How Do They Do It?

Sometimes you may wonder how some of the tournament champions whose names you see in Card Player ever win. Seeing some of the plays they make, you might say to yourself, "That's crazy! Why did he do that?" Although onlookers may not understand it, there usually is a method to their madness. There was a reason why they put in that extra bet or represented a hand they didn't have. If you're playing at their table, you need to figure out the "why" of their moves, so that when they put one on you, you'll be able to handle it to your advantage. The key is to remain flexible in your thinking and avoid making lots of snap judgments.

Remember that you are always playing your opponent just as much as you are playing your cards. If you are not familiar with your opponents' playing styles, you have to get a line on them as early as you can, all the while keeping your mind open to detect changes in their playing styles in different situations. Pay close attention to what kinds of cards they call with and raise with, and the caliber of cards they turn over at the showdown.

You should always be looking for general tendencies. Who do you think is playing a little too conservatively? Who's playing loosely? Who are the solid players? Who's willing to gamble with marginal hands? Who has cobwebs on his chips? You also might watch the players who have reputations as top tournament players. They're usually "fun" to play against, and observing their play can give you a good idea of how top-notch competitors play in tricky situations. You'll find out that expert players are quite capable of going from tight play to loose play, or vice versa, depending on their chip positions.

Especially watch for changes in playing style just after the limits have escalated. A player who was just trying to accumulate chips early in the first round or two may begin playing a bit too snug when the limits go up in the third round, for example, to protect his stack. Somebody who is trying to hang on to his existing chips usually will not jeopardize himself unless he holds a very solid hand. Other players may begin to open up their games and start taking more chances than they did at the previous level in an effort to build their stacks. Sometimes, a limit change alone will create a lot more action. When this happens, it sometimes takes the gallery by surprise. That's when you hear comments like, "Why did he do that? What's happened? A minute ago he was a lamb, and now he's a tiger."

You continually need to be aware of the size of your chip stack in proportion to the size of your opponents' stacks. In the early to middle rounds, chips begin to get redistributed, and you need to know who has the bigger stacks and who has the smaller stacks, and where your stack stands in relationship to theirs. A top player may make what seems to be an unexplainable raise or reraise – or he may fold in what seems to be an unlikely situation – based solely on how many chips his opponents have. This is one reason why spectators sometimes have trouble figuring out what prompted Leroy, for example, to reraise Henry – especially in a showdown when Leroy turns over a junk hand and rakes in the pot. "He must've had a great tell on Henry," you'll hear from the gallery. More than likely, it had something to do with Henry's chip count, as well.

Figuring out "how they do it" when you're playing against experts can speed your tournament tactics learning process and lead you to the final table all the faster. I hope to meet you one day soon in the winner's circle, perhaps at Bonnie Damiano's Four Queens Classic tournament this September in Las Vegas.

Editor's note: Tom McEvoy and Brad Daugherty are the co-authors of Championship Satellite Strategy, due out in September. You can play poker with Tom McEvoy online at www.PokerStars.com. McEvoy's other books include Tournament Poker and Championship Tournament Practice Hands (with co-author T.J. Cloutier). All of these books are available through Card Player. Visit www.pokerbooks.com for full details.