Winning Online Poker Tournaments

Online tournaments are becoming increasingly popular. It's no wonder, as huge tournaments are occurring on a regular basis. Party Poker, for example, hosts great tournaments on a nightly basis where the first prize is well over $20,000 -- and sometimes as high as $70,000. Many players dream of a big payday. If you are playing multi-table tournaments on a regular basis but haven't scored a money finish, then following the strategies I outline below should dramatically improve your results.

Many poker experts recommend differing and sometimes contradictory strategies for tournament play. I don't profess to have the perfect strategy -- if one even exists. But I do believe that the principles I'll discuss in this series will improve many players' tournament performances. In this article, I'll tell you how to approach the early, middle, and later stages of a tournament. I'll also discuss stack size and how that will affect your play. Before I get to any of that, I want to go over the mindset that will make you a successful on-line tournament player-- one that many might find surprising.

Put your cross hairs on the money -- NOT on first place.

First, you should put aside any notion that you're playing to win the tournament. By focusing on winning -- finishing first -- you aim at an unnecessarily small target. If, however, your goal is to make it into the money, your target is much larger and considerably easier to hit. Don't get me wrong: I play to win. But I consider any money finish a successful outing. I play poker for profit, and money finishes keep me profitable. If you're playing for reasons other than profit -- like for the sake of being able to tell your friends that you won a tournament -- then this article isn't for you. Those sorts of motivations will run contrary to everything I'm about to share.

Is it possible to play for profit and still aim for the win? Maybe. But players going for the win often find themselves trying to win the tournament on first hand, and every subsequent hand. They gamble too early with their stack and risk everything on hands that are, at best, a coin flip. I don't believe in that sort of play. I'm going to show you how to survive, manage your stack, and slide into the money. Of course I'm not going stop there. Once you hit the money, I'm going to show you how to climb as high up the pay chart as your stack size, cards, steals, and reads will take you. But this advice will do you little good if you feel the need to win every hand as you race your way to first place.

Put on a Good Pair of Running Shoes

I like to compare large, on-line no-limit tournaments at sites like Party Poker and Poker.com to cross-country marathons. The finish is a long way away, and before you get there you'll encounter all kinds of conditions and terrains. So get properly hydrated and prepare for the variety of cards, table conditions, and stack sizes you might encounter. In many tournaments, the conditions will be too rough and you'll barely make it out of the starting gate. Other times, it will be relatively easy going for a long, long way. Be prepared for a long, rough haul, and understand that your job is to make the best of the conditions you encounter. This is not to say you need optimal conditions to win. The best runners can do very well despite difficult circumstances. Similarly, a good player can make it to the money with below-average cards.

Let the Terminally Ill Money Keep its Date with Fate

In online tournaments at sites like Party Poker and Poker.com there is a lot of dead money. Dead money is a term used to describe the players with below average poker skills who have little hope of making it to the money, much less winning. But I never much liked the term dead money. At the start of the tournament, the dead money really isn't dead, it's just likely to be dead soon. So I think the term terminally ill money makes more sense.

And at the beginning of a tournament you have to let that terminally ill money die. In a tournament of say 1,000 players, you can be reasonably confident that if you don't play one hand for one hour, between 20 and 30 percent of the players will bust. That's right, as many as 300 players will voluntarily pony-up their buy-in only to bust before you've played a hand. Just because 300 players have self-destructed doesn't mean that all 300 players were poor players. On the contrary, those 300 players represent a mix of skill levels: great, average, and poor.

How is it that good players bust out so early? Terminally ill money is extremely volatile. I like thinking about it like kerosene-soaked newspaper. Any type of heat will set it off. And lots of good players get burned. Some bad players get lucky, and some good players get unlucky. The result is a mix of players who bust out early. The important thing to remember is that dead money is EXTREMELY flammable. If you are thinking ahead, you can begin to get an idea of the strategy I'm going to recommend for the first 4 levels of a tournament.

