Maybe you just play tourneys on the side. But who wouldn't want to hit a big score in one of them a little more often right?
The best small stakes poker tournament strategy involves using a tight and aggressive play style in the early and middle stages and then a loose and aggressive approach in key spots around the bubble and at the final table. This tournament strategy will help you accumulate as many chips as possible so that you give yourself the best chance of winning the whole thing.
Now this is a fairly simplistic approach. Don't worry though because I am going to dig much deeper on all of these strategies in this article.
If you apply the strategies from this article, you will have a strong edge on the field and you will show a profitable ROI (return on investment) over a large sample.
That of course is the key to MTT success: Your results in the short run are almost always going to be meaningless. You have to be aware from the start that you are in it for the long haul.
That being said, micro stakes tournaments probably have the softest fields out of all the poker formats out there right now, so it shouldn’t take too long for you to show a profit.
By the way, if you're new to poker and you just want to learn my simple system for exactly what hands to play, grab my free poker cheat sheet.
Memorize the charts. Stop guessing. Start winning.
Reasons Why You Should Play Tournaments
There are actually some good arguments for becoming an MTT grinder these days, as cash games are not always the easiest to beat.
For me personally this harder competition was never a big deal as I value the freedom of cash games too much.
Being forced to play until the tournament finishes (which can take over 6 hours for big field MTTs) and not being able to table select are two things that I don’t want to put up with every day.
In a cash game I can also choose the most profitable seats and leave whenever I want. And the winnings are a lot more consistent as well.
This is actually one of the biggest reasons why I recently cut down on how many tournaments I play, as I discuss in my latest YouTube video:
However, if you can live with these things then focusing on MTTs might actually be a more profitable strategy in the long run. Like I said, they are basically fish magnets. The lure of the big score will always draw the pure gamblers too.
This is why a lot of the very simple strategies for exploiting the bad players that I talk about in Crushing the Microstakes actually transfer over well to low stakes tournaments as well.
There is also a fun factor to them that simply cannot be replicated in a cash game. Anyone who has reached the final stages of a big tournament will know what I am talking about here.
That adrenaline rush of hitting the big score is a feeling that is unique to poker tournaments.
So whether you’re planning on becoming an MTT specialist or you’re just playing them occasionally in order to try and bink a big payday, there is lot's of potential value to be had here.
The optimal strategy can differ greatly from that of cash games however. So without further ado, here is my step by step strategy for crushing micro stakes MTTs.
By the way, if you just want the no BS guide to win tournaments, I cover this in extensive detail in my BlackRain79 Elite Poker University.
Memorize the charts. Stop guessing. Start winning.
This is in addition to 17+ hours of advanced poker lessons, hundreds of example hands and downloadable "cheat sheets."
If you're serious about improving your poker game, enroll today.
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What are Micro Stakes Tournaments?
First things first, what exactly are micro stakes tournaments?
Micro stakes MTTs are characterized by two things: small buy-ins and very large fields. A micro stakes tourney will have a buy-in of less than $5.
So because the buy-ins are so small, virtually anybody can play them. Most tourneys have fields with well over 1,000 players, sometimes even more than 5,000.
And then there are even special events like The MicroMillions on Pokerstars where fields regularly top 20,000 players or even more.
I will never forget my first micro stakes tourney victory. It was a $2 buyin with a little over 3000 runners in it. I took first place for $893.65.
Not bad for about 6 hours work!
At the time this was an absolutely massive boost to my bankroll. It tripled it in fact. So I was over the moon about this victory and it helped propel me towards playing in bigger cash games as well.
Now back to reality here. Obviously the chances of winning a tournament of this size are very slim, no matter how good you are. There is no doubt that I got extremely lucky at many points along the way in order to win.
However, over the long run a decent player can expect to make a nice profit in these games. The reason why is because micro MTTs are filled with some of the worst players you will find anywhere, and if you play a solid game you should get your fair share of cashes and more.
And of course the large field sizes do have one distinct advantage: Should you make the final table or even win one, then you’re looking at a very nice payday.
What’s the Best Strategy for Beating Micro Stakes MTTs?
The optimal strategy for micro stakes tournaments is very different from the one you would use in a tourney with a larger buy-in. The reason why is all the crazy play only leaves you with one option: tighten up!
Other than that it’s hard to give general advice as the individual stages of the tournament should be handled differently. Here is what to do at each stage of the tourney.
