We've covered some of the broader concepts affecting multi-table poker tournament strategy so far, including how tournaments differ from cash games, the importance of stack sizes in tournaments, and how the objectives of chip accumulation and survival work alongside each other in tournaments.
Multi table tournaments are one of the most popular forms of online poker, because they give players a chance at a huge score with only a minimal investment. Early Stages MTT Strategy The early stages of a poker tournament are when you should be taking things. The browser you're using is not supported by PlayWPT. For best performance, download Chrome here. Are you someone that enjoys the thrill of playing multi-table poker tournaments but struggles to run deep? If so, the chances are you are probably hemorrhaging from your poker bankroll. Chasing the monster payouts from multi-table tournaments (MTTs) compared with sit-and-go's or cash games might be the 'sexy' way to play Texas Hold'em, but there's. Mttp Poker One of the most famous developers featured on the platform is NetEnt, a company which claims to have developed the very first online casino games. It Mttp Poker has continually embraced modern technology and has been a major trendsetter in the industry. Another notable company which develops games for this casino is Play n Go.
From here let's begin to talk more specifically about tournament strategy as it changes from the first levels all of the way through to the final table — that is, how your approach should evolve and adapt as you move through the different 'stages' of a tournament.
It's a big mistake to play a no-limit hold'em tournament the same way you might play a cash game. It's a similarly big mistake to play the early levels of a tournament the same way you'd play the middle or later stages, and vice-versa.
Priorities change as you proceed from the start of a tournament to the middle stages to the pre-bubble and bubble periods. Once the bubble bursts and the play for real money begins, they change again. Then the final table introduces its own special considerations — including what are usually significant changes in payouts coming with each elimination — that should further affect your strategy.
Today we'll focus on the early levels of a multi-table tournament, by which we're referring to just the first two or three. In most MTTs, these are the levels when there are blinds but no antes, and when stacks start out relatively deep in terms of how many big blinds they represent.
We'll organize the discussion under a few different headings, the first having to do with a common misconception about the initial levels of a tournament.
1. Early Levels Matter!
A number of players — including some who are very successful in tournaments — maintain the early, pre-ante levels of most tournaments simply don't matter. That's one reason why some players will skip the early levels altogether, sitting down at some point after the tournament begins but before late registration closes.
Starting the tournament on time can have a lot benefits, though. And those first levels absolutely do matter, no matter how deep the starting stacks might be. Weaker players will reveal themselves from the very beginning, becoming worthwhile targets for chip accumulation. Such players in fact tend not to last into the middle stages, meaning those who come late won't have a chance at their chips.
As such less skilled players sometimes demonstrate — e.g., by getting too attached to a middle pocket pair or some other medium-strength hand and busting — you can't win the tournament during the first few levels, but you can certainly lose it.
There are a few so-called 'standard' poker tournament moves you'll probably want to avoid during the early levels, among them preflop moves like three- and four-betting lightly or blind stealing. That doesn't mean you can't occasionally go for a blind steal, if only to shape your image going forward, though the chips you win or lose won't really be that significant as they'll represent such a small percentage of the stacks.
There's a lot else that's meaningful about the pre-ante levels, though, which can make them matter as you try to get your tournament off to a good start.
2. Dealing with Deep Stacks
Tournament structures differ widely, but in many cases the pre-ante levels will feature players sitting behind stacks that are uniquely deep compared to all other, later stages. In a lot of MTTs, the average stack will drop down to 50 big blinds or less (sometimes considerably less) by the middle stages, but during Levels 1-3 the stacks can be 100, 200, even 250 BBs deep.
A very common mistake made by inexperienced players (and even by experienced ones sometimes) is to 'go crazy' with their preflop betting during these early levels when there's no need to do so. With pocket aces and almost always with pocket kings you're obviously glad to build pots before the flop, but even with and you needn't be in such a hurry to play for your tournament life after a preflop raising war in Levels 1-3.
Even if you aren't getting all in before the flop with such hands, you can put yourself in awkward spots by bloating the pot beforehand and suddenly being 'committed' to going all the way on the flop, turn, or river. Flopping top pair, top kicker with is nice, but you shouldn't be eager to pile in a hundred big blinds behind such a hand — after all, someone willing to play that high versus you in such a spot probably has better!
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WSOP Social Poker is perfect for practising new strategies without having to risk a single cent of your money. Why not try it out today?
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Play Now3. Tight Is (Mostly) Right, However..
Avoiding the urge to 'go crazy' doesn't mean being 'sane' to such an extreme that you fold your way through these early levels. Many successful tournament players subscribe to remaining 'snug as a bug in a rug' before the antes arrive, only very rarely getting involved. But you can be active during the initial levels, and reap benefits as a result. Greektown casino blackjack tables.
