Poker Tournament Strategy 2018

Randy Ohel is a regular in the high-stakes mixed game scene, both in tournaments and in cash games. He has a World Series of Poker bracelet from his victory in the $2,500 2-7 triple draw in 2012, and has cashed in several other poker variants, including runner-up finishes in the 2018 10,000 2-7 triple draw, the 2016 $10,000 seven card stud eight-or-better championship, and the 2014 $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. championship.

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The Florida native and Las Vegas resident has more than $2 million in live tournament earnings, almost entirely in mixed events. Ohel has delved into the coaching realm of poker and is currently taking students to learn non-hold’em games. He can be found on Twitter @RandyOhel.

In an effort to provide readers with a solid fundamental strategy of mixed games, Card Player sat down with Ohel to break down a hand he played himself at the final table of his deep run in the 2018 $10,000 deuce-to-seven triple draw championship.

Tournament Poker Strategy: Main Components. Firstly, we'll discuss the 5 key poker tournament strategy tips that novices and intermediate tournament players need to concentrate on to become tough tournament opponents. You know, the sort of player nobody wants to look up and see at their table. Coverage of the poker series 2017/2018 WPT L.A. Poker Classic, including results, chip counts, poker videos, and photos.

Four-handed at the final table, action folded to Randy Ohel in the small blind. Ohel raised and Nicholas Seiken three-bet from the big blind. Ohel four-bet and Seiken called. Each player took one card. After the first draw, both players checked and each took one card again.

After the second draw, Ohel bet and Seiken called. Ohel stood pat and Seiken took one. Ohel bet the river and Seiken called. Seiken mucked his hand when Ohel tabled his 8-low.

Steve Schult: There were four players left in the tournament and action folds to you in the small blind.

Randy Ohel: The first thing I want to point out is that the number of players dealt in, in triple draw, matters. Not all small blinds are created equal.

SS: Why?

RO: Because folded cards are not random. They are selected. So the types of cards that are folded just have a smaller proportion of low cards, particularly deuces, than random cards do. The remaining cards are richer.

SS: Does that mean in triple draw that you’re going to have fewer steals in what would be considered more traditional steal spots in hold’em?

RO: You’re obviously going to open weaker than you would from up front. You can play a wider range when you are opening the pot three-handed on the button, than when it is folded to your button six-handed, just as an example.

SS: You raise from the small blind, Nicholas Seiken is in the big blind and he three-bets. You make it four bets and he calls. Just to touch on starting hand selection, I noticed you didn’t have a deuce in your hand, so which four cards are you likely to have started with there?

RO: I could have had any four of those five cards except for 3-4-5-6.

SS: I’m assuming you can’t have that hand because of the abundance of straights it makes?

RO: First off, if I had 3-4-5-6, I would call the three-bet, draw two and pitch the six. It’s just a terrible draw.

SS: Would you be four-betting any two-card draws?

RO: Absolutely not. It’s my entire pat and one-card draw range. There are no one-card hands that I am only calling with and there are no two-cards that I’m raising with.

SS: From Nick’s position in the big blind, would he be three-betting some of the better two-card draws?

RO: He should be, yes.

SS: Is there ever a reason to five-bet and cap it with a one-card draw if you were in Nick’s position from the big blind?

RO: No. Any five-bet is going to be only pat hands.

SS: If you were Nick, what do you expect your hands that just call the four-bet to look like? Is it going to be stronger or weaker than your draw?

RO: I think it will be similar. He might have a few more four-card nines and I could have some of those too. But once I face the three-bet, I would probably pitch the nine and draw two, so I shouldn’t have too many of those. He should have some four-card nines without a deuce. Maybe 9-7-5-4 or 9-7-6-3.

The reason for that is that he hopes that I’m drawing three and I’m more likely to be drawing three than I am to be drawing one. And he’s likely to win the pot on the flop or the turn. And he’s in position, so he can control the betting a little bit. Meanwhile, the draw isn’t very good if you break off the nine. So some of the rough nine draws should be played as a three-bet draw one there. Not any 9-8’s really, but 9-7.

SS: You both check after you each draw one. I’m assuming this means that neither of you improved. Is there any merit to betting if you don’t improve?

RO: Those spots tend to play pretty straightforwardly. There is certainly no sense in betting as the out of position-player. Some people like to bet occasionally in position in those spots, but if I’m up against someone who is going to do that, I’m going to check-raise them sometimes.

Most people will generally play pretty straight-forward in those spots and it’s generally correct to do that.

SS: You decide to bet the turn. Given your flop check, does this mean that you improved and you’re going to be pat here?

