the strength of hands with which your opponents will call big bets. Also note the number of hands played – you do not want to fall into the trap of paying off the guy who only plays aces and kings!
Deep Stack Poker Tournament Strategy
To summarize, deep stacked poker tournament strategy involves adjusting to the strength of hands after the flop. High implied-odds hands in particular go up in value. Position is more important as the stacks get deeper as you will have more opportunity to see your opponents act over several streets. Raising a number of hands pre-flop will help to get you action those times you are dealt a premium hand.
Many sites offer deep-stacked online tournaments – below is a quick overview of the best deep stacked poker tournaments online:
888 Poker: There are two things I like about the deep stacked tournaments at 888 Poker. First the variety, especilly the division between the standard deep stacked games and the Turbo deep stacks. The turbo ones give you plenty of scope to play creatively in the early stages before the blinds catch up with you later. You'll find some decent guarantees too. The other thing I like about 888 is that they give upto $88 (£20 in the UK) to try out thir games with no deposit or credit card information needed - this comes in tokens and requires you to earn points to unlock the next installments. There are also tournaments known as 'the whale' and satellite qualifiers to the World Series events at this site. An easy number one pick for deep stacked tournament fans as we go into 2018 - check out www.888poker.com for yourself now.
America's Cardroom Poker: ACR Poker and the Winning Poker Network are making a real play for the tournament fans based in the US this year. They host the current best schedule, and have promotional events which include their $1,000,000 guaranteed tournaments. These (along with several other of their bigger buy-in games) are deep stacked. At the lower end the rebuys can get pretty wild, making for some very deep stacks during that first hour and for a while afterwards. The fields are very soft compared to some of the tougher international sites - and US players are welcomed. Check out www.americascardroom.eu for yourself and see if you can qualify for the next million guaranteed!
Deep Stack Poker Strategy Tournament Strategy
For detailed and straightforward reviews of a wide number of the best online poker sites see our Best Tournament Poker Sites section!