| You will find in many of today's poker books that | | | | Your losses, if any, would be minimal and |
| there are discussions and mentions of three | | | | manageable. But, you likely would get a head start |
| strategic styles of tournament play - small-ball, | | | | over your tighter opponents in chip accumulation. |
| long-ball, and push-or-fold. In case you are having | | | | Thus, small-ball could be the favored playing |
| trouble visualizing these strategies, and fitting their | | | | strategy during the early stage of a tournament. |
| pieces together, here is an article that might help | | | | - Middle Stage. Typically, 5 or 6 players. The blinds |
| in answering the question - which strategy is | | | | are higher, but not yet crippling. The higher blinds |
| best? | | | | mean larger pots. Limping, and other small-ball |
| First of all, the mental images that these | | | | tactics, are no longer reasonable in terms of a |
| strategies might conjure are quite accurate. In | | | | pot-to-stack ratio. In other words, the risk-reward |
| baseball, small-ball is about the infield plays - bunts, | | | | equation has turned upside down - more chips are |
| base hits, stealing bases. Which you can think of | | | | required to enter a pot, which requires a larger |
| as similar to small-ball poker tactics. Basically, all of | | | | percentage of your stack, which builds a larger |
| the small risk plays that can add up to a score, so | | | | pot, which your opponent(s) will be less willing to |
| to speak. | | | | abandon. Long-ball is now favored over small-ball. |
| Long-ball represents all the big plays in the outfield | | | | It is now a good time to begin to exert |
| - action like home runs and grand slams. Small-ball | | | | substantial force to win the pot pre-flop, or to |
| is quite, simple, and methodical. Long-ball is bold, | | | | force your opponent off his hand post-flop. |
| forceful, and aggressive. Small-ball is about finesse, | | | | - Late Stage. Typically, 3 or 4 players. The blinds |
| while long-ball is about force. | | | | are now, or near, crippling in their impact. You |
| Just as baseball teams strive to incorporate both | | | | must at least win the blinds once every round, or |
| styles into their overall game plan, so should a | | | | become ground into oblivion. There is only one |
| poker player. In this sense, a poker player has a | | | | effective strategy - push-or-fold. You have no |
| choice, a strategic choice that is situation | | | | other choice. Unless, you can sit-tight for a while |
| dependent. In other words, as different situations | | | | on a dominate stack. But, even then your bets |
| arise during a tournament, a player should decide | | | | would represent a push-or-fold decision for your |
| his best strategy - small-ball, long-ball, or even | | | | opponents. |
| push-or-fold. | | | | Be sure to make note of the strategical |
| For example, in a given hand, a player might | | | | sequencing just described - small-ball, then long-ball, |
| choose to limp to safely see a cheap flop, figuring | | | | then push-or-fold. It happens to be a valid, winning |
| to outplay his opponent post-flop. That is the | | | | game plan for a single table sit n go tournament. I |
| essence of small-ball play. Or, he might choose to | | | | know, because it is the plan that I have followed |
| come back over-the-top of his opponent to | | | | for my last one-thousand, or so, tournaments. |
| attempt to win the pot pre-flop right there. And, | | | | And, it works. |
| that would be typical of long-ball play. The choice | | | | So, what is the answer to the question - which |
| depends on the situation - stack sizes, opponent | | | | strategy is best? Well, as you can see, the |
| playing style, pot size, etc. | | | | question is slightly misleading. As any one of the |
| But, later in the tournament during the very high | | | | three can be the best at different times and in |
| blinds stage, a player no longer will have a choice | | | | different situations, but no one of them is best |
| of playing strategy. To continue with the baseball | | | | for all situations. |
| analogy - it is the bottom of the ninth, your team | | | | The trick is to master all three, so that as a |
| is behind, and there is only one possible winning | | | | player you become capable of switching gears on |
| play. This is when long-ball morphs into the poker | | | | the proverbial dime. Switching gears, by the way, |
| equivalent of push-or-fold. It has become a 'Hail | | | | has a much larger meaning than simply adopting |
| Mary, pass' time, to borrow another sports | | | | one of the strategies to fit a particular blind level |
| analogy. | | | | or situation. Switching gears from one strategy to |
| Truth is, push-or-fold could be an appropriate | | | | another can even occur during the course of play |
| strategy at any point in a tournament, even for | | | | of a single hand, and from hand to hand. |
| an entire tournament. But, once the very high | | | | If you are not already, start thinking in terms of |
| blinds arrive, say on the bubble or in-the-money, | | | | macro (the tournament), as well as micro (the |
| push-or-fold would likely be the only possible | | | | hand), strategic adjustment (switching gears). |
| winning strategy. | | | | Poker situations are dynamic changing events, and |
| So, to tie this discussion of strategies together, | | | | you should be mentally focused and mentally |
| using the single table sit n go tournament as an | | | | flexible enough to continuously respond with the |
| example, you would typically select playing | | | | correct, and often changing, strategy. |
| strategies according to blind levels and remaining | | | | Our goal should not be to pick one strategy over |
| players, as follows: | | | | another for our favorite playing style. Instead, our |
| - Early Stage. Typically, 7 to 9 players. The blinds | | | | goal should be to achieve the ability to play any of |
| are at their lowest, and your starting stack is | | | | the strategic styles at any moment in any |
| intact, yielding a comfortable ratio of | | | | situation regardless of the frequency of change, |
| blinds-to-stack. This is a good time to see lots of | | | | correctly. |
| safe, cheap flops against inexperienced opponents. | | | | |