Tournament Poker Strategy Articles
In a poker tournament, many players are happy to see a big pocket pair as their hole cards. When AA, KK or QQ appear, a player usually starts to think about how he can win a big pot. However, how should you play a hand like QQ in a tournament?
As with any decision in tournament poker, what you do will depend on a number of factors, including your stack size and the size of the blinds.
Handling Queens Early In The Tournament
If you are dealt queens early in a Texas Hold em tournament when the stacks are about the same and the blinds are low, you should usually raise a moderate amount, maybe three or four times the big blind. You don’t mind one or two callers, but limping in with such a hand is rarely profitable.
If an A or K flops, you will have to shut down, and if it doesn’t you probably won’t get action unless someone flops top pair. On the other hand, if you let someone limp in with a marginal hand and he or she flops two pair, you could be in real trouble.
If you are raised after you bet with queens, you should
seriously consider folding. This may come as a shock to many new players, but QQ is up against KK or AA in this sort of situation much more often than many players realize. Early in a tournament there is no need to go broke with QQ.Alternatively, you can call the raise and get away from the hand if an A or K flops. Either way, you should not be in a big hurry to move all in.
Handling Queens Later In The Tournament
Late in the tournament if your stack is getting short, you should be ready to move in with your queens. At this point, the pre-flop pot may be so large relative to your stack that you may double up even if no one calls.
Alternatively, you may get called by a player with a weaker hand who is either also short and desperate or who has a lot of chips and wants to try to knock you out.
If you have a big stack, you may raise or you may want to consider flat calling in the hopes that a desperate player behind you will make a play at the pot in which case you can come over the top of them.
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