So let's review our pre-tournament thoughts. First, your goal is to make it to the money any which way you can. If you are the kind of player who needs to win, then this article is not for you. Secondly, a tournament is like a cross-country marathon. You need to get as far as your cards will take you. So prudence, common sense, and the understanding that many seasoned players make it to the money on below average holdings is critical to your overall approach. Thirdly, there is a lot of terminally ill money that will die swiftly within the first hour if you let it.

The first 4 levels of online tournaments are naturally volatile. In addition to the highly flammable dead money, there are also groups of players exercising various types of aggressive and defensive tournament strategies. On the aggressive side are players who are looking to get a big stack early so they can lean heavily on smaller stacks. These players will frequently put other players to the test for all their chips. They are playing a largely intimidating game designed to get in front of the race early because that's where they play their best game. They are willing to bust out at the beginning for a shot at an early lead. On the defensive side are players who are waiting for the nuts. They won't risk anything unless they have an A to A+ holding, QQ or above. They will often slow play their big hands in order to trap the unsuspecting fish in their net.

Both of these strategies have their merits in a tournament. The important thing to recognize is that in the opening, these strategies are being employed full force against all that dead money. Consequently, the actions and decisions are often confusing in the first four levels. With only 1,000 chips in front of you, it's nearly impossible to tell what someone is holding based on a raise. Most likely, if it's a large playing field (over 500 entrants), as is common at sites like Party Poker, you will have little or no information on your opponents. Thus playing in the first four levels of a tournament is a little like doing hand-to-hand combat in a mine field.

The Gray Zone

I believe that in the first four levels you should try to stay out of trouble. Staying out of trouble is not the same as playing tight, although the concepts are closely related. Staying out of trouble means you're looking for situations where your decisions are clear cut. I'm amazed at how often players complicate their hands by creating situations where they are forced to make difficult decisions. At the beginning of the tournament, you don't want to be exposing yourself to the gray zone -- that area where you could be right, but if you are wrong, you will be out of the tournament. You want easy decisions.

In the early stages of the tournament, you want to look for hands that will produce situations with the least amount of the gray zone. Obviously, A-A pre-flop is anything but gray. The same goes with K-K. But what about 2-2? Actually, 2-2 has very little gray. It's a hand that you want to play in late position if you can get in pre-flop for a call of the big blind. If you hit a set, you're good. If you miss, it's an easy fold. If you can see the logic behind 2-2, then you can pretty much apply it to all pairs up to J-J. Simply put, hands that are less imbued with gray are those that, if you flop big, will be easy to play, but if you miss the flop, are easy to get away from. But there's another factor in considering what to play: stack size. The gray zone is different for different stack sizes. I'll discuss how you'll want to pay small, medium, and large stacks.

For the first 4 levels, I consider a short stack to have 500 or fewer chips. A below-average to average stack has 500 to 1200 chips. Above average has anywhere form 1200 to 2000 chips. A large stack is between 2000 and 3000, and a mega stack is 3000 or above. And, again, I'm talking about the tournament structures you'll commonly find at sites like Party Poker

Short Stack Strategy

If you find yourself below 500 in the first 4 levels, your only goal is to double up. That means that you are only going to make plays where you double up or bust. Of the three options available to you pre-flop, calling is the least desirable. Why? Because you are not in the "let's see a flop" mode. If you waste valuable chips on calls where you hope to see the flop, you are wasting equity. Doubling up from 300 is significantly less meaningful than doubling from 500. Unless you hold A-A or K-K and your intention is to trap an opponent, calling isn't an option. Going all-in will be your first choice on most playable hands. You are going to shove your stack into the pot with just about any pair. But use common sense. There are situations where you might exercise caution. An example would be if you held 7-7 and the action before you is a raise and a re-raise all-in. Faced with this action, you might want to think about looking for another spot.

What about raising? Here is where you are going to find a lot of controversy. You can go ahead and raise with medium pairs, or even A-K if the blinds are still at 10/15 and your stack is close to 500. But in most situations where you make any raise in the first level, you are going to get called. If your raise gets called, the majority of the time, the player is calling to see the flop. Why give opponents what they want? What if they are calling to see the flop, and you are raising to double up? If you only raise, you are giving them what they want. If you move all-in, you are dictating the terms. You will be surprised at how often bad players will bend to your strategy -- especially in the first four levels.