One benefit of getting involved early is the way it gets you acclimated to both the physical and mental exercise that comes with playing each hand — and for relatively low stakes, too. Especially for newer or less experienced players, there's a lot to be said for simply getting your 'poker brain' working early, and even getting comfortable handling chips and cards again for those who aren't everyday players.
Getting involved early additionally helps you start gathering reads on opponents, as we always tend to pick up more about others when engaged in hands against them. You can accumulate chips during these levels, too, positioning yourself well with added ammunition once the antes do kick in and you begin your blind stealing ways.
Keep an eye out for the tight ones during the pre-ante levels. Often if you've taken the preflop initative against them and continuation bet after the flop, you'll earn some chips as they'll be unwilling to proceed without making hands. Be wary, of course, if they get 'sticky,' as such 'fit-or-fold' players aren't going deep postflop without being strong.
4. Trapping, and Not Getting Trapped
A great mindset to carry through these opening levels is to lean toward being tight and selective with the hands you play, but also keeping an eye out for situations to 'trap' players by playing speculative hands with potential to win big pots off those playing only the topmost part of their tight ranges.
Suited connectors and one-gappers can be great hands to play, and even when unsuited can be called with if you have position. Small pocket pairs also are generally worth trying to see flops with cheaply during the early levels. With all of these starters, you're looking to make especially strong hands like sets, straights, and flushes and hopefully get a lot of value from unsuspecting opponents who'll pay you off with their one-pair hands.
These hands work well because your 'implied pot odds' are often quite good during the early levels. Having such deep stacks makes it much more potentially profitable to call a raise from the blinds with (say) a hand like , because you and your opponent often will have 20, 30, even 50 times the size of the pot when the flop arrives.
By same token, don't be the one getting trapped early in a tournament! Be wary of weak aces — really anything from on down — and other 'trouble' hands like , , , and the like. Be careful with any hand with which you make top pair but face significant-seeming pressure from an opponent postflop. The smart ones — like you — are lying in wait, trying to trap you into committing significant chips when they have the best of it.
5. Profiling Opponents
Finally, one other important reason why the initial, pre-ante levels indeed 'matter' is the fact that even if the pots are relatively small, the amount of information you can potentially pick up about your opponents can be huge.
In a lot of cases, you'll be playing more hands with the players with whom you are seated to at the start than during any other stage of a tournament, save perhaps at a final table. Spend these first few levels getting an idea who are the aggressive players, who are the passive ones, and also who seems tight and who seems loose.
Remember even loose players will often be tighter during early levels, so don't mislead by false first impressions. But do pay close attention to showdown hands and make a note of who is playing what hands from what positions, as well as their tendencies toward aggression or passivity preflop and postflop. Try as well to remain aware of what kind of impression you might be making by your play during the pre-ante stage, and consider ways you might exploit that image to your advantage later on.
You should also bear in mind that you can play against your friends at WSOP Social Poker, meaning you will likely know how they play the game, but they could also try to mix things up by playing in a style that is completely different to how you usually perceive them, which adds to the fun!
Conclusion
Whether playing online poker or live, don't overlook the early levels of a multi-table tournament as meaningless. Nor should you think of the pre-ante period as only presenting opportunities to hurt your chances of going deeper and not help your cause.
It's true you can't win the tournament during the opening levels. But you can still start your tourney journey a winning way, putting yourself on a path to increase your chances of carrying it much further.
Also in this series..
This article was originally published on Aug. 2018, 2016. Last update: June. 10, 2019.
Tags
tournament strategydeep-stacked strategymulti-table tournamentsno-limit hold'emstarting hand selectionpocket pairssuited connectorsdrawing hands
Multi-tabling is a method of playing online poker in which you participate on multiple tables simultaneously. Many recreational poker players choose to multi-table because it's more fun and if they are skilled then they can also increase their profits over time. Professional players will mass multi-table in order to maximize their profit per hour rather than seeking a particular rate of return on their investments.
The general concept of multi-tabling is that if you can be a winning poker player at one table, you might also be able to be a winning poker player at two, three, four, or many more tables simultaneously. Most online poker rooms have built-in features that facilitate multi-tabling and in this lesson we'll examine the two main methods and provided some strategy tips to help you maximize your profits.
The Two Methods of Multi-Tabling
To successfully multi-table you'll need a way of efficiently organizing the poker tables. The two main methods of multi-tabling are; tiling and stacking.
