Take this Pot…Please

by David Apostolico

To a large extent, your success in no limit Texas Hold 'em tournaments will stem from how many uncontested pots you win. In tournament poker, big stacks have a tremendous advantage. With the large stack, you can see more flops, bully opponents and enter some races with small stacks without fear of elimination. On the other hand with a small stack, you have to be very careful about which pots you enter. You have to avoid the large stacks and you don't want to be all-in when the other guy has you covered.

In tournament poker, it takes chips to make chips. There's more than one path to a large stack. Getting cards helps and winning some monster pots is great, but you can't count on that. I see many tournament players play way too tight and when they finally commit their chips, they get two or more callers because the price is right. They then lament their bad luck. What they fail to realize is how many uncontested pots they could have won along the way to help build those chip stacks.

So what am I talking about when I refer to uncontested pots? They come in a couple of different forms. First are those pots early on when nobody makes a hand and it gets checked around a couple of times. You'll rarely see this happen beyond the first or second level as the blinds grow. But early on, many players feel it's not worth trying to scoop a couple of small pots. There's no such thing as a pot that's too small to take. Every chip helps. It's not worth risking a lot to win a little, but it's certainly worth risking a little to win a little and a little bet is often all it takes. Scoop enough of these little pots and you can leverage them into a big stack. While these pots may seem insignificant, they may allow you to enter some more pots with drawing hands such as suited connectors. Or, they may make the difference between forcing someone else to fold or not. Or, if you do double up later, those chips will count twice. As pots are less likely to get checked around as the blinds increase, it's important to go after them in the early rounds when they are there for the taking.

Next, are the uncontested pots come from position. I'm talking about being in late position or even the small blind when the action gets folded to you. Many players will make an automatic raise whenever this happens regardless of what cards they have. Others won't enter the pot without a decent starting hand. If you're going to win some pots, you have to be willing to take advantage of these situations. However, I don't necessarily believe in the automatic raise every time. Instead, I advocate a more measured and nuanced approach in order to maximize value.

If I know my table won't break up for a while, I may limp or even fold from the button when the action gets folded to me. I want to send the message that I'm not a blind stealer. When the blinds increase and the antes are added, I will get more aggressive in my approach. I will try to capitalize on my image by stealing from the cut off or even late position. There are other factors to consider as well. Against a weak opponent, I may steal from the first time the situation arises and keep going until he defends himself. Against a more astute opponent, I may steal the first time and not the second in the early going to make it look less likely that I am setting myself up for the later more expensive rounds. Against a very aggressive opponent, I may play passively and then check raise him when the stakes get larger.

On the other hand, you have to also be aware of who else is trying to take those uncontested pots. Will someone always attempt to steal your opponents? Will another always take a stab at a pot if it's checked to him? If you can identify these players, you can pick some spots to choice spots to raise them and take that uncontested pot right back.

There are many ways to win chips, but in order to advance you should always be thinking of how you can win some uncontested pots. Don't over think it, though, to the point that you are waiting for the perfect opportunity. Err on the side of taking the pot... please.

This article was published at an earlier date on PokerPages.com and is being rerun due to popular demand.

About the Author
David Apostolico is the author of Lessons from the Pro Poker Tour and Tournament Poker and The Art of War.
You can contact him at thepokerwriter@comcast.net