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Poker tournament strategy, stage by stage
Updated November 2026
A tournament is three different games in a row. Early on you play close to a normal cash game, in the middle you fight for the blinds and antes, and near the end your stack size and the prize jumps decide almost every hand.
The number that tells you which game you're in is your stack measured in big blinds.
What makes tournaments different?
- You can't buy more chipsOnce they're gone you're out, in most formats, so survival has value of its own.
- The blinds keep going upWaiting gets more expensive every level, and a stack that was comfortable an hour ago may not be now.
- Prizes are paid in stepsOnly the top finishers get paid, and moving up a place can be worth more than a lot of chips.
How should you play each stage?
- 40 or more big blindsEarlyPlay close to your cash game charts. Stacks are deep, so there's no hurry. Get value from hands that can make something big.
- 20 to 40MiddleAntes make the pot worth fighting for. Open a bit wider from late seats, and raise smaller, about 2 to 2.2 big blinds.
- 10 to 20Getting shortOpen small or shove. Look for spots to re-shove over someone else's raise.
- Under 10Push or foldA raise would commit you anyway. Use a push/fold chart.
Which kinds of tournament will you meet?
- FreezeoutYou get one stack. When it's gone, you're out.
- Re-entryYou can pay to enter again during the early levels.
- TurboThe blinds go up quickly, so stacks get short early and you shove more.
- BountyPart of the buy-in goes on each player's head, paid to whoever knocks them out.
- SatelliteThe prize is a seat in a bigger event, so only finishing in the top few counts.
- Sit and goStarts as soon as the seats fill, usually with one or two tables.
How should you play the first hour?
The blinds are tiny compared with the stacks, so no single hand has to be played. Use the time to learn who raises, who folds and who calls too much. You'll be using that information for hours.
Small pairs can call cheaply to try for a set, which arrives 11.8% of the time on the flop. Stacks are deep enough to get paid when it comes.
Early on
What is M?
M is your stack divided by what one full round of blinds and antes costs. It tells you how many rounds you could survive without playing a hand. Dan Harrington made it popular, and his zones are still a handy guide.
Big blinds are simpler and most players use them now, but M shows how much the antes are costing you. A table with big antes runs you down faster than the same big blind number suggests.
Harrington's zones
How does M work in a real spot?
You have 12,000 chips, the blinds are 200 and 400, and there's a big blind ante of 400. One trip round the table costs 1,000 chips.
Your M is 12, which is the yellow zone, and you have 30 big blinds. There's no rush, but each round costs you about 8% of your stack.
12,000 chips, 200/400, ante 400
How much do antes change things?
A lot. Most tournaments use a big blind ante, which adds one more big blind to the pot before anyone acts. We solved the small blind's shoving range with and without it.
With 10 big blinds the small blind shoves 58 hands in 100 with no ante and 71 in 100 with one. More money in the middle means more hands are worth the risk.
Small blind, 10 big blinds
What is a re-shove, and why is it so good?
Someone opens with a small raise and you move all-in over the top. With 20 big blinds in the big blind and a big blind ante, the pot is 4.7 big blinds by the time it gets to you. You risk 18 more to win 4.7, so if you could never win at the showdown he'd need to fold about 80% of the time.
You can win at the showdown too, and that's what makes it work. A hand like ace-ten or a medium pair does well when called, and he has opened far too many hands to call with most of them.
20 big blinds, re-shove
Folds needed if you could never win when called: 80%.
How do you use a big stack?
- Attack the medium stacksThey have the most to lose, so they fold the most.
- Avoid other big stacksA war between two big stacks can cost one of you the tournament.
- Keep the pressure onRaise often when the table has gone tight, especially near a pay jump.
How do you play the bubble?
The bubble is the point just before the money. Medium stacks should tighten up, because going broke now costs them the most. Big stacks can attack them with a wide range, because those players can't afford to call. ICM puts numbers on this.
On the bubble
What changes at the final table?
Every place pays more, and the jumps near the top are the biggest. Short stacks going out helps everyone else, so with a medium stack you can sometimes fold good hands and move up without doing anything.
The other thing is reads. You've probably played with these people for hours, so use what you've learned.
Before a big decision
- Count the stacks
- Check the next pay jump
- Who can't call?
How do you practice tournament play?
Practice short-stack decisions first, because they come up most and they're the easiest to get exactly right. Then study spots around the bubble. Low buy-in tournaments are a cheap way to see every stage, and you'll get better much faster if you review your biggest hands after each one.
In this order
- Shove or fold at 10 big blinds
- Re-shoves at 15 to 25
- Stealing with antes
- Bubble play
What changes when it gets down to two players?
Almost everything gets wider. With only one opponent, you can't wait for good hands, because the blinds come round every other hand. The button is also the small blind and it plays most hands.
The prize jump is over, so ICM stops counting and chips are chips again. Our push/fold chart is built for exactly this spot once stacks are short.
Heads-up
What mistakes end most tournaments?
- Waiting too longBlinding down to 5 big blinds waiting for a great hand leaves you with no fold equity.
- Gambling earlyA coin flip for your stack in the first hour gives up the edge you'd have later.
- Ignoring the antesStealing is worth more as soon as they start.
- Calling too wide on the bubbleCalling needs a much stronger hand than shoving.
- Forgetting the stacksLook at the other stacks before every big decision.
Which stage are you in?
Twelve spots in three rounds.
Questions players ask about tournaments
What is a good stack in a tournament?
Above 40 big blinds you have room to play. Below 20 you need to start looking for spots.
Should I play tight early?
Selective, yes. There's no need to gamble when the blinds are small.
What is a rebuy?
Paying again for more chips, in tournaments that allow it.
Why do raises get smaller in tournaments?
Stacks are shorter and antes make the pot bigger, so a small raise risks less and gets the same folds.
How many entries get paid?
It varies by event, and something like one entry in six or seven is common. Check the structure before you play.
What is a turbo?
A tournament where the blinds go up quickly, so you get short early and play more all-in poker.
How the numbers on this page were worked out
The shoving figures come from our own solver, played between the two blinds with and without a big blind ante. M and its zones come from Dan Harrington's books. The stages and the raise sizes are common guidelines, not calculations.
Know someone who always busts just before the money?
Send them this page, or save the stack guide.