Tournament stages

• Early stage: 60 to 150 bb effective. Small antes or none. Focus on value, clean ranges, pot control on multiway flops.
• Middle stage: 25 to 60 bb with big blind ante. Steal and resteal become major EV sources.
• Bubble: ICM risk premium rises. Medium stacks protect survival, big stacks attack.
• In the money: shorter stacks and faster bust outs. Pressure ladders and pick up pots preflop.
• Final two tables: pay jumps increase. Table awareness and seat dynamics matter a lot.
• Final table: ICM dominates. Value your stack in chips and dollars, not just equity.
• Heads up: wide ranges, high aggression, and clear push call math at shallow stacks.

• Open standard sizes 2.2x to 2.5x. Play more suited and connected hands in position. Avoid dominated offsuit trash out of position.
• Keep pot sizes sensible in multiway pots. Value bet strong one pair and better. Bluff less on wet textures with several callers.
• 3-bet ranges are linear out of position with premiums and strong broadways. In position add some suited wheel aces and blockers.
• Do not fight small edges out of position against strong players. Choose tables and seats that give you position on splashy callers.
• Re-entry periods reward risk taking when you have a clear edge and a healthy bankroll plan. If not, choose lower variance lines.

• Antes boost pot size and reward steals. Open slightly smaller to preserve stack utility. Target blinds that overfold.
• Introduce resteals 3-bet shoves or 3-bet call off lines with 18 to 28 bb when you have blockers and fold equity.
• Defend blinds with strong suited and connected hands. Fold weak offsuit hands that realize poorly at shallow depths.
• Postflop bet smaller with short stacks. Favor lines that set up shoves on turns and rivers rather than thin multi street bluffs.
• Track effective stacks at your table. Many decisions change when a key opponent has you covered.

• Big stacks open wide on late positions, 3-bet pressure medium stacks, c-bet often on safe boards. Avoid massive flips with other big stacks without a clear edge.
• Medium stacks tighten marginal calls and avoid busting before min cash. Choose resteals with strong blockers and good fold equity. Fold hands that are only slightly ahead when the risk is high.
• Short stacks take clear shove spots first in late position and blind versus blind. Preserve fold equity by acting before blinds hit you.
• Exploit table fear. If you see obvious stalling or overfolding, widen opens one seat and add well chosen 3-bet bluffs with blockers.

• Field shortens and stacks compress. Increase steal frequency and pressure isolated medium stacks.
• Choose low variance call downs when pay jumps are near. Value bet thinly in position when opponents fear busting.
• Track ladder spots. Sometimes folding a thin edge increases expected payout more than a marginal chip EV gain.
• Balance aggression with seat dynamics. Attack tight blinds and avoid spewing into aggressive 3-bettors behind you.

• Ranges tighten for medium stacks facing covered situations. Fold more marginal bluff catchers versus big stacks.
• With a clear chip lead, pressure second and third stacks who feel the largest risk premium. Open wide on BTN and CO, 3-bet attack opens from stacks that cover others.
• Size preflop to create favorable stack to pot ratios for shoves. Postflop prefer lines that deny equity when effective stacks are shallow.
• Heads up pots against short stacks favor small opens and clear call off thresholds. Avoid dominated limp calls out of position.
• Do not take even money flips against the only stack that can cripple you unless payout structure and skill edges justify it.

• Open very wide. Use small open sizes to keep ranges wide and pots controllable.
• 3-bet more often with blockers like Ax and Kx. Mix 3-bet shoves at 15 to 25 bb with suited wheel aces and pairs.
• On flops, c-bet small at high frequency on dry boards. Barrel good turn cards that improve your range or add blockers.
• Use a simple push call chart for 20 bb and below. Practice these before you reach the endgame.

• Early: open 2.2x to 2.5x. 3-bet 3.5x in position and 4x out of position. Postflop use 33 percent on dry, 60 to 75 percent when polar.
• Middle: open 2x to 2.2x. Add 3-bet shove stacks at 18 to 28 bb with blockers. Flop 25 to 33 percent small size common when SPR is low.
• Bubble and ITM: keep opens small to preserve fold equity. Size up value against calling stations. Reduce pure bluffs against players who will not fold.
• Final table: min-raise or 2.1x opens. Set up turn or river shoves with strong value. Block bet rivers against medium stacks that avoid big decisions.

• Opening too large when antes grow, which burns stack utility.
• Calling off light near the bubble against big stacks who cover you.
• Passing profitable steals in middle stage because of fear of busting.
• Running multi street bluffs at shallow stacks where fold equity is low.
• Ignoring seat dynamics at final two tables and battling strong players in position instead of targeting tight blinds.

• Early play strong ranges and build pots in position. Control variance multiway.
• Middle maximize steals and resteals. Preserve stack utility with small opens.
• Bubble respect ICM. Big stacks attack, medium stacks survive, short stacks shove first.
• ITM accelerate. Pressure medium stacks and track pay jumps.
• Final table ICM first. Target covered opponents and avoid flips against peers.
• Heads up widen ranges and use clear push call rules at shallow stacks.

Plan your ranges and bet sizes around stage incentives. Think in stacks, antes, and pay jumps, not just hand strength. That mindset turns deep runs into podium finishes.