Poker Tournament Late Registration Strategy

• Poker Tournament Late Registration Strategy Template
• Poker Tournament Late Registration Strategy 2020
• Poker Tournament Late Registration Strategy For Real
• Poker Tournament Late Registration Strategy 2019

1. Now some poker tournaments allow late registration on Day 2 where you sit down with 25 big blinds or less and many professional players consider it the optimal strategy to buy in late. Made day 2 of #EPTBarcelona 10k high roller with 25 bbs on one bullet. Yes, this means I skipped all of day one 😆.
2. Ike Talks Poker: Thoughts on limited re-entries and late registration By Isaac Haxton on 2nd November 2020 0 Comments There has recently been quite a bit of discussion about long registration periods and unlimited re-entries and their impact on (particularly online) poker tournaments.
3. Tournaments with no Late Registration that start with about 25-30 players will have a Guarantee of up to 30 times the entry, whereas the same tournament with Late Registration would have a Guarantee of 50-60 times the entry. Is Late Registration an advantage? There has been much discussion, including Replay Poker’s own forum.
4. Playing It Hard: A Good Late Game Strategy in Multi-table Poker Tournaments. The different participants of multi-table poker tournaments may find it somehow helpful to play very tight during the early stages. This will help them build a good reputation as a solid and respectable poker player.

Let's get something straight right off the bat.

Strategy for Late Registration Poker Tournaments Saturday, March 17th, 2012 Some poker players contemplate whether or not it would be advantageous to purposely take advantage of the format offered in late registration poker tournaments.

This is not an article where poker pro Andrew 'luckychewy' Lichtenberger tells you when you should or shouldn’t 'late reg' for a poker tournament.

The intent is to explain the thinking behind a pro's decision to late register for low buy-in WSOP events.

Why pitch this at the beginners strategy level? Understanding the thought process of someone who is better at what you do always helps, irrespective of the subject matter.

I used to think that it was an ego-based decision, the pro was being dismissive and was just turning up late through a lack of disrespect. And there may be some people who do that.

Poker Tournament Late Registration Strategy Template

Andrew Lichtenberger isn’t one of them.

Show Up on Time for Poker Tournaments

Show up on time, beginners.

My advice for the beginner player is to show up on time whatever the tournament. It’s important in life to be punctual. It sets the right tone for many other aspects of your life.

You also need the experience at all levels of the game and you're missing out on this if you decide to register late. Lichtenberger had been late regging the $1,000 and $1,500 events at the 2014 WSOP though and I wanted to know why.

“Last year I pushed myself really hard, turned up on time as much as I could and grinded every day. It didn’t work out for me.At the end of the summer I got really burned out, got sick and didn’t want to be there.

“I’m not giving up that much value by missing the early levels, and I am ok giving up some value in the lower level tournaments in order to maintain my longevity, and my composure, for the bigger buy-ins.

'If I wake up, and it’s early, and I feel good, then I will come and play. But if I want to go for a hike, sleep in or chill that’s cool too.

“I know there is value to be had in the lower levels, but after my experience last year, I can’t justify pushing too hard, if I know it’s going to lead to my demise.”

Related Reading:

What's the Cost of Your Longevity?

Lichtenberger is looking at the bigger picture. Not too many beginner players come to the World Series and play 35+ events, so it’s easy to see how this doesn’t apply to us.

Longevity matters too.

In Lichtenberger’s case it’s important that he comes away from the end-to-end World Series feeling fit and healthy.

It’s also important that he is fresher in the bigger buy-in events because these are going to mean more to him because of his bankroll and status in the game.

“It’s the Main Event primarily. It’s the last tournament of the series. You hope to do really well, and play for a week or a week and a half, so setting yourself up for that is really important to me.

'Last year, I was exhausted mentally and physically. My body wasn’t getting what it needed and this compromised my mind, but I have learned from that experience.”

Lichtenberger touched on the word ‘value’ earlier in the conversation and I asked him to expand upon his thought process.

“If you look at your actual win rate for the earlier levels, it’s going to be larger in terms of big blinds than it will be later. But also the big blind represents a substantially smaller portion of your stack, or the overall chips in play, than it will later.

“Say, you have a 100% ROI maybe I sacrifice 10% of it by showing up late. I’m ok with costing myself $100 to maintain my longevity.”

Related Reading:

The Limits of Late Registration

What is Lichtenberger’s view on the limits of late registration?

Restore yourself.

“It seems like they won’t make it to the point where you can register with 1bb. Like now, the cut off is 10bb.

'The first one I played I finished the day with 63bb. I knew it was clearly the right option for me, to not force myself to be there 12 hours a day 7 days a week.

“It’s a pick and choose type of situation. I don’t fault people for wanting to have the full-on immersive experience, get stuck in and enjoy every moment.

'That’s what I tried last year, but this year I am trying a different tactic and it’s working for me.”

So how would Lichtenberger act if he were playing an EPT or WPT?

“If it was just a week-long series then I would be here every day from start to finish. So for an EPT I would do that. The fact I can relax and restore my ability, after that week, makes a huge difference to me so I nearly always register on time for EPT and WPT events.”

