During a Tournament, the middle stage comes when the pressure and stress really set in…Short stacks are looking to survive and the chance that an inexperienced player will make an incorrect decision dramatically increases. I always try to keep in mind that a decision made out of fear is not a solid one and is usually the beginning of the end.
There are many ways to navigate through this risky phase of a tournament and smart strategies which will take you as far as possible. Naturally, a lot depends on whether you are getting the cards to work with. If you are not, you’ll be limited in the amount of room in which you have to move.
As everyone knows, there are different gears in a game and every one of us has had experience playing the short stack. When the blinds have gone up and your stack is dwindling, you’ll have to make a stand and all the players at the table know it. Sometimes a player feels that he has no chance to make a move to double up. It happens very often that he has had a great chance, but did not take it because he feared busting out of the tournament. This is the
“Gear of Fear.”
In any part of a tournament, when a player sees that he is running out of power (chips = power), he knows very well that he will have to make a move. Nobody likes to make this move, but the strong players make them based on logical calculation.
Let me be the “Gear of Fear Expert” for a moment. The start of a tournament is easy, as every participant gets the same amount of chips to play with. But, chip value is different for each player, since they are not in the same league in terms of poker knowledge or experience.
Using blind stealing as one of your strategies: Learn when to make a move that has a likely chance of picking up the antes and blinds without it being obvious to your opponents that you are stealing.
Using your table image to your advantage: The pro player will always use his table image, as well as his knowledge of his opponents’ game, to choose the right moment to make a stand.
Spend time playing: Good players want to frame their opponents in the player categories to which they think they belong. This is learned through many years of experience and stands them in good stead when it becomes time to pick their spot.
Risking a move before your stack is too short: If a pro player feels he is at risk of becoming low stacked, he’ll try to make a move before he gets to the low stack. In doing so, other players will not suspect that he is making a steal.
