The middle Stage – Consolidation
After the rebuy period, things are different. The blinds will increase, making it sometimes as much as 25 percent of an average stack to just see the flop.
Most of the players will be playing much tighter and be more cautious than they had been in the early stage. You have to wait for the big pairs or high cards of the power hands.
You won’t be getting enough odds to support playing drawing hands.
Your weaker opponents will not make this adjustment and will continue to play hands like Jack, 10 suited, which can be a strong hand in a limit game with many callers.
You can take advantage of this selectively.
If the game becomes head-to-head and your opponent has a short stack and you are planning on calling,you should raise so your opponent has to put them all in.
That way he has to make a call or fold decision. If he loses, you have knocked him out of the tournament. However, because he was short stacked, the loss should no hurt you too much if he wins.
If, however, your opponent has a much larger stack than you, you need to consider what you know about the player and play accordingly.
Keep in mind, good tournament players will also be aware of your stack size, and they will play you accordingly.
If possible, avoid getting into a head-to-head situation with a strong tournament player who also has a larger stack than you have.
I would not suggest trying this with some of the weaker opponents.
Let’s assume you have played well, luck has been with you, and you make it to the final table.
As play continues, all of a sudden, it is down to the final four.
This is a short-handed game, and most of your opponents are not very skilled in this area.
This is the best way to eliminate an opponent.
Pick the Right Table / Picking a Seat / Theories of Poker / Betting Theory: The Odds
A Theory of Starting Hand Value
A Theory of Flop Play: Counting Outs and Evaluating Draws
The Dynamics of Game Conditions / Table Image / Player Stereotypes
Women and Poker / Spread-Limit Games / Double Bet on the End Games / Kill Games
Short-handed Games / Tournaments / No-limit and Pot-Limit Poker
