Multi-table tournaments (MTTs) are where the life-changing scores live — events like the Venom carry seven-figure prize pools. But tournaments punish a static strategy. As blinds rise and stacks shift, your correct play changes hand to hand.
Think in big blinds, not chips
Your stack's real size is measured in big blinds (BBs), because that determines your options. A 100 BB stack can play post-flop poker; a 12 BB stack is a push-or-fold machine. Always know your BB count.
The phases of a tournament
- Early (deep stacks): blinds are tiny relative to stacks. Play solid, patient poker — there's no rush and no reward for gambling.
- Middle (antes kick in): pots grow with antes. Start stealing blinds in position and defending your stack.
- Bubble: just before the money. Short stacks tighten up to survive; big stacks should apply pressure and steal relentlessly.
- In the money / final table: pay jumps matter. Understand ICM — chips are worth less as you accumulate them, so avoid marginal all-ins that risk your tournament life for little equity.
Short-stack play: push/fold
Under ~15 BBs, most of your decisions are simply whether to move all-in or fold pre-flop. Learn basic push/fold ranges by stack size and position — it's the highest-leverage skill in tournament poker and easy to study.
ICM in one sentence
Because you can't buy back the chips you lose, survival has value: sometimes folding a hand that's a slight chip favourite is correct because busting costs you real prize money.
Aggression wins tournaments
Blinds and antes are a shot clock — fold too much and you'll blind out. The players who reach final tables are the ones applying pressure, stealing pots uncontested and accumulating chips before they're forced to gamble.
Where to play
For the biggest guarantees available to US players, Americas Cardroom and Black Chip Poker host the Venom and a deep weekly tournament calendar.
Put it into practice
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