There is another problem with moderate raising on a short stack. The point where your raise might dissuade people from calling is also the point where you become pot committed. So why not go all-in? Going all-in entices many weaker players to challenge you. They see your stack in the middle of the table as chips that are up for grabs. There is also a better chance that you will be called with lots of different hands like Q-7s or J-9s. I never worry about action with my pairs when I'm short stacked. At the beginning of a tournament, there are plenty of people who will see your all-in as weakness and happily shove in their chips. I even recommend going all-in on occasion with A-A because the action is so good at the beginning of a tournament.

So to recap the short stack strategy, in the first four levels of a Party tournament, you are searching for pairs and A-K. If you find one (about 1 in 16 hands) go ahead and push your stack in. Don't sweat it. If you know that you are going to push all-in, the decision is cleaner. If someone ahead of you has raised and you have reason to believe that your pair is no good, don't feel bad about mucking. Another pair or A-K will come along shortly.

Medium Stack Strategy

Now let's look at the average to above average stacks (500-1200 and 1200-2000). These two stack sizes play similarly in the early stages of a tournament. For these stack sizes, you want to follow normal starting hand requirements outlined in most advanced tournament books. You want to give up hands that have a large degree of the gray zone, like A-J, A-Q, and 9-9. As you advance in your experience and practice with this strategy, you will begin to develop a sense of how to get away from hands that flop something, but are imbued with a high degree of gray zone. If you can correctly identify these situations, then you will be able to play more hands selectively.

If you can see the flop cheaply in late position and can afford a blind call with your stack size, then you can see a few flops with other premium holdings that are not pairs, like K-Q. But don't get married to the pot unless it hits you hard. What's hard? Hard is a straight, flush, trips, and top two pair. Hard is not a draw -- unless it is a super draw like an open-ended straight-flush. One situation you want to avoid is top pair with non-top kicker. This is a gray-zone deluxe burger with extra mayo. Most of the duels to the death involve at least one hand with top pair and a less-than-perfect kicker. People just can't get away from it. They push in from early position and get nailed, or they call a big raise and become pot committed.

Big-Stack Strategy

Finally, we get the fun part: big stacks. If you find yourself blessed with a big stack in the early stages of a tournament, you should open the valve a bit and put pressure on the blinds and callers. You need to have heart to play big stacks well. You still need to keep control, but if you play your chips right, you should be picking up a ton of pots. Why? Because you can afford to make bigger bets that put other stacks in a life-or-death situation. That's powerful stuff. In other words, if smaller stacks are more vulnerable to life or death situations than a big stack, then the big stack can apply all sorts of pressure.

A common misconception that I see often in the chat windows at tournament tables is that the big stack at the table is really a big fish because he/she is now calling everyone and raising everything. This is true in some situations but from my point of view, these stacks are playing appropriately. To me, a bigger mistake is gaining a big stack early, but continuing to play average stack strategy. By playing in that manner, you give up a lot of inherent equity that comes along with a big stack. It's a little like upgrading to a high-performance sports car, but only using it to drive the kids to school.

Playing a big stack effectively is probably the most difficult of the three stack-size strategies. You won't have a big stack very often and so your experience and skills will develop at a slower pace. Also, you must have a pretty strong feel for the language of raises. In a recent hand, I had a large stack of 4,000 with blinds at 50/100. I was dealt a pair of 9-9 on the button. A middle position player with 2300 in chips brings it in for 300. The player was tight, so I had strong reason to believe it was either two big overcards, or a big pair. I called. The two of us saw the flop. The flop comes 7c-3c-7d. The player checks, I bet 450, and with out even hesitating, he re-raised 450. I folded and he flashed K-K. For those who play a dozen or so multi-table tournaments per week, this dialogue is very clear. To play a big stack effectively, you must be able to read dialogue accurately. That can only come from experience. If you're looking for the big win, you need to play tournaments -- a lot of them -- to get that experience. Practice with small buy-in tournaments. Maybe gamble early and try to accumulate a stack so you can practice your big-stack strategy.

