Poker Calculators and Multi-Table Tournament Strategies

-link">you are a big stack, as compared to when you are
There isn’t a poker calculator designed for multiamongst the short stacks and playing on the bubble.
table tournament (MTT) advice specifically, but thatThis exact situation happened to me last week in the
doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be using one.Party Poker Million. I folded the AKos after an early
There isn’t a poker calculator designed for multiposition raise from a big stack, and a re-raise from
table tournament (MTT) advice specifically, but thatanother big stack. I felt my hand was at least
doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be using one.counterfeited, and surely, I must have been up against
In fact, I have used Hold’em Pirate forat least a pair Queens. It was really a question of $500
MTT’s exclusively and have reached a higherbucks. I was short enough to know I was out of
amount of final tables while doing so. Hold’emcontention for big money, so I decided to go for some
Pirate instructions don’t really mention it’smoney. But knowing the true strength of my AKos in
use in MTT’s, but you are reading this nowthat spot was how I folded.
because I have found through experience thatYou are bound to run up against those aggressive
Hold’em Pirate is excellent for MTT’s intype online poker tournament players who are always
assisting you with monitoring the table dynamics,in your face with pressure betting. They may be very
measuring your true hand strength, and picking yourgood, but they may also be maniacs. Both are
spots against aggressive players.dangerous. Either way you need to know the VPIP
Having a good feel for your table’s momentummeter in order to identify them. For example, if you are
or dynamics can help you combat an endless run ofin late position and considering answering a 3x blind
lousy cards. Taking down incidental, non-contestedraise from, oh let’s say, DuecesCrazy99, all you
pots is the key to survival and tournament advances.have to do is check the VPIP meter. You can see that
But that requires intuitive information. If you useDuecesCrazy99 came into 68% of the pots, raised
Hold’em Pirate like I do, the VPIP meter is40% of those times, and bet out at the flop 100% of
invaluable in that regard. At a glance you know howthe time! Even if you were on an extended coffee
your “collective table” is acting and how that isbreak sitting out, you will know from those numbers
affecting the contested pots. So if you are not inyou are dealing with a maniac. A tournament pro, will
position, or not getting pot odds, you are better offprobably be more selective than that, and pre-flop
staying out of the action with a high VPIP table rating.raise more, but will have a higher pot win rate.
On the other hand, a low (tight) VPIP rating with offerAs with most empirical poker calculators,
up ample opportunity to take down a lot of small potsHold’em Pirate is like having a pro like Chris
while building an aggressive image for yourself.Ferguson or Dan Harrington over your shoulder
Certain factors in MTT play have inherent value onoffering up guidance when you need it.
your hole cards. AKos is much more powerful when