Tiling
Tiling is considered to be the most popular method of multi-tabling. When you tile your table windows, you arrange them such a way so that they're adjacent to each other so that you can see each table in full with little or no overlapping. Most online poker rooms have re-sizeable windows to allow you to change the default size of the tables. How many tables you can fit onto your screen without any overlapping will depend on how easily you can view the tables – and of course the size of your monitor. Some online poker players like to play across multiple computer monitors but for the casual player a single monitor should be sufficient.
Tiling your poker tables means you get to see everything that's going on across all tables and this has some clear advantages. Firstly, you can use the preset buttons to quickly discard your poor hands and therefore concentrate fully on the other tables. It also allows you to follow the action and study your opponents, even when you're not involved in a hand.
Stacking
Stacking is usually the method of choice for players who play a very high number of poker tables simultaneously. Each table window is placed directly on top of the other windows so that they are all positioned in the same general area of your screen. When stacking be sure to check the preferences of your poker software and have it set to bring a window to the front of the stack when it's your turn to make a betting decision. Players who like to mass multi-table sit-n-goes of various types are most likely to use this method since many decisions in the game are more standardized and automatic than those of a cash game player.
There are advantages to stacking your tables. Firstly, unless you have a very large monitor, you can play on more tables simultaneously – and can increase the size of the tables. Also, since the active tables will pop up in the same position each time, you don't have to move your mouse cursor across your screen for each betting decision.
Which method of multi-tabling is best? Well, it's really down to personal choice. If you're new to multi-tabling then I suggest you experiment with both methods and see which setup you prefer.
Multi-Tabling Strategies
In general, your goal during a session of multi-tabling should be to minimize the amount of different factors coming into play. When you have to think about strategic differences every time you move from one window to the next, you're likely to experience problems and reduce your profitability. Here are some things to consider when multi-tabling:
ABC Poker
Playing poker across multiple tables will naturally result in far more situations than playing on a single table. Therefore you'll want to use a strategy that minimizes difficult decision making. This means you're probably best served by playing 'ABC poker' – which is to play a very basic style and avoid getting into tricky situations. Although playing poker this way might make you somewhat predictable, and won't necessarily maximize your profits at each table, it's a great way of ensuring positive winning percentages and making steady profits in the long run. In higher stakes games you will probably want to reduce the number of tables you play, because experienced poker players will pinpoint your predictability and exploit it.
Stick to One Game
Mtt Poker Term
You should avoid playing more than one game type when multi-tabling, so don't play razz while playing 7-card stud! Playing a couple of cash games while playing in a poker tournament shouldn't cause too many issues for most players, but it's generally better to stick to either cash games or tournaments when multi-tabling. This is especially true when using the stacking method. You'll also find it easier to multi-table if you stick to the same table stakes because your bet sizing will be standardized. Remember, the fewer decisions you have to make, the better.
Avoid Distractions
If you take your poker seriously then you'll know that it's important to avoid distractions whilst playing. This is especially true when multi-tabling and you simply won't have time to surf the net or watch TV while you play. You'll be using nearly all of your available time making decisions. Also, you'll have little time for chit-chat. For this reason it's in your best interests to ignore the chat box and if you can, disable it completely. Remember, the purpose of multi-tabling is to multiply your winnings. But by definition, it can also multiply your losses if one is not careful.
Tournament Strategy
When it comes to tournament poker, there are two schools of thought regarding when to actually start the games. Riverboat gambling iowa. Some players like to start all their tournaments or SNGs at the same time, or at least as close as possible. By doing this it's easier to keep track of what phase of the game you're in since each table should only be separated by a level or two at most.The downside to this method of multi-tabling is that all of the games will become short-handed at roughly the same time, resulting in much less time to make decisions. Another drawback is that you would want to complete one set of games completely before starting another round.
Mtt Poker Tips
3. Tight Is (Mostly) Right, However..
Avoiding the urge to 'go crazy' doesn't mean being 'sane' to such an extreme that you fold your way through these early levels. Many successful tournament players subscribe to remaining 'snug as a bug in a rug' before the antes arrive, only very rarely getting involved. But you can be active during the initial levels, and reap benefits as a result. Greektown casino blackjack tables.
One benefit of getting involved early is the way it gets you acclimated to both the physical and mental exercise that comes with playing each hand — and for relatively low stakes, too. Especially for newer or less experienced players, there's a lot to be said for simply getting your 'poker brain' working early, and even getting comfortable handling chips and cards again for those who aren't everyday players.
Getting involved early additionally helps you start gathering reads on opponents, as we always tend to pick up more about others when engaged in hands against them. You can accumulate chips during these levels, too, positioning yourself well with added ammunition once the antes do kick in and you begin your blind stealing ways.
