No Limit Holdem Tournaments

(Mid-Tournament Strategy)

The strategy in no limit holdem tournaments changes as you move from early to mid-stage.

Now that you’ve survived the first few hours you’ll be seeing a lot less of the goofy play that dominates the no limit holdem tournaments found online.

By the middle of the tournament, many of the inferior players will have been weeded out.

Blinds are going up and building your chip stack is crucial. It’s time to change gears.

The mid stage of a holdem tournament is typically the most fun to play because it is where players have the most opportunity to showcase their poker skill.

Because blinds have increased relative to chip stacks, you’ll find opportunity to make big moves both pre-flop and after the flop.

You should be doing the three following things as you make the transition into the middle of the tournament.

  1. Bully Weak Players
  2. Get Creative
  3. Increase Pre-flop Aggression

Bully Weak Players

While you’re going to be shifting gears, there will be other players who are incapable of adjusting their holdem tournament strategies from the earlier stages of play.

These players are typically tight-weak competitors who don’t have any gamble or heart in them and will wilt under aggression.

If you’ve spent your time reading opponents during the early stages of the tournament, you should be able to identify these players and isolate them with strategic raises that eliminate others from the hand in play.

Get Creative

You should have spent the early part of the tournament playing tight, ABC poker while waiting for the amateur poker players to be eliminated.

By this time most of your competition will be moderately skilled to expert poker players.

You’ll want to employ advanced betting tactics like slow playing, bluffs, and semi-bluffs more frequently, You will also want to broaden your hole card selection by occasionally playing hands like small suited connectors (if many have limped in, you don't want to be putting in a big part of your stack just to "hit the flop")

These hands carry huge implied odds and are worth seeing a cheap flop with. Just know how to get away from them if scare cards come on the flop.

Increase Pre-Flop Aggression

Now is the time to start winning pots before anyone even sees a flop. Make frequent stabs at unraised hands and steal blinds liberally from both the button and the small blind if the action is folded to you.

Your previously tight play most likely will allow you to go unchallenged the first few times, as other players assume that you’re holding big pocket pairs or A-K when you come in raising.

While survival is the goal early on in no limit holdem tournaments, the middle of the game should be focused on building a large chip stack with which to bully your opponents as you get closer to finishing in the money.

It is crucial that you make your transition before the blinds start eating away your chip arsenal and cripple your ability to make bets that intimidate your opponents.

Time your moves wisely and continue shifting gears while gradually ramping up aggression.

Remember - winning players are able to adjust their play seamlessly throughout a tournament as dynamics shift.

Proceed to No Limit Holdem Tournaments - Part 3