Far too often, I see people who refuse to adjust their game when playing against opponents with different styles and in different tournament situations. For example, a player who frequently raises in position to take down the blinds and antes continues to do so even when the hyper-aggressive chip leader is moved two seats to his left. Many people don’t realize that it only takes one new player at the table to totally change the dynamic of the game. <READMORE>

Not being able to adjust to different circumstances is, in my opinion, the biggest factor that holds players back from reaching the next level of play. I have come up with a preflop poker “routine” that if you adhere to every time late in tournaments, you will maximize your chances of winning. Granted, none of this is groundbreaking information, but players simply don’t think things through as much as they should.

1. What is my M, and what hands can I play and can’t I play?

This should be the biggest consideration late in any tournament. For those of you who haven’t read Harrington II, it is a must read.

2. What is the M of the players left to act behind me?

Most of the time late in online tournaments, the average M at the table is between 5 and 10. This essentially means that it’s going to become an all-in fest preflop. Before putting a single chip in the pot, you have to examine the likelihood that someone will move in behind you.

3. How is my table image?

When you don’t vary your play and always raise in the cutoff or on the button, it’s going to become fairly obvious to good players that you’re stealing. You can use this to your advantage by switching it up and waiting for a premium hand in late position, hopefully to get played back at by someone in the blinds.

4. Is there fold equity if one of the remaining players reraises?

Players with big stacks often give many chips away because of position raises and inability to fold when a short stack reraises all in. If, for example, you raise to 3 times the big blind on the button with a rag ace, and a short stack reraises for 5 more big blinds, there is no way you can fold your hand because your pot odds are way too good at this point. In this situation, where both blinds are short(an M of 5 or less), it is simply best to either move all in or fold.

You should ask yourself the questions listed above when you are the first person to enter the pot. There is a somewhat different list to go through when someone else has already raised:

1. What is the M of the player who just raised, and what is the range of his/her possible holdings?

When you ask this question, you must consider position and the table image of the other player.

2. What is the size of the raise, and what does that mean?

Every bet in every single hand of a tournament has some sort of meaning. Why would the chip leader raise in the cutoff to 2.5 times the big blind when his previous raises were 3 times the blind? In this situation, it is highly probable that the player has a big hand and wants action on it. You must look at every bet and figure out why the raise was that size.

3. Is there any fold equity if I reraise all in?

It is critical to calculate the pots odds that will be given to the other person before you reraise. If you do this, you are one step ahead of others’ thoughts and you can narrow down the range of hands that can call. Bad players will often reraise all in with small pairs and not enough chips to drive the other player out of the pot. In this case, you are definitely getting called are usually at best a coin flip. Always make sure you can protect your hand if it’s not that strong.

4. If I call this raise, do the players left to act have enough chips to pull off an effective squeeze play?

When your M is below 10, it is rarely correct to flat call a raise from middle or late position. If you are trying to accumulate chips and win the tournament, reraising is almost always the correct play in this situation. If you do smooth call, you must examine the possibility of getting reraised by a player out of the blinds. When they do try to pull off a squeeze, the initial raiser will often times reraise the squeeze and price you out of the hand. This being said, the best time to flat call a raise late in tournaments is with a monster hand like pocket aces or kings, hoping that someone remaining to act will try to squeeze. Some players will disagree with me here, but I think you sometimes have to gamble with big hands and hope that others don’t hit the flop too hard. Keep in mind you’re trying to WIN the tournament and not just make the final table. Doubling up with your big hands is essential to winning.

5. If I do call the raise, what am I going to do when I miss the flop and the raiser makes a continuation bet?

More often than not, you are going to miss the flop in hold em. You must ask yourself what action you would take if and when you do miss and the initial raiser leads out for about half of the pot. Do you have enough chips to move him off of his hand?

If you try to practice this routine when playing, I can assure you that it will become second nature to you after a while. The ability to analyze hands on the fly is what differentiates good players from great players. Phil Hellmuth said it best when saying that every action in a hand adds up to a story, and it is your job to figure out what that story means. If you follow this routine, many times you will be able to write the story before it even takes place. Follow this routine and your chances to win tournaments will greatly increase.
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