RO: Not always. There’s a chance that he raises behind me and I break, but my intention is to pat.

SS: How often is he going to call and then pat behind? Is that something that is generally done in this game?

RO: Definitely. That’s called a “freeze play” when you just call their bet and then pat behind their pat.

SS: Is that going to be a stronger or weaker range from that player in general?

RO: It’s much less polarized than a raising range. I would say it’s overall weaker, but its primary characteristic is a lack of polarization.

SS: What types of hands would tend to use the freeze play?

RO: Rough eights and a lot of nines. Whereas some of the better hands than that and all of the worse hands are going to raise. So it’s very linear, as opposed to the raising range is more polarized.

SS: You pat and he takes one. You bet the river. You’re representing a pretty strong hand at this point. What is roughly the worst hand you could have here?

RO: Somewhere in the 8-7 range. And I obviously have snows.

SS: How do you have many snows here? If you four-bet it pre, draw one, check, draw one, bet, and stand pat, I wouldn’t think you have very many bluffs. What types of hands would you be snowing? Just hands that made pairs with good removal?

RO: We didn’t learn anything about my hand based on my flop action from my preflop range. And nor did we when I four-bet and drew one. All that means is that I have a hand that I want to draw one with. My range going into the turn is the entire range of hands that I want to draw one with. It hasn’t narrowed at all and it hasn’t had to because no action has been out of the ordinary.

I could have anything from 2-3-4-7 to the worst four-card hand. They are all perfectly likely at this point. I am uncapped both on the high end and whatever you would want to call the low end.

SS: But if you were snowing, why would you have checked the flop then? Wouldn’t you want to put pressure on Nick with your bluffs?

RO: Snowing doesn’t mean that I decided to snow from the jump. Most snows are not hands that you’ve decided to snow from the go. Most snows are hands that have progressed into snows.

You’ll tend to take the weaker part of your drawing range and if you start to pair it a couple times, you turn it into a snow. Suppose I started with 3-3-4-5-7. I caught a six and threw that away and then I caught another pair or a six. Maybe now I’m going to snow. Because I’ve seen a number of good cards and my draw is weak because I have a straight draw. That is the prime sort of hand that you would want to snow with.

It’s typically not a decision that one makes pre, although it can be at times.

SS: I guess I’ve always thought about snowing in the sense of you start with something like 2-2-2-K-J and just run with it.

RO: I wouldn’t snow that. I would tend to snow something like sixes full of fives. Or like deuces full of eights. Like full houses or something like 8-8-8-7-5, so its trips, but a bad draw.

The hands that you want to snow with from the jump are hands that would not otherwise be playable. That is the biggest takeaway from this.

SS: When I was looking at this hand, I was assuming that you can’t really be snowing this river, but you can.

RO: I don’t think you’re thinking about how snowing works in the right way. You are limiting it to one particular type of snow. And it’s really the least common. It’s hard to get a full house or trips.

SS: In the updates, it was reported that Nick tanked for two minutes before calling. I was under the impression that this was a faster paced game.

RO: Yeah, it’s very rare for someone to tank that long.

SS: Given that he tanked for so long. What kind of hands do you think he’s considering? Since he called and mucked, we don’t know what he had, but what is your best guess?

RO: I have no idea. If he thinks that I’m bluffing, then a pair of deuces is as good as a 10. It could be any sort of bluff catcher.

SS: You said that a pair of deuces and a 10-low have roughly the same showdown value against your bluffs. What is considered a bluff catcher in this spot?

RO: It should be more based on the blockers that he’s seen because those hands have equal value against my range. A 10 and a pair and a pair of deuces have the same value against my range because of the polarization of my bet.

SS: So he needs to be thinking about which cards he threw away on previous streets?

RO: Right. And which cards I should be bluffing. The point I was making before about how we turn bad draws into snows… the types of cards that a person should have in their hand if they are snowing are fives, sixes, and sevens. And more accurately, it should not have a deuce in it. You are less likely to snow if you have a deuce.

And for that reason, if you want to call a bluff, a pair of deuces is a better call than a 10. Because in this particular spot, it limits the number of times I have a deuce in my hand.

What I’m saying about calling with the deuces is not a hard and fast rule. It applies in this situation because this is a blind on blind battle. But there are many situations that it doesn’t matter how many deuces you’ve seen, unless it’s four of them, because your opponent always has one.

World Poker Tournament 2018

For example, if in a full ring game, I open under-the-gun and draw two, my entire range has a deuce in it. It doesn’t matter if you’ve seen three deuces. I have the fourth because there are no hands that I could have had that don’t have one.

