Stages of a poker tournament

There was so many things that happened in my Saturday bar game last night that I am not sure where to begin. So instead I am going to talk about how most bar players are unable to change their games as a poker tournament changes.

During any poker tournament there are many different stages of the game. There are early stages when the blinds are low and a person can play more hands without risking too much of their chip stack. There are bubble times such as getting into the points or prizes. There are times when tables are full of players and others when you may only have 6 or 7 players. All require a player to change what kind of starting cards to play. Early in a tournament I may play 5-6 suited when faced with a bubble I may fold the hand in the same position. So many bar players are incapable of adjusting to number of players at a table. A marginal hand like A-6 should be played completely different if you have 10 players on a table or 4 players. In a 10 player situation it is a very weak hand, but in a 4 player game it is a very strong starting hand. One requires a fold the other a raise. Do you know which? Last night was a prime example. We got to four handed and all the players were playing very conservative. There was very little raising and almost no calling if someone did raise. It became very clear that whom ever became more aggressive would win the tournament and that is exactly what happened. Blinds are very high at this point in a tournament and you should play more aggressive then you had at any point in the whole tournament. If you run into a big hand, you will almost always be heads up and have live cards. I would rather raise with 2-3 and get called by AK then to raise with A-6 and be called by AK. The 2-3 has better odds to win! So just remember to keep track of how many players are at your table and open your games up as the numbers dwindle. You will get paid in the long road.