Next let’s look at levels 5, 6, and 7. These levels are among the toughest to get through. The short stacks will be going in with almost any ace. The average stacks are also looking to double-up. And the big stacks are playing a waiting game while the desperate slowly self-destruct. These levels play slowly at first, but play accelerates towards the end of level 7. In general, players will give considerably more thought to their decisions. For these levels, I define a short stack as having 1000 or below; below average to average at 1000-1800; average from 1800-2500; large stack size from 2500- 4000; and mega stack at 4000+. For the strategy discussion, large stacks and mega stacks are lumped together. Now let's look at the strategies for each of these stack sizes.

Short Stack (SS) Strategy

With a short stack you are looking to double up. The same strategy I discussed earlier will work well here. If you are really short stacked (under 300), push in with any Ace.

Below-Average to Average Stack (BAAS) Strategy

With a below-average or average stack, you will be applying different tactics than you did in the first 4 levels. Because the blind structure is much higher, you are at greater risk of falling behind sooner. You won't have the luxury of waiting through several rounds for the perfect situation as you did earlier. Your strategy with a BAAS stack is to double up -- but you have some time. You should be thinking about your stack in terms of time. How many rounds will your stack allow you play? The more rounds you can make, the more selective you can be. You are searching, hoping, for the ultra-premium hands -- AK, AA, KK, and QQ.

But unlike short stacks, you should not play medium or low pairs for all your chips. Instead, you want to see a cheap flop with these hands, so calling is often warranted. But be careful. When deciding to play a mid or low pair, you must pay attention to the stacks around you. If you are in late position with pocket 2s and there are 3 callers ahead of you, then you might be inclined to automatically call. Don't do it! At least not until you look behind you to the button and the blinds. Is there a very short stack in any of those positions? If a short stack sees a bunch of money in the middle of the table, that suggests that there might be a chance to triple up, or ever quadruple up if they hit the flop. The most tempting scenario for a short stack is when there are several callers in the pot. They will often push in their remaining chips with any hand and hope to either pick up a bunch of dead money or more than double up if called.

If you are pondering a call with a small pocket pair, and there are already several callers, you must consider the likelihood of a short stack moving in. Is it worth calling 150 only to have to throw it away without seeing the flop because the short stack moved in for 500? Imagine you have 1600. Do you want to voluntarily forfeit 150 without considering it thoughtfully? There's even more to think about. What if you call the 150 and a short-stack moves all in for 500 and it is folded back to you? Should you play? This gets tricky and here again, you will find considerable disagreement. I suggest you look to the overall BAAS strategy. The primary goal with a BAAS is to double up. Calling off a third to half your stack against a short stack all-in isn't quite in line with that goal. You want to get your whole stack in, not one-third.

But there are exceptions to every rule. So let’s look more closely at the situation. What are our prospects of succeeding with a small to medium pocket pair heads up against an all-in short stack? At best (on average) you will likely be only a small favorite. At worst, you are a huge underdog. In other words, this is an enormous gamble for big percentage of your stack. It seems like an easy fold. What about raising with a below average to average stack? Again, you have to consider your goal. Are you looking to double up or are you interested in picking up a few chips. With average stacks, you need to be constantly thinking about doubling up. This is the most important goal.

But as I said earlier, there are exceptions. Remember earlier that I talked about measuring your stack in terms of time? If you look at your below average to average stack, you should be thinking about the number of rounds that your stack will allow you to see if you were never to play a hand. Anything that might increase your chances of seeing an additional round (or two) is very positive. If you are at a super tight table where everyone is frequently folding to the blinds, then blind stealing becomes a means to seeing additional rounds. Use discretion. Don't try and steal from middle or early position.