But in this spot, we are in a situation that I very often don’t have a deuce. My range is much rougher than an under-the-gun open in full ring. In this spot, it’s a very relevant blocker. In that spot, it’s not, which is a concept that I think most people don’t realize. ♠

Tournament poker remains one of the most popular formats of the game, mainly because it is through the heavily televised World Series of Poker (WSOP) that many new players are introduced to it.

When Chris Moneymaker – considered an “outsider” at the time due to his qualifying for the WSOP by winning his entry on an online poker site – won the prestigious competition’s main event in 2003, tournament poker was thrust into the global community’s consciousness, and it immediately became the most visible format of poker.

While the fundamental principles of No Limit Hold’em are shared between cash/ring games and tournament poker, there are certain strategies that are more effective in one than the other.

In this article, we take an in-depth look at tactics that are important to understand and implement if you want to achieve success in tournament poker. While our focus will be on tournaments, we’ll also be touching on certain principles that apply to both formats.

Before we begin, let’s quickly list the major differences between cash and tournament poker.

A note before we begin, this piece focuses on freezeout No Limit Texas Hold’em tournaments.

(Source: Beatthefish.com)

Tournament vs Cash – the Main Differences

• A player can enter and exit a cash game whenever they want while a tournament has a fixed start and end.
• In a cash game, the blinds remain fixed, while the blind levels in a tournament increase at a predefined frequency (typically 15 – 25 minutes).
• The purpose of a tournament is not to run out of chips. When you do, you are eliminated from the game and cannot re-enter, although some tournaments do allow players to buy back in.
• When a predetermined number of players are eliminated from the tournament, the remaining players all share the prize pool. Making it to this part of the tournament is called being “in the money.”
• The tournament ends when all but one player has been eliminated. That player is the tournament winner and receives the bulk of the prize pool.
• In cash games, chips are an exact representation of their monetary value, while tournament players “buy” their chip stack with a fixed buy-in amount. For instance, a tournament buy-in of $5.00 can see you start the tournament with a stack of $1500 in chips.

Tip #1: Start Conservatively

One of the most important principles to success at tournament poker is in monitoring the ratio between how much it will cost to play a hand (blinds + antes) and your chip stack. This is referred to as the M ratio, and we’ll be referencing it throughout the piece.

At the start of the tournament when you have a healthy M Ratio (over 25), getting involved in a hand with medium-strength cards is not a good strategy. When you’re still sitting comfortably, only play a hand when you have exceptionally strong cards or have position on your opponents.

Don’t be tempted to steal or protect blinds. These are tactics that should only be employed later in the tournament when the blinds represent a large portion of your stack size.

Survival is everything in the early stages. Building a healthy chip-stack should also be an objective, but not at the cost of your place in the tournament.

Tip #2: Be Aware of Opponent Stack Sizes

Once you’ve emerged from the early stages of the tournament and the table is seeing some more action, it’s important to bear your opponents’ stack sizes in relation to yours in mind before getting involved in very specific scenarios – specifically when it comes to going all-in.

• A player that has you comfortably covered (has a significantly larger stack size than you) is going to call your all-in with a wide range of cards since you don’t represent a big risk to his chip stack. Don’t bluff against such a player.
• A short-stacked player (especially one with an M Ratio below 10) will typically play extremely aggressively post-flop. While pushing these players around and bullying them pre-flop is an essential strategy, when the flop comes you can expect extreme aggression from them since they will regularly be pot-committed. Don’t expect them to fold to your light c-bet. Expect a shove in this scenario and unless you’ve hit the flop, you don’t want to be calling it and doubling them up.
• In the latter stages of a tournament, a player that has a chip stack roughly similar to yours is not going to get involved in a hand with you unless they want to protect their blinds or if they have an excellent hand. Be cautious when faced with aggression from a similarly-stacked opponent.

Tip #3: Employ the Push/Fold Strategy

In a nutshell, push/fold strategy is an “all or nothing” pre-flop approach that a player adopts when their chip-stack is depleted to the point where they can only see another ten hands, in other words, their M Ratio is less than 10.

When the blind levels are 75/150, and you only have $1,870 in chips, forget about limping, calling, or 3-betting preflop and consider each decision as either a fold or a shove.

The main reason for doing this is that you are maximizing your chances of picking up the blinds by getting all your opponents to fold to your extreme aggression and while your chip stack still represents a threat.

In the Poker Copilot blog, we recently published an in-depth look at how to employ this strategy to its maximum effect. Click here to read our the post titled: Essential No Limit Holdem Strategy: Push/Fold.

