No Limit Tournaments: M-Factor II

No Limit Tournaments: M-Factor II

The M-factor in multi-table tournaments is a ratio tool we use to determine where we stand in terms of our stack size relative to how many orbits we can afford to sit in without making further bets. Using the formula…

M = stack/(SB + BB + Antes)

…we can define five M-factor zones, the level of M determining the most appropriate way to play.

The Green Zone

Here our M is at least 20 and, not surprisingly, we can play pretty much ‘normally’ here in that we won’t be restricted by our stack size when it comes to making certain plays. Thus it boils down to our own particular style and comfort levels so that we can see a number of flops with marginal hands if we so wish. Moreover, when M is over 20 it is quite okay to throw in a reraise pre-flop safe in the knowledge that we’re not putting too much at risk. Note that this flexibility allows us to try to exploit the occasional stealing opportunity in order to remain in the Green Zone.

Now that we are making ourselves aware of the significance of zones, it is important to consider our opponents’ situation, too. For example it would be a mistake when we are in the Green Zone to limp in with a small pocket pair when the only players left to act are down in the Orange Zone, for instance, as we need to be up against other sizeable stacks when we hit to make up for the times we don’t.

The Yellow Zone

It is by no means disastrous to slip into the Yellow Zone, as even when M is hovering over 10 we still have enough ammunition to make our presence felt. Nevertheless, it is now no longer feasible to stick too rigidly to a tight strategy, while we simply have too small a stack to liberally limp into pots. With this in mind, in the Yellow Zone it is important to loosen up a little and be prepared to get jiggy with a wider range of starting hands.

The Orange Zone

With M barely covering half a dozen orbits it is time to take the bull by the horns. Clearly our stack is way too small to enable us to do anything more complicated or subtle than good old-fashioned aggression. Indeed at this level we practically have little more option than to be prepared to push all-in pre-flop, as any kind of action by us would effectively mean we are anyway going to have to commit the rest of our meagre stack to the cause. Therefore marginal, speculative hands can’t be played with any flexibility as would be the case in the Green Zone, for example – we simply have to either fold or make sure all our chips (eventually) fly in pre-flop!

The Red Zone

Here M is between 1 and 5… not for nothing is this the Red Zone! If we want to be practical, then we should be on red alert way before we find ourselves drifting into this unenviable but pretty simple situation. I say  simple because here it is a case pre-flop of fold or all-in. Hands we might normally automatically dump such as J7 are worth pushing with if, when the action comes to us, nobody has entered the pot. Just by picking up the tiny pot we have improved our M, while we have a fighting chance of doubling up if called.

The aim is to escape from the Red Zone as there is absolutely no time to hang around (there’s no use ‘patiently’ waiting for aces if by the time they arrive M has gone down to 2). Remember – better Red than Dead, so have faith in just about any two cards and go for it. Passivity will get us nowhere fast.

The Dead Zone

Hmmm. It will happen, for one reason or another – ‘hopefully’ after being on the wrong side of an all-in battle as then we would at least have been doing it properly, as opposed to letting ourselves get blinded down the zones. So here, when M isn’t even being measured in whole numbers, we must be looking to get all-in immediately and see what fate has in store.

Essentially we want to be trying to maintain (and build on) a position in the comfort of the Green Zone. When we find ourselves in lower zones, then the mission is simply to move up. The more dangerous the zone, the more chances we should be prepared to take to improve our situation.

Good luck at the tables!

Angus Dunnington (AngusD)
32Red Poker Ambassador

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Does Stack Size Matter? (Part 2)

Introduction to Deep Stack Strategy (No Limit Cash Games)

Deep-stack cash game strategy is a completely different animal to short-stack play because maximum resources obviously afford us maximum flexibility. Not surprisingly, the more options that are available – and the increased situational aspect due to the game’s complexity – might well require more skill and experience, which is why many players feel uncomfortable with too much money in front of them.

However, this is certainly a fascinating part of the game and, since skill can be honed only through experience, perhaps the next time you manage to increase your stack to 200BB, for example, and if there are other deep stacks at the table, instead of leaving you could decide to give deep-stacked poker a try.

While it is true that all decisions require careful consideration regardless of stack size, with 200BB at stake it’s imperative that you think things through as well as possible. With a myriad of possibilities through the betting rounds you can’t afford to be predictable with your own play or presumptive about the opposition. When the potential winnings are high you need also to be able to read the ebb and flow of the game in order to adapt. Be aware of how other players perceive you, how this perception changes due to your actions (deliberate or otherwise), and seek to exploit this to your advantage when opportunities arise (which they will).

As far as your starting hand range is concerned, deep stacks afford you a great deal more room for manoeuvre than short (or medium) stacks. This is because implied odds mean your potential winnings in a single pot against similarly stacked players are high enough to justify bets on speculative hands (note that implied odds disappear if you’re sitting at a table full of short stacks). Consequently hands such as small pairs and ‘magic’ suited connectors become an important part of your game – you are likely to miss when the flop comes but when these hands hit the aim is to win a massive pot that more than makes up for the investment; with short stacks this approach makes no sense as the maximum reward won’t cover the accumulative costs.

Hopefully this is food for thought, and in Part 3 we will look at how we might get our hands on someone else’s big stack.

Good luck at the tables!

AngusD

Stack Size

Stack Size

Stack Size in Poker, and how it is even more important than you think…

Example #1

You hold , call a raise from the small blind, and hit a great flop of , which gives you a straight flush draw. You decide to play aggressively with a semi-bluff, to give yourself two chances of winning the pot. What is the best way to do this? Is it

a) Moving all-in straight away, b) Check-raising all-in c) Check raising, and moving all-in on the turn

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