Hey, Poker playas!
Often times when you go near a tournament area. you would hear poker players will say “you still have 20 BB, you still have chips to play”
Today we would make a breakdown of what the term actually means and why it is so important to know about it.
Understanding the battleground.
The structure of a tournament is like whether it is raining or sunny on the battlefield.
It actually affects the game in more ways than one. The next level could be your make a move or you could lose without putting up a fight. It could also be the level you can still relax and pick the fight you wish to get involved in.
Starting Stack
The starting stack is the stack you would start with when you play. All players in a tournament start with the same starting stack as to even the field.
Poker players usually count in BB or big blinds. When a player says he has 20 BB. it means that he has 20 times the big blind.
Most professional players would say how many blinds they still have left on the next level not how many chips they have. (more on that later why this is crucial)
Blinds level and Time per level
The blind is how much is the big blind and small blind for that level.
The blind level is the level on when a player comes in. as there are no standard blinds and this is left to the decision of the organizer. Different tournaments may have the same level but not the same blinds.
Time per level is the minute before the next level up or the minutes per level.
Normally, it takes 15 minutes for a complete round to finish on a live tournament. WSOP practice 1 hour per level format.
The online tournament can have a slower pace due to that they can use odd numbers for levels while live tournaments are constraint by the physical chip.
Why understanding the structure is important.
There are players who only bases on how many stacks they have when they enter. A century ago when tournaments were still quite good and have followed the normal structure. But as years pass by, the structure has been altered to give way to a quicker pace game. However, some players have not adapted to this hence oftentimes are placed in a very difficult position.
20 BB in a tournament. It may not be the best position to be in.
20 BB is the standard that most poker players base their game on.
For example, in a cash game where the blind is flat or not rising. By having 20 big blinds. You have enough chips for a few orbits, It is a stack for you to be able to raise when you have a good hand and enough to value bet on the flop. If however your value bet was met with resistance and you opted to fold. You would still have enough stack to play the game.
Why it may not be enough in today’s tournament setting.
The problem with such gameplay is how organizers have modified the game.
Here is a concrete example of one organizer’s creative way of going around this.
The break usually signifies the last minute you can re-enter. The organizers have become expert in this type of structure that from the outside. If you re-enter you still will have 20 big blinds. which in theory gives you a good chance.
However, the minutes could be shorter, the ante could be bigger, the jump of the level could also be huge. What you believe is enough stack to play with, could be a stack that if you do not make a move in the next 7 hands you’ll be short stack.
Level 6 – blinds 500-1,000, starting stack – 20,000 – ante 100
You have 20 big blinds.
Next level (minutes are now at 10 minutes) – blind at 700 – 1400 ante 200
Assuming, you did not have to post blinds and not even antes. You are now down to 14 BB. If you posted blinds and antes. assuming you were lucky to have one orbit.
20,000 – (500(small blind)+1000(big blind) + 700(antes) = 17,800
Plus you are now the big blind (minus 1,400 – ante) you are left with 16,400 or only 11.5x the big blind.
You are left in a do-or-die situation, hoping you get a big hand and it holds up.
Freeroll tournaments with double re-buy and add ons
Freeroll tournaments are designed to attract players. but make no mistake that most organizers want to recoup their money back.
The structures can actually be played viciously, We have seen tournament structures designed so that the starting stack is simply not enough for the next level at the first few levels. The hitch is you have to be busted out before you can rebuy, what more a single re-buy is not even 20 BB that you have to take the double rebuy option.
A lot of times you might end up spending more than you intended to play a freeroll tournament. You would have been better of playing a buy-in tournament with a decent structure.
You could still win?
Not discounting that yes you could win. but in the end, if you get used to playing bingo so much. You might not be truly developing your skill as a poker player.
