Eliminating Opponents

- Poker Tips and Strategies at JazzPokerRoom.com - Español

By David Apostolico - Dic 07, 2007

When playing a tournament, every time an opponent is eliminated, all of the remaining players benefit. There's one less opponent to worry about, and everyone moves closer to the money (or, if you are already in the money, everyone moves up a spot). Thus, there is great incentive to eliminate a short stack when you have the opportunity, and many opponents will encourage you to do so. A prime example goes something like this:

You are in the big blind and everyone folds to the cut-off, who is short-stacked with 3000 in chips. The blinds are 500-1000 with $100 antes. At this point the short stack moves all-in, and everyone folds to you on the big blind. You are sitting on a stack of 10,000, and it will cost you 2000 more to call. You have J♣ 3♣ - not a good hand, by any stretch of the imagination. Yet, you know that the short stack could have gone all-in here with just about anything. He could have pocket aces or he could have 4-5 off suit. Should you call?

The answer is, as with most poker questions, it depends.

If you are playing a single table sit-and-go and you are down to three people (with the top three getting paid), then it might make sense. If you fold you are letting him back in the game. If you are in a big multi-table tournament with plenty of players left, then it probably doesn't make any sense. To call here will cost you 20% of your stack. It's not your job to do the table's dirty work. In addition, you run a real risk of giving a short-stacked opponent more chips.

Many players will criticize you for not calling here because they stand to benefit from you risking your stack. Don't be pressured into doing something stupid. When I'm sitting at the final table, I love to see all-in bets covered by someone else, as I have the opportunity to move up in pay without doing anything. So, when should you be trying to eliminate opponents? You really can be doing it throughout the tournament, but the question is: under what circumstances?

When I see a short stack come to the table, I know that they are likely to be desperate and make a move at any opportunity, even if they have something less than a spectacular hand. My goal then is to look for a chance to isolate them when I have a decent but not necessarily great hand. I want to get their chips before someone else does. As long as they don't have enough to put any kind of real dent in my stack, I am going to go after them. If they make a small raise and I have a hand like K-J off suit, I may re-raise to put them all-in. If they move all-in, I will call with any pair or any two face cards if I know I will be head's up with them. I am not going to call with garbage hands just to eliminate them, and risk doubling them up.

In the later stages of a tournament I will be more likely to call with garbage hands when an elimination makes a big difference in the money. For example, if there is a 50% jump in prize money from fourth to third, and we are down to three players, then I will consider calling. My rule of thumb in this case is I will call a short-stacked opponent when I have garbage if I would still be in the same position if my opponent doubles up. That is, if I double this opponent up, will I still be willing to call another all-in bet from him because his stack is sufficiently short? If the answer is "yes," then I call.

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