Multi Table Tournament Basic Strategy

Multi-table tournaments (MTTs) are exciting because you can potentially win so much money in a single day. A relatively small initial investment can return itself a hundred-fold with some good play and a little luck. The PokerStars Sunday Million alone can get you a $185,000 payday with just a $215 entry fee.

Now don't go thinking I believe long term success in poker is based even a tiny bit on luck - because I don't. Everything you accomplish in poker is based on skill, not on luck. But to win any given tournament it does take a little luck - luck is always there in the short run. Your job is to put yourself in the position where the luck comes in handy. The saying "the harder I work the luckier I am" applies perfectly to MTTs.

It takes a lot of work to play enough MTTs to make a living but the rewards are very sweet. That big win you have every once in a while makes it all worth it. If you keep a long-term mindset and give it your best shot every single time, you'll see those rewards sooner rather than later.

Because you can go for long stretches between big wins, it's important to follow strict bankroll rules. The most commonly accepted rule is to have at least 100 buyins in your bankroll at all times. If you go on a cold streak, don't be afraid to move down in stakes for a while. It's better to move down temporarily than to go broke and have to start from scratch.

A hundred buyins might sound excessive but there's good math backing this up. I'm not going to get into it but suffice it to say that you'd be surprised at how much volatility there is in Multi Table Tournaments. If you stick with these bankroll rules, you can play poker indefinitely without ever having to use personal money to reload your bankroll.

The basic approach to multi-table tournaments involves three stages of play: the early stage, middle stage and late stage. We have detailed articles on each stage but read on here for a quick overview on each.

Early Stage

During the early stage of a tournament you should play tight and conserve chips, only getting involved when you have a very good reason to do so. Stick with your best starting hands and try to showdown only the best made hands. There are still a lot of crazy people at this point so you can't bluff or play extra-tricky poker. Just keep it simple in the beginning and let the maniacs hang themselves if you catch something nice.

Middle Stage

The middle stage is played based on how big your stack size is. If you're short-stacked, you'll want to play a much more aggressive game to build that stack up. If you have a medium or large stack, you'll want to play a little more conservatively but still look for good opportunities to take down big pots.

Late Stage

The late stage is when you should become the most aggressive because the blinds are big enough to be worth stealing. While the other players are tightening up and hoping to make the money, you should be opening up your game and stealing their blinds! This is the absolute best time to add chips to your stack.

Often times you'll see a second "bubble" in big tournaments right before the final table. When there's just a few spots left before the final table, the remaining players will tighten up in the hopes of making it that far. If you ever see this happening, take advantage of it and steal as many chips as you can. The more chips you have going in to the final table, the more money you'll make.

The final table is the most important part of the tournament because that's where you either make a huge cash or go home with a tiny consolation prize. If you don't have much final table experience, go play some sit-and-go tournaments. SNGs are great final table practice and are well worth the effort.

This is the basic strategy all tournament pros use so I hope it works well for you. Nothing can replace experience but if you combine this strategy with MTT experience, you'll make good money at poker. (And by good money I mean six figures a year).