How to build and bag yourself a big stack on an EPT Day 1

February 20, 2024

Poker

by Jack Stanton

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6 Minute Read

This article was originally published in October 2023.

When you first sit down in a big live tournament, do you immediately dream of winning it? Of reaching the final table? Of battling heads-up? Of hoisting a trophy over your head?

Or do you simply hope to make it through to Day 2 with as many chips as possible?

We all know you can’t win a multi-day poker tournament on Day 1. But you can certainly be eliminated (and more than once!).

So perhaps focusing solely on the day’s play is the way to go. Reach the end, bag up chips, and then come back to fight again. If you just so happen to bag a top-10 stack, that’s the icing on the cake.

One player who knows this all too well is Lukas Robinson, known as “lukas_robo” on PokerStars. “I would have been happy just to make Day 2 with a short stack,” he tells us. “But the fact I have a big stack is a pretty sweet feeling.”

Robinson had a fantastic opening day in his maiden EPT Main Event

Robinson, a Poker News Ambassador and Twitch streamer who recently enjoyed a fantastic World Championship of Online Poker, is at EPT Cyprus playing his maiden EPT Main Event.

His Day 1A went about as well as it possibly could have. He managed to spin his 30,000 starting stack up to 247,000 after ten one-hour levels and kindly spoke to us before play began on Day 2 about how he did it, and how you could too.

Over to you, Lukas…

PREPARATION STARTS AT HOME…

There are so many sites you can now access for free that provide pre-flop ranges. If you’re ever unsure of a hand you’ve played online just screenshot it or tag it and after your session, you can go over them.

Over time you’ll get a lot better. Learning pre-flop will make you better post-flop because then you can put people on ranges and stuff like that. I’d say 80% of tournament poker is played pre-flop so have a focus on getting really good at that.

Trust me, it will definitely make you more confident.

THE NIGHT BEFORE…

I’d say just get a good night’s sleep and lots of rest. For me, I go to the gym. That helps me wake up in the morning. Then get something to eat, and get a coffee.

You’ve just got to treat it like a normal tournament. That comes with experience, right? I’ve played a few big live events now and my previous experience allows me to treat it like a $109 online.

But just play your game. Don’t be fazed if a really good pro is on your table. Just play your own game and stick to what you know.

But, of course, running good helps to build a big stack!

BUT HOW DO YOU BUILD A BIG STACK?

A lot of people think that because you’ve got more chips, you’re going to play more hands. But it’s actually the opposite. You play fewer hands when you’re deeper because of how big the stacks are. You don’t want to get coolered early on. You just play quite tight and aggressive in spots.

Probably the biggest hand I played was with king-ten in the big blind. I check-raised the flop with a gutshot and binked the straight on the turn, then ended up getting paid on the river. I also coolered someone with trips over trips, stuff like that really helps.

There was an hour or two where I couldn’t not hit a hand. I was thinking, this is crazy.

Don’t believe him? Just look at that stack!

WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU LOSE A CHUNK OF CHIPS EARLY?

I still struggle with that personally. When you have a 30,000 starting stack and you drop down to 20,000 early on, you’re like damn, I wish I hadn’t played that or whatever.

But for me now, as long as I play my best poker in every hand… look, you’re not going to win every hand. You’re going to have to lose some hands. Sometimes people just have better hands than you and your stack is going to dwindle down.

But if you’ve studied, have confidence in what you’ve studied and what you’ve worked hard on. Then hopefully the run-good will come, as will the chips. I wouldn’t worry too much. Just play hand by hand.

WHAT ABOUT WHEN YOU’RE CARD DEAD?

When I’m card dead, I’m just concentrating on the play. I try to find tells from other people, look at what their best sizes are, what hands they showdown.

I’m used to playing six to eight tables online, so I’d advise other people who are used to playing online to just concentrate and chill. Live poker is a lot slower. But when you pay attention and analyse people’s play, you then have some information on them when you play a pot against them.

HOW TO SPEND YOUR BREAKS…

Most of the time it’s just a toilet break. I struggle with it. Online, I go every hour during the five-minute break. Here it’s every two hours or 90 minutes. So sometimes I’ll play my blinds then run to the toilet because my bladder is used to going once an hour.

But I know some people who meditate on breaks. I like to go outside and get some fresh air, grab some water, and stuff like that. Some people like to “study” on breaks, but I wouldn’t recommend that. You just want to let your brain chill for 20 minutes.