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.

Getting into the late and money rounds of a no limit hold’em turbo tournament is no easy task. If you have made it you most likely have a strong table image, lots of chips and the attitude you’ll need to take home the big money. Keep in mind though that it doesn’t get any easier. The crazy variance of the turbo format will be just as prevalent if not more in the final rounds of the tournament and if you’re not prepared to handle it then you could be in trouble. As important as it has been to keep your table image strong and changing, it is crucial that you have studied some of your opponents up until this point. Clearly it is different because it is a multi tabled format, but there are clues and by the end of the tournament, you will be playing against the same ten players until the tournament is over, so you should be able to get some clues as to how they play. Here are some things to look for, especially in the turbo environment:

• Short stacks who have made it to the final rounds of the tournament could be strong players who had bad luck or they could just be bad players who were lucky enough to make it this far. Watch their play when you first encounter one and make a decision. A poor player is an easy target especially in the aggressive environment of the turbo format. If you see a weak player who was a little lucky early on, make sure to send them packing and take their chips.
• Stay the heck away from other players with big stacks. Yes, eventually you will have to take them on, but they have a big stack for a reason and your money will be better spent trying to eliminate weak players or players on a short stack. Remember, winning a turbo event is very hard, do everything you can to eliminate players and increase your placing, which will obviously increase the amount of money you take home.

You’ve reached the end so settle down

By the time you have reached the end of the tournament you clearly will have a gigantic stack of chips. At this point it is fair to say that the tournament has reverted more towards a traditional format because of the amount of money the finalist have, but the blinds and antes are still huge and you need to be aware of that. The best thing to do then is to adapt a strong strategy of blind and chip stealing! If you can successfully steal the blinds or take small pots, you essentially remove the large blinds as a hindrance to your game and you can concentrate on playing only the best hands when you have to throw in all your chips.

By this time in the tournament you should be very aggressive when entering the pot or contending for a pot. Seeing flops cheaply just isn’t a reality in a no limit hold’em tournament when you are contending for first prize, let alone in a turbo format. Winning players will routinely steal from late position, enter pots with pre flop raises and put their opponents on hard decisions when they have an edge.