Above Average Stack (AAS) Strategy

With an AAS, you can play a few more hands in select situations. You can use your additional chip strength three different ways. You can use it to (1) See more rounds; (2) see a few flops; or (3) Make a few plays, such as raising to steal blinds, raising to see where you are in a hand, or raising to bluff a player off a hand. Of these choices, I am least fond of number 3 at these levels. Later on in the tournament when you are close to the money and have a sizeable stack number 3 becomes a priority. But for levels 5-7 it is still too early in the tournament for many of these plays to have an effect. But the real reason I'm least fond of 3 is that making plays puts you in the gray zone. Even though you successfully navigated the first 4 levels, you still need to be vigilant about staying out of the gray zone. Players will continue to bust out of the tournament. And as you close in on level 7, the bust-outs tend to accelerate.

I use a combination of 1 and 2 with greater emphasis on 1. I want to see as many hole cards as possible before being forced to a decision. But I won't turn down an opportunity to see a flop on the button if I've got two callers and I'm holding something like QJs and I don't expect much from the blinds. But what I'm hoping to do with this hand is hit the flop hard. If I don't hit the flop hard and it's checked to me, I'm less likely to take a stab at the pot unless I have a great deal of confidence (over 70%) that my bluff will work. Once I've called to see the flop, I don't want to play number 3 tactics unless I've got supreme confidence the play will work.

Large Stack (LS) strategy (including Mega Stack)

With a LS you should tighten up a bit through levels 5-7. The difference between 5-7 and 1-4 is that panic is in the air. The blinds are much higher and the potential to bust out much greater. Those at the greatest risk of busting out are feeling edgy. This isn't the time to play bully. Many players are desperate and are not in conservation mode. Many are much more likely to go all in and gamble. The goal with the large stack is to steal a few blinds and pick up a few pots -- mostly unchallenged. The LS should let the panic run its course and not get too involved in hands that are volatile, full of gamble, and clearly in the gray zone. This requires a great deal of situational thinking. You shouldn't be involved in any pot for a significant raise unless your is clearly worth it.

The biggest mistake an LS can make at these levels is getting involved against another LS for all their chips without the nuts. LSs are more susceptible to emotions than any of the other stacks. I will often see a LS continue to bully the rest of the table through these levels. They will play a lot of hands for big raises and gamble with almost any stack. Whenever they are on the button, they will make a big raise to steal the blinds. Most of the time, they are inexperienced players, feeling the power of a large stack. If you are an LS and watching another LS bully the table, you might be tempted to stop him. The thought of a LS recklessly bullying you off of your blinds, or worse, your legitimate hands can be emotionally challenging. Your first reaction is to snap back. Don't do it unless you have the goods.

Play back against a LS only if you have a premium pair like QQ-AA or AK. The reason for this is that LS will call your raises well over 50% of the time. It's the nature of the beast. To them, your chips are the most attractive on the table. You are a LS. The thought of getting all your chips is too tempting. They will call any raise the majority of the time with the hope of hitting the jackpot. Notice that I said play back ONLY when you have a premium hand. You don't want to be playing for all your stack in the gray zone. And a wild bully will often put you to the test for all your chips. I have found myself in many situations calling a re-raise from a wild bully who I felt sure was weak. I go ahead and call with a medium pair or something like A-Qo and lose the coin flip. The mistake is that I risked annihilation at an early stage of the tournament on a coin flip decision against a big stack. If you have a medium pair like 88 and you re-raise a LS, expect to get called, and expect to be in the gray zone if you don't flop a set.

You can call a LS raise if you have a good hand and think you can see the flop without paying anything additional (don't forget to check to your left for those pesky SSs). But here again, you need to hit the flop hard to continue further. Of course, if you have a piece of the flop and it is checked around to you, don't be afraid to take a stab at the pot. Play your position confidently. Lastly, annihilation is a concern for all stack sizes. There is no shame in going out with a short stack or a medium stack. But if you bust out wielding a large stack or better, the mega stack, then you better have a pretty solid reason. I'm very hard on myself if I bust out with a LS. I'll let it go if I was a solid favorite (over 75%). But if I'm only a slight favorite (52-58%), I'll spend some time in the wood shed critiquing my play. The time to play coin flips with a LS is not in the early stages of a tournament.