Early Micro Stakes Tournament Strategy
In tournaments with higher buy-ins, your plan should be to play a lot of hands early on. There are two reasons for this: Most high buyin tourneys start out with deep stacks (200bbs+) which means you are getting the right implied odds to see a lot of flops.
Example of a super deep stack hand from a cash game (same rules apply in a tournament):
The second reason is that you want to play against the bad players early on, since they will get knocked out as the tournament progresses and you will face much tougher competition in the later stages.
Both of these reasons don’t really apply in micro stakes MTTs though. The play is just too crazy to do anything but play tight. Most hands have 4 or more people seeing the flop, which means you will get drawn out on regularly.
It might be tempting to see a lot of flops in the hopes to catch two pair or better and play a big pot. However, this is the strategy most players use in these things so that’s not really what you want to do.
Instead, you want to mostly just wait for premium hands and then bet them very hard for value. The beauty of micro stakes MTTs is that your opponents will call much bigger bets and raises with weak holdings than they should.
Quick Note: By the way, it should go without saying, but make sure you are using a good poker HUD if you take online poker tournaments seriously.
You can and should make raises of 3x or 4x the big blind or even more if the pot is unopened and you have a hand like KK or AK. If someone opened before you, just raise the pot or around 3x-4x your opponent’s bet.
After the flop the strategy is very similar: You should bet your strong hands and mostly check/fold your weak ones. Your opponents won’t fold anywhere near enough to make bluffing profitable, so don’t even bother with it.
By playing ABC poker like this, you will get a ton of value from your strong hands and you will show a solid profit over a large sample size.
Now obviously with opponents calling you down all the way with weak hands, you will see a ridiculous amount of suck-outs (think NL2 on steroids here).
I can’t tell you how many big pairs I have gotten cracked because my opponent called the flop and turn with bottom pair and spiked two pair or trips on the river.
You are going to face countless river suckouts in micro stakes tourneys. I am warning you now, you need to be prepared for it.
This is just something that can’t be avoided when playing against bad poker players though. Just look at it this way: Every time somebody draws out on you, you just made money in the long run.
The reason why is that you can't fight the math in poker. If you keep getting your money in with the best of it, eventually you will bust them all.
Are you struggling to beat the low stakes poker tournaments? Do you want a simple step by step guide to show you exactly how to start winning consistently right now?
That is why I recently wrote this free little 50 page no BS guide to teach you exactly how to start crushing these games right now.
Enter your details below and I will send my free poker cheat sheet to your email right now.
The bubble is the stage in the tournament when the first payouts begin. So the play tends to tighten up considerably around this point as all the smaller stacks want to make sure they earn a profit.
Your strategy on the bubble depends mostly on your stack size. If you have a short stack of 30bbs or less, then you should wait for premium hands and play them aggressively to try to get all in as a favorite or pick up the dead money.
However, don’t play too tight: You don’t want to let your stack dwindle down to a few big blinds just so you can score a min-cash.
This strategy might make sense if you won a satellite into the WSOP Main Event for instance, but the best micro stakes poker strategy is to make as many final tables as possible. Because that is where the real money is.
If you have a big or medium stack on the bubble though, then you can play a lot more aggressively and increase your stack. This can be hugely beneficial later on in the tournament.
So I am going to be raising preflop with all sorts of mediocre hands during the bubble (that I might normally fold) in order to build my stack up such as:
K♣T♦
8♠6♠
A♥2♦
This is especially the case as I get closer to the button where my chances of taking down the blinds is even higher.
Even in micro stakes tourneys, many players will be afraid of going out on the money bubble. This means that you will get lots of folds when attacking the blinds of short stacks.
So make sure that you open the pot with plenty of hands if you have a big or medium stack on the bubble. I would just use a mini-raise at this point by the way as well in order to risk the least.
This is actually something that Daniel Negreanu talks about specifically in his new poker training course.
He attributes a lot of his success in poker tournaments to building up a huge stack during the bubble stage when so many people are afraid of busting out.
You take advantage of this fear that everyone has and before you know it you have an overwhelming chip lead and you are going to crush them at the final table.
However, there is one caveat to this strategy.
If they shove all-in on you during the bubble stage, then you shouldn't call them too light. This is because usually they will have something pretty decent.
In some cases it might be mathematically correct to call a short stack's all-in. But overall you want to respect their shoves. Don't call with garbage.
