The Fifth Round of Play
The blinds are $100-$200. There usually are about poker five to six players left in action at this level. If at all possible, you don't want to let your chips get so low that it would be correct for your opponents to call any bet that you make. If you have only twice the size of the big blind, your opponents usually will call you with all sorts of marginal hands and they usually are correct in doing so. Having four times the size of the big blind will give you a chance to pick up a pot.
If you are down to two or three times the size of the big blind and you have a truly hopeless hand like a 7-2 or 8-3, what do you do? In this scenario, if it is high low poker likely that your opponent will call you, you're better off waiting for the bigs blind. Now say that it's three-handed and you're in the big blind with chips (you're in either first or second place). Fred is the short stack and he desperately needs chips. He goes all in for $400, double your big blind. What do you do?
You call him in a heartbeat with any ace, any pair, any two cards ten or higher, any king-small-indeed you can call extrastuff him with any reasonable two cards if you have the lead and his all-in bet is no more than double the big blind. Why? Because you have a chance to take him out of action. What if he only has $300 and goes all in? You can call him with "ATC," any two cards; essentially, you call him in the dark. You don't want to double him up, of course, but sometimes you have to take that risk. You gotta have heart, as the old song goes.
If you have three times the big blind, just calling is never correct at this level there aren't any two cards that you just call with. If you play a hand, you're going for all your chips. You cannot be afraid to go broke. In no-limit holdem, you just say to yourself, "I'm short, I've gotta get more chips, so I've just gotta make a stand. " When you reraise all in, you are simply making a calculated gamble that your opponents don't have a hand that they can call you with. You're trying to make the most of a bad situation.
You gambling poker more with a short stack than you do with a big stack. Why? Because you're forced to do it. You have to improve your chip position. When you're the short stack there's only one direction to go-up. You're already at the bottom and you want to get to the top. The only way to get chips is to fire. You're going to change your position one way or the other you either go out the door or you get more chips.
Now, suppose you're lucky enough to be dealt a premium hand such as a big pair, A-K, A-Q, or even A-J. In this scenario you don't care who you go in against although you might prefer going against the shorter stack (assuming that he calls your all-in raise) because if you win the pot, you will knock him out and will have equal chips to the big stack. Remember that when you start with twenty-five percent of the chips, you are only two pots away from poker winning principles the satellite.
The Sixth Round
The blinds are $150-$300. You usually are down to three player or less. There is no limping. You have to take at least a reasonable hand and go with it. You don't have much time to wait when you're playing three-handed. And when you start playing heads-up, it sometimes gets to the point where both you and your opponent know that you're pretty much going to all in on the next hand.
Some Tips for Playing Heads-Up
You are usually heads-up with the blinds at $200-$400. The poker tournament becomes a blind-stealing event, strictly a move in game. Even when you're still playing three-handed at these high blinds, one player steals, then the next player steals, and so on, until a player wakes up with a hand that he decides to play against an opponent that he thinks is trying to steal. In these types of situations, a-10 might look like a calling hand if you think that your opponent probably has a worse hand and is on a steal. You have to gamble more heads-up. You cannot allow yourself to get run over.
Now, suppose you are heads-up in the big blind and your opponent limps in from the small blind. With any hand that is Better than the average random hand-any ace, any king, any pair-you probably will move in. Usually when an opponent limps in from the small blind in heads-up play, he has one of two types of hands: a strong hand that he's trying to trap you with, or a marginal hand that he wants to see the flop with. Poker play always requires making a judgment. Will my opponent call or won't he? If you firmly believe that he will fold, you can make a play at the pot, no matter what type of hand you have. You're gambling all your chips that he won't call. The only type of hand he will call you with is a strong hand. The chances are better that he has nothing, so you are the favorite to pick up the pot.
Now, suppose you have pocket aces or kings. Would you limp or raise? Ask yourself, "How can I get the most gaming money into this pot?" One option is to make a mini-raise, double the amount of the big blind. Or, if you're against a very aggressive player you might just limp with your big pocket pair. Why? Because you know that he probably will try to blow you out of the pot. By letting him raise, you will have him right where you want him. Use your best judgment when you have a big hand in heads-up play. Use whatever strategy you believe will be most effective in getting the maximum chips in the pot limit holdem.