This has a big impact on your optimal tournament poker strategy. Compared to cash games, you only have one life and survival is very important. In cash games your chips represent the value of the cash you bought the chips for. This is different in tournaments – here your stack becomes more valuable as you get closer to the pay-outs.
How to play an online poker tournament
You may have heard of the saying “all you need is a chip and a chair” - this saying applies to tournaments. Here are a few poker tips on how to adapt to multi-table tournaments and win big prizes.
Play carefully at the beginning of a poker tournament. In this phase there is no need to take big risks, your main goal is survival. Risking elimination is a bad way to start a tournament. A big stack in the beginning of a tournament is not a guarantee you will finish near the top of the rankings.
Once you get deeper in a tournament try to manage your stack size well. Pick your poker hands and spots well to maintain your stack size by stealing the blinds and pots occasionally.
Whenever there is a very good opportunity to win chips by bluffing and you have the feeling you can put pressure on your opponent, maximize this pressure and let him make a decision for his tournament life.
You survived the first poker tables and are now ready to win
Once you get in the money, look at the pay jumps in the tournament. Realize that every jump in finishing position will bring an increased pay-out.
This will affect the way you play in this phase. As a big stack you can put more pressure on other players by stealing the blinds and pots. As a short stack you’d really like to make that extra pay jump and playing cautiously is advised. Every time someone else is eliminated before you this is free added value to your pay-out.
Applying these poker guidelines will make you adapt well to multi-table tournaments. Good luck at the tournament tables of Unibet Poker!