Let’s be honest: the first few levels of a multi table tournament can feel like a bit of a grind. You’ve just sat down, the poker blinds are tiny relative to your stack, and there’s a massive prize pool waiting in the distance that feels worlds away. It’s tempting to try and "win the tournament" in the first hour by splashing around in every pot. But if you want to actually reach the final table, you need to shift your mindset.
The early stage isn’t about hero calls or massive bluffs; it’s about laying a foundation. When you are deep stacked with 100, 150, or even 200 big blinds, the game plays more like cash games than a typical tournament. This is the phase where discipline pays dividends.
How to Approach the Deepstack Phase in Poker Tournaments
When the stacks are deep, the math of the game changes fundamentally. Unlike the late stages where you’re often shoved into a "push or fold" corner, the stage of a tournament where blinds are low offers immense strategic flexibility.
Why Stack Sizes Dictate Your Strategy
In the beginning, your tournament life is rarely at risk in a single hand unless you overplay a medium-strength holding. Because you have so much breathing room, you have the luxury of playing tight and waiting for high-equity opportunities. Deep stacks allow for extensive post-flop play, meaning you can navigate turns and rivers to outmaneuver less experienced tournament players.
The Power of Position and Pot Control
Position is the ultimate equalizer in a table tournament. When you’re deep stacked, being last to act allows you to control the size of the pot or take free cards when your draws haven't hit yet. In the early levels, pot control is your best friend. There is no reason to balloon a pot with Top Pair, Weak Kicker when you are 150 blinds deep. If you get raised, you’re often crushed. Save the aggression for when the math favors you.
Tight is Right: Hand Selection in the Early Levels
A common mistake for those new to poker tournaments is playing too many marginal hands because "it’s cheap to see a flop." While the small blind and big blind might look insignificant, bleeding chips early on limits your ability to exert pressure later.
Prioritize Strong Hands: Focus on premium pairs (AA, KK, QQ) and high-card strength (AK, AQ). These hands play well in bloated pots.
The Value of Suited Connectors: This is the best time to play hands like 89s or JTs. Because the implied odds are so high, hitting a disguised monster against someone overvaluing a big pair can result in a massive double-up.
Play Tighter from Early Position: Don't be the person who raises KJ offsuit from under the gun. You’ll likely find yourself out of position in a three-bet pot, which is a recipe for disaster.
Strategic Flexibility: Navigating Multiple Tables
If you are playing multiple tables at once, it becomes even more vital to stick to a solid, simplified strategy during the early stage. It’s easy to lose track of player dynamics when you're clicking buttons across four or eight games. By maintaining a disciplined range, you reduce the number of "tough spots" you put yourself in, allowing you to focus your mental energy on the tables where you actually have a massive stack or a difficult decision.
Pro Tip: Don't worry about the short stack players who are gambling early. Your goal isn't to cover everyone in the first twenty minutes; it's to reach the middle stages with a workable stack that allows you to bully the bubble.
Building a Foundation vs. Chasing Marginal Spots
The urge to "get active" is a trap. In the early stage, your edge comes from realization of equity and capitalizing on the mistakes of over-eager opponents. Chasing a marginal draw or bluffing a "calling station" when the blinds are 25/50 is a high-risk, low-reward endeavor.
Instead, focus on observation. Who is playing too many hands? Who is folding to every c-bet? This information is free in the early levels and becomes your most valuable asset once the poker blinds escalate and the pressure mounts.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Is it better to play tight or loose in the early stages of an MTT?
Generally, playing tight is the optimal approach. With deep stacks, you want to avoid risking a large portion of your chips on marginal hands. By playing a tighter, stronger range, you ensure that when you do enter a large pot, you likely have the statistical advantage. This preserves your tournament life for the later stages where the blinds represent a larger portion of the total chips.
Should I ever bluff during the first few blind levels?
While occasional "continuation bets" are standard, large multi-street bluffs are usually unnecessary. Many tournament players at the lower stakes are hesitant to fold any pair when they are deep stacked. It is much more profitable to play "value-heavy" poker—betting big when you have it and keeping the pot small when you don't. Save the complex bluffs for the middle stages.
How do suited connectors change in value when deep stacked?
Their value increases significantly. In the early stage, the "implied odds"—the amount of money you stand to win if you hit your hand—are massive. If you flop a straight or a flush with suited connectors against an opponent who has a heavy overpair, you can often win their entire starting stack. This makes them much more playable than when you are a short stack.
What is the biggest mistake players make in the early stage?
The most frequent error is overvaluing top pair, top kicker. In cash games and early MTT levels, 100+ big blinds are rarely moved into the middle by a hand as weak as one pair. Players who can't find the fold button with AK on a K-9-7 board often find themselves heading to the rail much earlier than necessary.
How should I adjust my strategy if I’m playing multiple tables?
When playing multi table setups, you should lean toward a more "ABC" or "standard" strategy. It is difficult to pick up on subtle physical or timing tells across multiple tables, so relying on solid mathematical ranges and position awareness ensures you don't make unforced errors while your attention is divided. Focus on high-quality decision-making over volume.
Shane C
Shane is a content writer with over 10 years of writing experience. He specializes in poker and casino games and has been chasing the ultimate poker dream and the excitement of hero calls for the last 15 years! Admittedly, he has yet to win any APT nor WSOP title, but he's not giving up!