Keep an eye out for the tight ones during the pre-ante levels. Often if you've taken the preflop initative against them and continuation bet after the flop, you'll earn some chips as they'll be unwilling to proceed without making hands. Be wary, of course, if they get 'sticky,' as such 'fit-or-fold' players aren't going deep postflop without being strong.
4. Trapping, and Not Getting Trapped
A great mindset to carry through these opening levels is to lean toward being tight and selective with the hands you play, but also keeping an eye out for situations to 'trap' players by playing speculative hands with potential to win big pots off those playing only the topmost part of their tight ranges.
Suited connectors and one-gappers can be great hands to play, and even when unsuited can be called with if you have position. Small pocket pairs also are generally worth trying to see flops with cheaply during the early levels. With all of these starters, you're looking to make especially strong hands like sets, straights, and flushes and hopefully get a lot of value from unsuspecting opponents who'll pay you off with their one-pair hands.
These hands work well because your 'implied pot odds' are often quite good during the early levels. Having such deep stacks makes it much more potentially profitable to call a raise from the blinds with (say) a hand like , because you and your opponent often will have 20, 30, even 50 times the size of the pot when the flop arrives.
By same token, don't be the one getting trapped early in a tournament! Be wary of weak aces — really anything from on down — and other 'trouble' hands like , , , and the like. Be careful with any hand with which you make top pair but face significant-seeming pressure from an opponent postflop. The smart ones — like you — are lying in wait, trying to trap you into committing significant chips when they have the best of it.
5. Profiling Opponents
Finally, one other important reason why the initial, pre-ante levels indeed 'matter' is the fact that even if the pots are relatively small, the amount of information you can potentially pick up about your opponents can be huge.
In a lot of cases, you'll be playing more hands with the players with whom you are seated to at the start than during any other stage of a tournament, save perhaps at a final table. Spend these first few levels getting an idea who are the aggressive players, who are the passive ones, and also who seems tight and who seems loose.
Remember even loose players will often be tighter during early levels, so don't mislead by false first impressions. But do pay close attention to showdown hands and make a note of who is playing what hands from what positions, as well as their tendencies toward aggression or passivity preflop and postflop. Try as well to remain aware of what kind of impression you might be making by your play during the pre-ante stage, and consider ways you might exploit that image to your advantage later on.
You should also bear in mind that you can play against your friends at WSOP Social Poker, meaning you will likely know how they play the game, but they could also try to mix things up by playing in a style that is completely different to how you usually perceive them, which adds to the fun!
Conclusion
Whether playing online poker or live, don't overlook the early levels of a multi-table tournament as meaningless. Nor should you think of the pre-ante period as only presenting opportunities to hurt your chances of going deeper and not help your cause.
It's true you can't win the tournament during the opening levels. But you can still start your tourney journey a winning way, putting yourself on a path to increase your chances of carrying it much further.
Also in this series..
This article was originally published on Aug. 2018, 2016. Last update: June. 10, 2019.
Tags
tournament strategydeep-stacked strategymulti-table tournamentsno-limit hold'emstarting hand selectionpocket pairssuited connectorsdrawing hands
Multi-tabling is a method of playing online poker in which you participate on multiple tables simultaneously. Many recreational poker players choose to multi-table because it's more fun and if they are skilled then they can also increase their profits over time. Professional players will mass multi-table in order to maximize their profit per hour rather than seeking a particular rate of return on their investments.
The general concept of multi-tabling is that if you can be a winning poker player at one table, you might also be able to be a winning poker player at two, three, four, or many more tables simultaneously. Most online poker rooms have built-in features that facilitate multi-tabling and in this lesson we'll examine the two main methods and provided some strategy tips to help you maximize your profits.
The Two Methods of Multi-Tabling
To successfully multi-table you'll need a way of efficiently organizing the poker tables. The two main methods of multi-tabling are; tiling and stacking.
Tiling
Tiling is considered to be the most popular method of multi-tabling. When you tile your table windows, you arrange them such a way so that they're adjacent to each other so that you can see each table in full with little or no overlapping. Most online poker rooms have re-sizeable windows to allow you to change the default size of the tables. How many tables you can fit onto your screen without any overlapping will depend on how easily you can view the tables – and of course the size of your monitor. Some online poker players like to play across multiple computer monitors but for the casual player a single monitor should be sufficient.
Tiling your poker tables means you get to see everything that's going on across all tables and this has some clear advantages. Firstly, you can use the preset buttons to quickly discard your poor hands and therefore concentrate fully on the other tables. It also allows you to follow the action and study your opponents, even when you're not involved in a hand.
