If You Want to Win Poker Tournaments You Must Know CPR - Part I

No, I'm not talking about cardio pulmonary resuscitation; I'm talking about Cost Per Round. CPR is the amount of money you are forced to put into the pot if you fold every hand. In flop games, it consists of the blinds plus, and sometimes in later rounds, antes. In stud games, it consists of the antes and the forced bet. For example, if you are at a ninehanded table and the blinds are $100-$200 with a $25 ante, then your CPR is 425. I have used the abbreviation CPR for years, and was surprised to learn that Blair 'Kill Phil' Rodman had independently started using it. (Unlike many top pros, Blair is relatively quiet and unassuming, but has numerous wins and final tables in both poker and blackjack to his credit.)

Next you must know your M number. (M is for Magriel, since X22 - aka Paul Magriel - was one of the first to talk about it.) To find your M, simply divide your total chips by your CPR. At the beginning of a tournament, the blinds are $25-$50 and you have $10,000. Your M is 133 (10,000 divided by 75.) The M basically tells you how many rounds you could survive without ever playing a hand.

Your M dictates how you should play. When your M is above 20, play your normal, non-tournament, game. What do I mean by your normal game? Play the way you would in a cash game. For many good players this is tight, wait for good hands, and aggressive, play those good hands strongly. Some players like to play tight and tricky, wait for good hands and then try to trap someone. Many of the best players, Phil Ivey, Daniel Negreanu, Gus Hansen, and Doyle Brunson, for example, play loose and tricky. They see a lot of flops, try to steal some small pots, and are willing to gamble more in big pots. Their opponents are always under pressure. They are willing to make big bluffs, big bets with draws, and, of course, with the nuts. This forces their opponents to guess what they have. The more decisions you force your opponents to make, the more times they will make a mistake. Don't try this unless you are an experienced player and expert at reading your opponents.

With an M between 10 and 20, you should play your normal game, but tend to make the more aggressive choice in close situations (call rather than fold or raise rather than call.) Keep in mind the fact that as your M gets closer to 10; the more important it is to play some hands. If your M is between 6 and 10, you don't need to panic, but you should already be looking for any reasonable opportunity to get involved.

When your M is very low, between 3 and 6, you have barely enough to scare someone. You can go all-in with any reasonable hand or as a total steal with a random hand. Don't try this steal unless you are the first one in, since any limper will have a relatively easy call.

When your M is very, very low, say 2.5 or less, you must play a hand quickly or you will run out of chips, but you don't have enough chips to scare anyone. Since stealing won't work, look for anything remotely playable and go all-in.

In Harrington on Hold'em, Dan discusses M and tournament strategy at great length. This is another must-read book for the serious tournament player. It gives sound advice and a great insight into the thought processes of a top player. Dan spends also gives some important adjustments to M.

In Part II of this article, I will give you my version of key adjustments that must be made. Before we look at adjustments let me summarize: M = Your Chips divided by the CPR: (cost per round)