Switching Gears in Big Tournament Poker
Posted: 2007-11-05 12:34:51
UBOC 2 is fast approaching and we all know what that means, big fields, big prize money, and great players. A very important part of big tournament poker is switching gears when it is apporpriate.
Switching gears in large field tournaments is the key to success in online and live tourneys. Me personally, I like to develop a good tight solid image by not playing trash hands and making sure I never show down bad cards and keep this image. "The real poker starts" when the antes kick into play. This is where I start to use this image I have worked very hard to create. This is the perfect time to change gears and when you now pick up the pot it has much more added value.
It is very important that you are very aware of your own image at the table and what others think of you, I know many loose players who think they are really playing tight because they have not played many hands in the last 20 hands dealt but everyone at the table still has them listed as a somewhat crazy aggressive player. If you are not aware of what others are thinking about you, you are going to have more trouble being able to switch gears and get that respect you might need later on.
If you noticed that you have been on somewhat of a card rush and picking up your share of hands, you image might be that you are doing quite a bit of bluffing and your opponents are more likely to look you up, be prepared and have the goods because you have created them to be very curious.
On the other hand if you have not played many hands in a long period of time they are going to finally put you on a premium hand when you finally do play a pot. If you get raised and you have not played many pots, there is a good chance that this player raising you is very aware that you have not played many pots and it forces them to have a really big hand because they figure you are not in the pot without a very good starting hand. It is possible that the player raising you is hoping that you may fold because they have you listed as a very tight player. You will have to use your instinct and information about the other players at the table to better help you with this decision.
Now, whether you are playing tight or rather aggressive, your opponents have you classified as a certain type of player for the time being. If they have you listed as a really aggressive player and they stand up to have a confrontation with you and you show a little weakness they will try their best to take advantage of this, so you might want to slow play your bigger hands when you are classified as somewhat aggressive because it looks weak and you are more likely to get paid off. Now, on the same token if you think your opponent has a strong hand and you have a really strong hand, play it fast because you know you are going to get paid off for sure. If you are more on the tighter end of the spectrum the best way for you to get chips might be more of a trapping style. When they see you as being weak you will force them to play more aggressive against you. Phil Hellmuth sure fits this mold and it works very well for him. Many times he will play a tourney and rarely have all his chips in jeopardy because he plays tighter than most and when he has the big hand he forces his opponent into his trap by seeming to be weak. This also allows him to have more effective bluffs because they must give him the respect because of his image he has worked hard to create of being a tight, solid player.
Later in the tournaments as the bubble is about to burst, Often times players will be playing super tight as they want to make the money, this is often a great time to use your tight image and change gears and chip up as much as you can and take advantage of this situation. Many players know this is a good time to play a little bit looser and on rare occasions you will see a few players at your table trying to do this and if you know they are doing this with weaker hands, this might be a good time to gamble a little bit more and try and reraise them as you know they are on the hustle.
Also, later on when the tables become shorter, the players have dropped and you are getting down to 8, 7 or 6 handed play, then starting requirements for these hands have now changed and this is a vital time to switch gears and play more hands. Maybe play lot more aggressive as your opponents may have not adjusted for this change in pace.
Bottom line is that if you do not change gears when you play, you are forcing yourself into a hard position and the only way of being able to win is by you picking up really good cards, That's just too tough of a way to constantly win tournaments. These top players are super at playing poker situations and changing gears, that's what makes them successful. You don't have to invent anything to become a great poker player just emulate what works for the great players.
Good Luck and Flop'Em Dead
Shawn Rice