What’s his view on the decision by some tournament organizers to allow players to register as late as Day 2 with around 30bb?

“I would turn up on time for these because I think to do otherwise is giving up too much value in the early levels.”

If you're happy you win either way.

If You're Happy With Your Approach, You Already Win

How does his bankroll affect his decision to register late?

“It definitely plays a role. If I weren’t doing as well then I would be more inclined to show up earlier because the bigger buy-ins would be less important in that case.

Poker Tournament Late Registration Strategy 2020

“About the money I think I am kind of in the minority, because I do play poker for the money but I'm not nearly as attached to the money as some.

'I think if I go out and do my best, am critical on my play during the downtime, and stay sharp and do my best to cultivate my poker ability, I don’t mind if I don’t win.

Poker Tournament Late Registration Strategy For Real

'I have already won because I am happy with my approach. Whatever happens I am OK with.”

Poker Tournament Late Registration Strategy 2019

More Poker Tips from Pros

Close Out the Win with Late Stage Tournament Strategy

Written by Haunted Poker for exclusive use.

First of all, congratulations on making it to this point in the tournament. You’ve outlasted a good number of opponents, and you’re in the money. At this point, you need to make a push for the final table and eventually first prize. What you do at this point will largely depend on the size of your chip stack in comparison to the blinds, and the type of players at your table. Generally, you should take advantage of your chip lead by putting pressure on the short stacks and if you are the short stack, you should be looking for the best opportunity to shove it all in.
As the tournament winds down and players fight for higher positions in the payout ladder, the blinds usually become astronomical. Not only is this the case with small-stakes online poker tournaments, but it is becoming increasingly standard in casino events as well. This low number of chips in play in relation to the size of the blinds increases the luck element of the game, as it forces players to gamble on hands that they wouldn’t normally incorporate into their strategy.
At all times, you should be aware of how many rounds of blinds you’ll be to able play before you go broke. If you have 4,000 chips left and the blinds are 500/1,000 you’re in a dangerous situation. You can only play 2 or 3 more rounds without improving your chip count. Whenever you’re down to 5 or 6 or less times the big blind, you should be looking for opportunities to go all-in.
You can’t wait much longer for a couple of reasons. Firstly, you want to have enough left to put pressure on your opponents with your all-in. If they all fold to you preflop, you’ve bought yourself another round of play. Secondly, if you just call, you won’t have much left on the flop and you’ll be faced with a tough decision if you don’t connect. Since you’ll already be committed to the pot, save yourself the trouble and go all-in – you won’t have to make any more decisions in the hand. Hands you should consider going all-in with include any pocket pair, a decent Ace, King, or two face cards. Even suited connectors aren’t big underdogs to overcards, so consider making a move. The key is to be aggressive and put pressure on the rest of the table when you’re the short stack.
However, what if you find yourself in the fortunate position of being the chip leader or one of the bigger stacks left in the tourney? You shouldn’t sit back and rely on those chips to coast you to the final table. You’re playing to win, so keep building your stack and allow yourself to remain aggressive. Because you have so many chips, you can afford to gamble a bit with some of the shorter stacks. In tournaments, drawing to straights and flushes too often usually spells disaster. However, I recommend that you bet aggressively when you pick up a draw as a chip leader. If you’re heads-up on the flop and you greatly outnumber your opponent in chips, consider putting him all in with middle pair or a draw. He’ll have to have a very strong hand to risk his tournament life, and most of the time you’ll pick up the pot with your large bet.
Also, you can call all-in gambles from short stacks if you have any pocket pair and you suspect they have something like A-K. You can afford to lose those coin-flip hands, but you’ll be in great position if you come out ahead. The worst thing you can do with a chip lead is to sit on it and allow the blinds to peck away at you. Maintain your lead and at least pick up the blinds every round if possible.
As you work your way to the final table, play usually becomes increasingly sophisticated and tight. If the rest of the table won’t put any chips into the pot and everyone is too timid to risk going out before the final table, punish them. Throw in big raises preflop against weak opponents until someone fights back. Reaching the final table is an imaginary boundary, and since you’re playing to win the whole thing why not exploit their timid play and pick up a few extra blinds?
Once you do reach the final table, you can probably advance a few places just by allowing the maniacs to do their bidding. Many players are content with their final table finish, and will get “chip happy” for a couple of rounds. As the table becomes shorthanded, you should realize that starting hands go way up in value, and you’ll need to play your opponents more than your cards. With less opponents left at the table, the blinds will be coming around much faster.
Now more than ever, you’ll need to open up your play, steal the blinds at opportune times, and look for weaknesses in your opponents. You might consider slowplaying your monster hands, as it is more unlikely that you will be outdrawn in shorthanded play. Study your opponents and the cards they show since you’ll be seeing them in almost every pot. Finally, if you make it to heads-up play, you’ll have to stay aggressive and raise most hands from the small blind to take control. Don’t be afraid to get all your chips in the pot with any Ace, a decent King, face cards, or any pocket pair. The end of the tournament is all about maintaining your chip lead and taking risks when you need to. Exploit a tight table, wait for stronger cards at a looser table, and never reserve yourself to anything less than first prize. My my, you didn’t think that vampires could be so competitive, did you?