5 things hold’em newbies should know about MTTs

December 14, 2024

News

by Matthew Warburton

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5 Minute Read

Multi-table tournaments (MTTs) are an exciting, action-packed type of poker. The dynamics are always changing. The blinds rise, putting players under an increasing amount of pressure. And everyone competes for huge prize money.

If you’re new to poker, then chances are you haven’t won an MTT yet. Maybe you’ve not even played one? This guide will tell you five things a newbie needs to know as they embark on their journey into MTTs.

All MTTs are different

MTTs are scheduled tournaments that take place at a casino or online poker room. Each MTT is different to the next, as they vary when it comes to buy-ins, blind structure, format, field size and prize pool.

For example, online you might find an MTTs that cost $11 to enter, has unlimited entries, and a fast structure that forces action.

Or, you might stumble on an MTT that costs $55 that has a slow structure and is PKO format. These encourage players to compete for bounties as well as payouts.

There’s something for everyone when it comes to MTTs. Be sure to scope out a tournament that is suitable for your bankroll, skill level, and personal preferences.

MTTs take a while

Another big consideration when playing tournaments is the amount of time they take. Usually, an MTT will take several hours from start to finish. Bigger events can run for ten hours or more, even days.

As a newbie, you should be aware of how much time a given tournament is likely to take and make sure that you can commit to it. There’s no point playing a game if you won’t be able to finish it.

The fact that MTTs take a while also means that you’ll need to keep up your focus and concentration for hours. You’ll improve with practice. But for now be physically and mentally prepared for long sessions.

If you’d rather play for four hours than eight hours, stick to turbo or even hyper turbo MTTs. If you want to settle in for the long haul, pick tournaments with a generous blind structure and deep stacks.

MTTs have different stages

During any poker tournament the blinds continually rise and reduce the stack size of players. This means that if you did nothing in an MTT, you would eventually lose all your chips. Effectively, tournament poker is a race against the blinds.

As the blinds rise, this creates several fairly distinct phases in a tournament:

• Early – In the early phases of an MTT, blinds are low and stacks tend to be deep. This allows for plenty of post-flop action. From a strategical perspective, it’s a good time to play for value against weak players who are still in the field.

• Middle – During the middle stages of an MTT, blinds start to get quite high relative to stacks. Antes usually come into play. These put more chips in the middle and gives players further reason to steal and raise pots preflop. It’s time to ramp up the aggression.

• Bubble – The bubble is the point which only a few more players need to bust before everyone makes the money. It’s characterised by tight play from smaller stacks who have a vested interest in making the money. Bigger stacks can exploit the situation and gain even more chips.

• Late – The late stages of an MTT occur once the bubble has burst. the action moves towards the final table and the serious money. Blinds will now be high, making pots very valuable. They also add pressure to shorter and medium stack players. ICM, mentioned below, also comes into play.

The value of chips fluctuates

In cash game poker, the value of chips is always worth the amount that you paid for them. If you put $50 into a cash game, you’ll get $50 worth of chips that remain at that value throughout the game.

In tournament poker, the situation is different. Put simply, you need to win all of the chips to come first, yet you won’t win all of the prize money. There is a distribution of payouts and so the value of chips fluctuates depending on your probability of obtaining these payouts.

ICM calculations are quite intense and so are worked out using computer calculations. For newbies, all you need to know is that ICM considerations will impact how you play. They are most profound on the bubble and final table. When pay jumps are most extreme, you make money when other players bust.

You won’t win MTTs often

Here’s something that every new player needs to understand if they’re going to have long term success playing MTTs. You won’t win too often, even if you’re a great player who is better than the opposition.

This is a numbers thing. It’s probability. The field size is large in an MTT and the payouts are weighted towards the final table and top three. Even with a significant edge over the field, you still need to get through hundreds or even thousands of players to win.

Obviously, this depends on the field size. You’ll win a 45-player MTT more often than a weekend major with thousands of players.

In any case, you’ll need patience, resilience, and good bankroll management if you want to conquer the world of MTTs. If you can do it, MTTs are one of the most exciting and rewarding ways to play poker.