Poker tournaments require being able to swift gears at different points in the game in order to make your way to the top. The EPT is no different in this regard. Here are some thoughts to keep in mind regarding how to approach various stages of an EPT event. Of course, what works for one player does not necessarily mean that something else couldn’t work for another player. However, I believe this is the soundest approach to take in each stage of an EPT event in order to increase your chances of winning:
Early Levels
The early levels of a tournament are the least important. What I mean by this is that your value in the tournament, and thus the importance of your decisions, are worth less than what they will be later in the tournament. Suppose the buy-in is €5,000 and you estimate that you have a 20% edge over the field. This means that when you sit down in the tournament, you’re worth €6,000. So, in a worst case scenario, you would lose €6,000 in value (but busting out), and in a best case scenario, you might increase your value up to €15,000 or so. Basically, you’re not going to be making any life changing decisions in these levels. With that in mind, a solid approach is to play tight and don’t get caught up in trying to force any action. Making it through these levels while just maintaining your starting stack is perfectly fine. Only go after the chips they’re basically giving to you.
Early Ante Levels
When antes are introduced to the tournament, the dynamic of the game changes. It is at this point that busting out of the tournament begins to become a more distinct possibility as usually the average stack is down to 50 big blinds or less. Because of the antes, stealing the blinds in these levels is more valuable. The antes essentially amount to an extra dead big blind in each pot. A winning approach to take in these levels where the ante is in play but the stacks are still somewhat deep is to open up your game a little more. You should have built a tight image in the early levels, so when you start raising with more frequency in these levels, you’re likely to get a of credit. Make sure to continuation bet on almost all flops in which an opponent calls your raise. Usually the aggressor gets the spoils in these levels.
The Bubble
Your chip stack is either going to be healthy or precarious near the bubble. How you play depends on your stack. If you’re under 20 big blinds, there is nothing wrong with playing very tight in order to secure an in the money finish. Of course, don’t play too tight if you can’t afford to be blinded off for the rest of the event. If you have a lot of chips, the bubble levels are a great opportunity to exploit players trying to squeak their way into the money. Dial up the aggression and watch your stack grow effortlessly.
In the Money, Before Final Table
These are very important levels where many key decisions will be made. Unlike the early levels, your thoughts and actions in these levels could affect your equity in the tournament by perhaps €100,000 or more. Be careful not to put yourself in situations that will require very tough decisions. This means don’t play out of position often and don’t try to build a big pot with hands that have good showdown value but not necessarily good all-in value like top pair, mediocre kicker.
Final Table
This is where all the money is made. Notice the difference between busting out 7th instead of 9th at the final table. It should be more money than most make in a year. For that reason, I advocate a very tight approach to a final table up to the point that you are the short stack. Yes, that’s right, I think purposefully playing final tables with the goal in mind of becoming the short stack is profitable. The end result is that usually you make it to four-handed on a bit of a short stack but are just a mere double-up away from being right back in the thick of contention. Now, obviously, don’t fold premium hands like Ace-King when another player moves all-in. I’m not saying play stupid, I’m just saying play tight. The value of simply surviving the tournament at this point is so large that there’s no sense in taking thin gambles for a significant portion of your stack.