You can and should make raises of 3x or 4x the big blind or even more if the pot is unopened and you have a hand like KK or AK. If someone opened before you, just raise the pot or around 3x-4x your opponent’s bet.
After the flop the strategy is very similar: You should bet your strong hands and mostly check/fold your weak ones. Your opponents won’t fold anywhere near enough to make bluffing profitable, so don’t even bother with it.
By playing ABC poker like this, you will get a ton of value from your strong hands and you will show a solid profit over a large sample size.
Now obviously with opponents calling you down all the way with weak hands, you will see a ridiculous amount of suck-outs (think NL2 on steroids here).
I can’t tell you how many big pairs I have gotten cracked because my opponent called the flop and turn with bottom pair and spiked two pair or trips on the river.
You are going to face countless river suckouts in micro stakes tourneys. I am warning you now, you need to be prepared for it.
This is just something that can’t be avoided when playing against bad poker players though. Just look at it this way: Every time somebody draws out on you, you just made money in the long run.
The reason why is that you can't fight the math in poker. If you keep getting your money in with the best of it, eventually you will bust them all.
My Free Poker Cheat Sheet Teaches You How to Make $1000+ Per Month in Tournaments
Are you struggling to beat the low stakes poker tournaments? Do you want a simple step by step guide to show you exactly how to start winning consistently right now?
That is why I recently wrote this free little 50 page no BS guide to teach you exactly how to start crushing these games right now.
Enter your details below and I will send my free poker cheat sheet to your email right now.
Bubble Strategy
The bubble is the stage in the tournament when the first payouts begin. So the play tends to tighten up considerably around this point as all the smaller stacks want to make sure they earn a profit.
Your strategy on the bubble depends mostly on your stack size. If you have a short stack of 30bbs or less, then you should wait for premium hands and play them aggressively to try to get all in as a favorite or pick up the dead money.
However, don’t play too tight: You don’t want to let your stack dwindle down to a few big blinds just so you can score a min-cash.
This strategy might make sense if you won a satellite into the WSOP Main Event for instance, but the best micro stakes poker strategy is to make as many final tables as possible. Because that is where the real money is.
If you have a big or medium stack on the bubble though, then you can play a lot more aggressively and increase your stack. This can be hugely beneficial later on in the tournament.
So I am going to be raising preflop with all sorts of mediocre hands during the bubble (that I might normally fold) in order to build my stack up such as:
K♣T♦
8♠6♠
A♥2♦
This is especially the case as I get closer to the button where my chances of taking down the blinds is even higher.
Even in micro stakes tourneys, many players will be afraid of going out on the money bubble. This means that you will get lots of folds when attacking the blinds of short stacks.
So make sure that you open the pot with plenty of hands if you have a big or medium stack on the bubble. I would just use a mini-raise at this point by the way as well in order to risk the least.
This is actually something that Daniel Negreanu talks about specifically in his new poker training course.
He attributes a lot of his success in poker tournaments to building up a huge stack during the bubble stage when so many people are afraid of busting out.
You take advantage of this fear that everyone has and before you know it you have an overwhelming chip lead and you are going to crush them at the final table.
However, there is one caveat to this strategy.
If they shove all-in on you during the bubble stage, then you shouldn't call them too light. This is because usually they will have something pretty decent.
In some cases it might be mathematically correct to call a short stack's all-in. But overall you want to respect their shoves. Don't call with garbage.
By the way, if you just want to learn my simple no BS system for exactly what hands to play, when to bet, raise and bluff, I cover this all in my brand new training program, Play Fearless Poker.
Memorize the charts. Stop guessing. Start winning.
My new Play Fearless Poker training program includes 12+ hours of advanced poker lessons, 100+ step by step example hands and "cheat sheets" below every single video.
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In the Money
Once the bubble bursts, things will get pretty crazy. Most players who folded every single hand on the bubble will now be eager to shove lighter and double up in order to make a big run.
In most cases, you should go back to playing fairly tight and taking advantage of your opponents’ loose playing style.
Your strategy should depend on your particular table though. If your opponents play tight and you have the most chips at the table, then the best strategy is to apply aggression.
Your goal should be to accumulate as many chips as you can so you can make a run at the final table and ultimately win the whole tournament.
Your odds at the final table will improve greatly depending on the size of your stack.
Therefore, it is important that you try your best to build up a big stack as this will make it much easier to not only make the final table, but also win the whole thing.