Best Online Poker Tournament Strategy

(Source: stock.adobe.com)

Tip #4: Steal and Protect Blinds

When the blinds get to a level where they represent a large portion of your chip stack, picking them up without seeing the flop is one of the most important strategies in tournament poker. In fact, there are certain conditions under which you needn’t even consider your cards when attempting this tactic.

If you are in late position, all the players have folded to you, and the two or three players who are going to act after you are all short-stacked, you can profitably raise with any two cards, provided you have the discipline to lay them down if you’re faced with a three-bet.

Conversely, when you are in the small or big blinds and have a relatively healthy stack (your M ratio is above 20), don’t be afraid to three-bet when faced with a raise from the dealer. In many cases they are betting very wide simply to steal your blinds and will lay down their cards. In this scenario, when your M Ratio is below 10, and you have decent cards, don’t bother three-betting – simply go all-in.

Tip #5: Think of the Greater Good

This is a relatively complex meta-game concept that has little to do with cards and more about getting closer to the money.

Consider this scenario.

2018 Poker Calendar

There are seven players left in the tournament and the top six get paid. This scenario is also referred to as being “on the bubble.”

You are in mid position with A9s and your M Ratio is very healthy (20+). Under the Gun is short-stacked and goes all in. You call. There is another call from the dealer, who is also deep-stacked. So the short-stacked player now has the possibility of being eliminated by two players rather than one.

The flop comes K49.

You’ve made mid pair, which, if you were only in the hand against the other deep-stacked player, would have been a good spot for a bet. But if you do bet in this scenario, you run the risk of having the dealer fold, meaning that you will be the only player who can eliminate the short-stack.

Let’s say you do make a bet and the dealer folds his pocket 8s. You and the short stack flip your cards over, and he shows KT.

The turn and river come 8 and 3, and you double up the short-stack and everyone at the table hates you since the dealer would have made his set and gotten you all into the money.

(Source: stock.adobe.com)

A much better play here would have been for you and the dealer to simply check all the way down to the river to ensure that there is an extra chance of the short-stacked player being eliminated.

Tip #6: Take Advantage of the Bubble

Closer to the bubble, most of your opponents, except for those that are deep and short-stacked, are going to tighten up. No one wants to go home empty-handed, and most players in this scenario will simply wait for the short and deep-stacks to duke it out.

This is where a smart player will start picking up blinds. By paying attention to your opponents’ stack sizes and their playing style, this could be a very profitable period of the tournament for you.

When you are in position, don’t be afraid to show pre and post-flop aggression, but be careful on the turn and heed the advice given in tip #2 above (“Be Aware of Opponent Stack Sizes”).

Your goal here is to take down pots by taking advantage of the fear that will dominate the table, not to outplay your opponents with your advanced moves. Take risks here but be disciplined about laying down your cards when faced with aggression. Good players are going to see through this tactic and protect their blinds. Respect them.

Tip #7: Dominate When You’re Leading

If you’re the chip leader, it’s essential to bully the short and medium-stacked players. While the temptation may be strong to sit back and watch them eliminate each other, you need to acknowledge the immensely important role you can play in bringing this about. This is doubly effective as you near the bubble.

Your goal is to take advantage of the fear that your opponents have of your stack and pick up as many blinds as you can. Medium stacked players will be extremely hesitant to get involved in a hand with you and will lay down medium strength hands regularly. They do not want to get in a hand unless they know they are ahead.

It is vital that you take advantage of this scenario so that when it comes to the heads-up part of the tournament (only two players left), you are comfortably ahead.

Tip #8: Don’t Get Complacent When Playing Heads-Up

So you’re one of the final two players in the tournament. Now it’s important to face your biggest enemy: your own complacency.

That’s right, your biggest challenge when playing heads-up is the sense of security that accompanies making it this far. Yes, you’re already winning a large sum of money, but if you stay focused and spend some time learning about the nuances of heads-up play, you can win so much more.

In fact, simply by acknowledging this and remaining hungry to win it all, you are already in a better position than many of your heads-up opponents will be. You’ll be surprised how many of them simply “tune out” at this point and think of this stage of the tournament as a lottery.

It’s not. There is a lot of skill involved in playing heads up, and if you do the research necessary to improve this aspect of your game, the return on your investment will get a massive boost.

Read our recent post on training sites that will help you improve your poker and find the sections dealing with heads-up strategy.

In Closing

Tournament poker is accessible, fun and full of new players who aren’t as dedicated as you in improving their poker skills.

By applying these tips and doing further reading and training, you are sure to find them the ideal space to build your bankroll.

Keep training. Keep reading. Keep improving.

See you at the tables!