Comparing Limit Holdem Tournament Playing Styles

I have been playing a lot of limit tournaments lately and one debate that has come up often is whether it is proper to try and amass chips early or try to do so later in the event. For the sake of this article, I am going to focus on Limit Holdem tournaments. First let’s take a look at the angle of amassing chips early.

A lot of players like to try and play a lot of pots early to try and amass a lot of chips. The main purpose behind doing so is to try and give them a little leeway to open up their game in later rounds. The main way that players do this is to open up their game in the early levels and play a lot of pots. There are some players that will try and play every single pot while being careful of how they play on the flop and after wards. Early in a tournament this type of player plays a typical ring game strategy. As a result they could be on a wide range of hands.

The advantage to this type of play is that if the player is successful, then they will likely double up or more before the higher levels. At that point, they can continue to try and play a looser style or maybe switch gears and grind for a while. The downside to this type of strategy is that the player takes the risk of getting knocked out of the tournament early if they are not hitting. This type of player will usually be the one saying “I would rather go home now than on the bubble.”

The other way to play a tournament is a tight aggressive approach. With this type of strategy, a player will not get involved in many pots early on unless they either have a strong hand or if they are getting a good price. When they show down a hand they will usually have the winning hand or a very strong hand that has gotten outdrawn. The range of hands will tend to be primarily the stronger starting hands or hands that have good drawing capabilities. This type of approach counts on the fact that as limits rise, the larger the pots will be. One statement you will hear from this type of player is “One pot at the higher limits can equal to several pots in the beginning.”

The advantage to this type of play is that you are putting yourself in the best position to win the hands that you are in. Players will respect your raises a little more and will typically only fight you with hands that are strong or with hands that they hope to outdraw you on. Against weaker players, this type of strategy usually pays off.

The downside to this strategy is that if you go on a bad run of cards, you will be hard pressed to make it deep in the event. Also, the tighter players tend to stay tight later in the event and sometime miss opportunities to chip up. This type of style requires that the cards cooperate with you at the higher levels.

Personally, I lean more towards the tight aggressive approach in my Limit Holdem play. While going card dead is a potential problem, I am usually in the mix later in the tournament when people start getting thoughts of cashing in their heads. Of course, each player needs to adapt their own style of play. Not everyone is capable of playing a loose style and vice versa.

Regardless of the style that you play, stay aware of others at your table and make adjustments as needed. With practice, you will develop a winning style that will have you consistently contending in Limit Holdem tournaments.

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