The Final Table
You've made the final table. Congratulations! Here is where the real fun begins. But now is also the time to focus and play your very best poker.
The difference between 1st and 9th place money can be huge, so it is crucial that you play as well as you can. If you have other tables open, then either close them or move them to the side and only play premiums hands so that you can focus on the final table.
At this stage of the tournament, you are often playing against some decent opponents. Just like you they have managed to outlast thousands of other players in some cases, so the amount of fish will likely be pretty low.
One upside though is that your bets and raises will finally get some respect. So playing more aggressively can pay off big time at the final table!
My advice is to play confidently and fearlessly. Don't be afraid to follow your gut and make a big play. This is the time to really go after it.
But you also need to recognize when a tight player is clearly telling you that you are beat. Don't allow yourself to get reckless and call off large amounts of your stack with a mediocre hand.
If you really want to start crushing the final table then I also recommend that you start learning some advanced poker tournament strategy.
As you move up and play higher buyin tournaments this is especially important because you are going to be facing better players and you need to know the advanced math and GTO theory to crush them.
Should You Make a Deal?
You should also be prepared for the likelihood that somebody brings up the idea of making a deal.
This is basically an agreement to split up the prize pool money more evenly so that there isn't such a big difference between 1st and 5th place for instance.
My advice (and this is just my opinion), is to either say nothing at all or to politely decline. I don't make deals. I am there to win.
This is one of the most important tips I have for tournaments by the way, as I discuss in this video.
If it's the WSOP main event and there is millions of dollars on the line, ok let's talk. But in these small buyin micro stakes tournaments, I am in it to win it. No deals.
Look, winning a large tournament isn’t easy, so don’t be disappointed if you fall short. You are simply not going to win most of the time. That's just the simple math.
So the biggest key is to just do the best you can and be happy with your play. And also, have fun as well!
Making a final table is about the most exciting experience you can have as a poker player. Every pot matters and every all in will create a huge adrenaline rush.
Plus, this is (probably) the only time that you get to make bets of hundreds of thousands or even millions of chips.
So make sure to soak it in and enjoy it all. But also play hard and play to win.
And for me this means no deals.
I play for first place.
That's it.
Final Thoughts
Micro stakes poker tournaments are not for the faint of heart.
They are without a doubt the format with the most brutal variance. If you play your fair share of these, then you will receive crushing bad beats on a regular basis.
There are plenty of good advanced poker training programs like my new Elite Poker University which can help increase the consistency of your winnings dramatically.
There are 17+ hours of advanced poker lessons, hundreds of step by step example hands and downloadable "cheat sheets" for tournaments.
If you are serious about taking your poker game to the next level, enroll today.
Get $100 OFF Use Code: ELITE100
But the fact remains that poker tournaments will always include some level of variance that you must be prepared for.
It is not uncommon for instance to bust 20 or more in a row poker tournaments without scoring a single cash. And I am talking about for a good winning tournament player!
So make sure that you have a healthy bankroll if you choose to take a serious shot at tournaments. I would recommend a starting bankroll of at least 100 buy-ins.
The good news though is that these low stakes tourneys also offer some of the softest player pools imaginable. Believe me, the play in these things can be truly horrendous at times.
Now, while the variance can be brutal in the short run with tournaments, with the right strategy you can still expect to make a very nice profit over a large sample size. Plus there is nothing better on earth for your bankroll than winning a large poker tournament!
Lastly, if you want to know the strategy I use to make $1000+ per month in low buy-in tournaments, make sure you grab a copy of my free poker cheat sheet.
Let me know your thoughts about poker tournament strategy in the comments below. Have you had any big scores yet?
So make sure that you have a healthy bankroll if you choose to take a serious shot at tournaments. I would recommend a starting bankroll of at least 100 buy-ins.
The good news though is that these low stakes tourneys also offer some of the softest player pools imaginable. Believe me, the play in these things can be truly horrendous at times.
Now, while the variance can be brutal in the short run with tournaments, with the right strategy you can still expect to make a very nice profit over a large sample size. Plus there is nothing better on earth for your bankroll than winning a large poker tournament!
Lastly, if you want to know the strategy I use to make $1000+ per month in low buy-in tournaments, make sure you grab a copy of my free poker cheat sheet.
Let me know your thoughts about poker tournament strategy in the comments below. Have you had any big scores yet?
