Middle Stages
During the middle stage I tighten up and try to pick up big pots with big hands. I wait for big hands and try to isolate the aggressive players at my table with big raises. If I have an AK or AQ I tend to come over the top for all my chips. Since the blinds are in the 300-600 range throughout most of the ‘middle stages’ I am able to pick up nice sized pots without seeing many flops. I make sure to show a few hands like QQ or KK when everyone folds to a preflop raise, giving everyone at the table the impression that I always have the big cards.
As players start to dwindle I loosen up and try to build a stack of about 15,000 for the final table. 15,000 isn’t usually the high stack, but it’s enough that I can wait for a big hand and double or win a big pot by pushing someone off of middle pair.
Final Table
At the final table I generally play a little passive for the first few rounds. I don’t want to get involved in any big pots and I want to see how the table unfolds. After one or two players drop and we start getting close to the money, I get very, very aggressive. I will raise a lot of pots when I have position and I will isolate the big stacks – by this point they all know I’m willing to push all in at any point in a hand.
As long as I have 10,000 or more chips I feel like I can win the tournament.
I put pressure on small stacks when I have a big hand and I play creatively against the big stacks with hands like 6♣7♣ or Q♦10♦. If I can get someone into a heads up situation I’m not that big of an underdog to any two cards they have, as long as we’re not sharing one of our cards – being dominated is never good. visitez le site
Once there is a “bubble situation” – the next person out doesn’t get paid, everyone else makes the money – I start betting almost every hand. This is the perfect time to build up a big stack for short handed play.
Summary
Really, the key is varying your play at every stage of a small tournament. You want your opponents to be guessing what you have, but not be right. I love when people fold, mention that my “top pair is good” and I can muck with absolutely nothing. You need to be in control of the game, not neccessarily being a bully, but gaining respect from the table. The only way to do this is to bet and win hands convincingly.
