Poker: Tourament Strategy: Stacks and Position

"Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless--like water.
Now you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup,
You put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle,
You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot.
Now water can flow or it can crash!
Be water, my friend."

Bruce Lee


No one playing style is best. A super tight aggressive player will be at par with a super tight aggressive player. A super loose aggressive player will be at par with the super loose aggressive player. But if these two different playing styles were to colide. Long term wise the super tight aggressive player would hit big pot after another. While the Super loose aggressive player will probably win lots of small pots.

The best playing style is to not have one. Adapt to the player your playing against. Evolve your playing style. Bend to your player's style. Or just go with the flow !!!!

In tournament play styles become more refined. People tend to pick a playing style they like and run with it. But everyone's style is dependent on the variable. The variable is your stack. And with that one change people's whole style of play can change.

So what I would like to discuss is noticing the stacks and their position's to you.

If a player is low-stacked or lower than average chips, it will typically mean:

-They are willing to committ a raise of allin

-You shouldn't try to semi-bluff the pot from them unless you noticed them playing tight

-Adjust your hand selection accordingly

-And never risk your chips simply to try to eliminate another player.


If a player is High-stacked or higher than average in chips, it will typically mean:

-They are not afraid to go broke

-They are willing to call your raises with mediocre hands and also raise with those same hands

-You may need to loosen up slightly against these players when they open, and tighten up when their position is after you.

I would play for example against a minimum raise or call by the high stack.


Position, Position, Position

Never, ever do someting without first considering your position and its relation to other stacks. And then consider how their stacks will affect their play.

Very true about position~ I usually always consider that when playing a hand~ would lay down many hands that I would play after a bet but not before a bet was out there.