Stacking
Stacking is usually the method of choice for players who play a very high number of poker tables simultaneously. Each table window is placed directly on top of the other windows so that they are all positioned in the same general area of your screen. When stacking be sure to check the preferences of your poker software and have it set to bring a window to the front of the stack when it's your turn to make a betting decision. Players who like to mass multi-table sit-n-goes of various types are most likely to use this method since many decisions in the game are more standardized and automatic than those of a cash game player.
There are advantages to stacking your tables. Firstly, unless you have a very large monitor, you can play on more tables simultaneously – and can increase the size of the tables. Also, since the active tables will pop up in the same position each time, you don't have to move your mouse cursor across your screen for each betting decision.
Which method of multi-tabling is best? Well, it's really down to personal choice. If you're new to multi-tabling then I suggest you experiment with both methods and see which setup you prefer.
Multi-Tabling Strategies
In general, your goal during a session of multi-tabling should be to minimize the amount of different factors coming into play. When you have to think about strategic differences every time you move from one window to the next, you're likely to experience problems and reduce your profitability. Here are some things to consider when multi-tabling:
ABC Poker
Playing poker across multiple tables will naturally result in far more situations than playing on a single table. Therefore you'll want to use a strategy that minimizes difficult decision making. This means you're probably best served by playing 'ABC poker' – which is to play a very basic style and avoid getting into tricky situations. Although playing poker this way might make you somewhat predictable, and won't necessarily maximize your profits at each table, it's a great way of ensuring positive winning percentages and making steady profits in the long run. In higher stakes games you will probably want to reduce the number of tables you play, because experienced poker players will pinpoint your predictability and exploit it.
Stick to One Game
Mtt Poker Term
You should avoid playing more than one game type when multi-tabling, so don't play razz while playing 7-card stud! Playing a couple of cash games while playing in a poker tournament shouldn't cause too many issues for most players, but it's generally better to stick to either cash games or tournaments when multi-tabling. This is especially true when using the stacking method. You'll also find it easier to multi-table if you stick to the same table stakes because your bet sizing will be standardized. Remember, the fewer decisions you have to make, the better.
Avoid Distractions
If you take your poker seriously then you'll know that it's important to avoid distractions whilst playing. This is especially true when multi-tabling and you simply won't have time to surf the net or watch TV while you play. You'll be using nearly all of your available time making decisions. Also, you'll have little time for chit-chat. For this reason it's in your best interests to ignore the chat box and if you can, disable it completely. Remember, the purpose of multi-tabling is to multiply your winnings. But by definition, it can also multiply your losses if one is not careful.
Tournament Strategy
When it comes to tournament poker, there are two schools of thought regarding when to actually start the games. Riverboat gambling iowa. Some players like to start all their tournaments or SNGs at the same time, or at least as close as possible. By doing this it's easier to keep track of what phase of the game you're in since each table should only be separated by a level or two at most.The downside to this method of multi-tabling is that all of the games will become short-handed at roughly the same time, resulting in much less time to make decisions. Another drawback is that you would want to complete one set of games completely before starting another round.
Mtt Poker Tips
Other players prefer to stagger the games so that they have a couple games at various levels of play. Using this method you would start a new poker game right as another game is completed and just keep going for set period of time or after a fixed number of games.This method also makes it easier to play scheduled poker tournaments since these begin at a set time rather than waiting for a certain number of players to join.
Many poker tournament professionals construct their own personal schedule around these scheduled events, adding or even deleting certain poker tournaments dependant on how deep they may go in each game. A player may elect to stop multi-tabling altogether if they make it deep into a big poker tournament, preferring to pay attention to everything in that game in hopes of making a big score rather than the average dollars per hour via multi-tabling.
Start Slowly!
Some players find multi-tabling easy. For others it can be a real struggle. The best advice is to start slowly and do not play more tables than you can handle. It can take time to adjust to playing poker at several tables at once. If you're new to multi-tabling then just start by playing two tables, then once you're comfortable, add another. Progressively add more, one at a time and if you find yourself struggling to make key decisions within the allocated time – or find multi-tabling is negatively affecting your game, reduce the number of tables. It's also important that you be respectful of your fellow poker players so make sure your decisions are made within a reasonable timeframe.
The more you play online poker the more you'll feel comfortable multi-tabling. With experience you'll soon discover your optimum number for multi-tabling – and this will help maximize your profits at the tables!
Related Lessons
By Tim Ryerson
Tim is from London, England and has been playing poker since the late 1990's. He is the ‘Editor-in-Chief' at Pokerology.com and is responsible for all the content on the website.
