Beginner's Guide to Hold'em Single Table Tournaments (STT)

Single-table tournaments are a quick way to play a poker tournament. The most popular STT is no-limit Texas hold'em. Typically 9-10 players compete at a single table and the top 3-4 are awarded prizes. There are games offered with normal blind increases and turbo games which are typically shorter.

Because the top 3 places are paid, you should always be aiming to survive until then. Play conservatively and tight for the first part of the match. Too many times, players get involved in hands and end up being outdrawn or knocked out early. Only play premium hands and be prepared to get away from them easily. Good drawing hands should also be seen if you could sneak into the pot for cheap. Often ace-high flushes will be paid off big. Players are not afraid to call all-in bets or risk all their chips at any time in small stakes single table tournaments, so patience is key unless something interesting comes up. Do not try to get fancy and bluff too much in the beginning. You are likely to be beaten by a calling station.

Once the blinds increase, players begin to get shortstacked and play will change. If your table is soft once the blinds increase, then try to steal chips a little more. If you have been playing conservative, players paying attention will respect your bets. Be careful about getting involved in pots against extremely short-stacked players. They are usually looking to push all-in with a decent hand or fold garbage, so raise to pick up blinds. The people left will decrease until eventually a few people are waiting for each other to be knocked out. If this is the case, play aggressively against them as they will respond passively and fold.

When play is down to 3 people, you need to become even more aggressive. Eventually the blinds will increase and everyone will be forced to eventually make a move, so be aggressive to try to pick up as many chips as possible. Uncalled bets are sure to win, but you will never win chips unless you bet. Try to trap overly aggressive opponents in this stage, because you will be usually paid off big.

When play is down to heads up, be prepared to go all-in on almost any hand. It usually makes sense to push because if you do not, your opponent will and pick up the pot. Usually the blinds are so high that you can only fold a few hands before you lose.