The previous poker strategy articles from LadyHoldem about tournaments covered up most of the game before reaching the money. This episode continues how to play after you’ve made the money.
How you play once you’ve made the money really depends on where you are chip-wise. If you’ve played very tight, you are probably a little bit low by now. On the other hand if opportunity arose, and you dug in, you might well have needed help getting your chips to the table.
Being Short Stacked
Let’s go with short stacking and then we’ll work our way to the chip mountains.
If you’ve made your way to the final table there are two things I want you to keep in mind. One is if you’re in last place, you’ve already won last place, so don’t be afraid to shove your chips into the middle often and with every playable hand.
Whenever there’s considerable money in the pot and you have a plausible hand – go for it. Don’t let the blinds eat you here, and if you have less than 10 times the big blind, call nothing, shove everything.
Worst that can happen is you’ll double up.
However, the second thing I’d like you to keep in mind is that a passive game here may well get you more money. If you get to 3 or 4 players, and you still have a seat, it might be a good time to ask about a chop. (We’ll get into making chop deals later in this article.)
Hang onto your seat, it might prove to be quite valuable.
In most cases the longer you stay in the game, the more money you make. Each person sent to the rail usually doubles your money. So you do have last in the bag, and if ever there was a time to gamble, this was it. However, there’s also reason to hang onto your chair with all your might. That’s why the big bets, they’re harder for your opponents to call, and make it easier for you to pick up a few extra pots. This alone can often take you out of last place, and put you solidly into a better position.
If you came to the table with a larger sized stack, then take that last bit of advice to heart. The longer you stay at the table, the more money you make. If you have a considerable chip lead for one you’re poised for first, don’t donk off that lead thinking it’s your job to call every idiot bet.
Use Large Chip Stacks as a Weapon
There are bets that are just equitable calls. However, just because the short stack is short doesn’t mean you should call. You’ll just bleed off chips if you lose here. With the large stack however, you do have the ability to shove the other players around a bit.
When playing against smaller stacks, they really only need two choices, if you’re going to be involved with the hand at all, let them choose, all in, or fold.
As the seats at this table empty, you should also be thinking of chop possibilities. Because with the majority of the chips in your possession, the remaining players should be anxious to chop.
You might for instance suggest that they just give you first place money, and chop what’s left evenly. If you have a large stack, and are playing with very inexperienced players, tell them you’ll chop, as long as you get 1st place plus an additional 10% to cover your entry fee.
You’ll be surprised how often you can get away with that move.