No Limit Hold’Em Turbo Multi Table Tournament Strategy Part One
Multi table tournaments are getting a new face these days in the form of the turbo tournament. If you are looking for fast paced and wild action then you absolutely have to play a multi tabled no limit hold’em tournament in the turbo format. In most situations the blinds increase every five minutes and basically you are looking at a tournament that is twice as fast as a normal multi table tournament. A quick note on this format is that unless you are okay with playing very aggressively and shoving all your chips in frequently, then you are probably not suited for this type of event. You need to be aggressive, have lots of guts and be a little crazy to get the most out of a turbo MTT event. Before you jump into these tournaments, it’s also important that you realize the variance is pretty high. Unlike regular format tournaments where luck plays less of a role, you are going to need to be a little lucky from time to time to win big in a turbo format. With a sound strategy and by making the proper adjustments however, you can make an impact in this format. You can win lots of money and do it quicker than with a normal tournament!
Early strategy
There are a few different schools of thought on how to approach the MTT turbo environment; one thing is for certain though and that is your player image is very important. Your player image will determine how others play against you as the tournament moves on. If you set up your image properly, you will be feared and get respect, if you fail to establish a good image however, you can be in trouble. Players will basically walk all over you.
The trick to establishing your image early on is to stick with something for a bit and then when you change gears, stick with that too. For example, you will want to play fairly tight in the initial rounds and then you will be in a position to push people around and steal chips. Stealing blinds and small pots is important to keeping your stack in good shape while you wait for good opportunities. Once you have built a good (but not huge) sized stack, then its okay to start getting really aggressive. Really get in there and take advantage of players when you are in late position and absolutely terrorize other players with short stacks. What you are trying to do here is build a big enough stack so that you can cool back down and make solid moves. Once your stack is big enough, you can settle down and play patiently. Even though the blinds are escalating quickly, your tight image that switched to an aggressive one, has bought you the privilege of playing proper poker despite the turbo environment.
If you have been able to attain the large stack you need, it is obviously still important to change up your play and make strong moves to keep your opponents guessing and making mistakes as you transition into the money rounds of the tournament. The key here is to continue to be aggressive, its just that now you are being more selective and playing the more premium hands you would usually play in a normal format.
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