Chipping up

Figured id make another poker post as im bored and really have nothing better to do in my life on a wednesday afternoon off work.

This is again no a quote, im writing this myself, and this thread should hopfully influence all of you, not just some. Thats if anyone reads it:)

So, chipping up. Simply put its the act of adding chips to your current stack.

At the beginning of a tourney, chipping up is a large priority, or at least it should be. In my opinion, not enough players actively try to increase their stack early on in an MTT. Obviously in the different varieties of poker this changes, such as double or nothing SnGs - chipping u here is not important, as it isnt in other SnGs of similar structures, so for the purpose of this topic, ill stick with it as if we are in a large MTT.

Blind stealing early on is pointless. Your winning 30 or 45 chips. WRONG!!! I know youll all disagree but who cares!! Blind stealing has, is, and always will be, helpful at any level at any time. Now im not talking about pushing your 4,000 stack to win 45 in blinds. But raising with ess trong hands from later positions with the intention of winning the blinds is a +EV(expected value) play. Say you have 10h8h. This is a great drawing hand, with many many possible outs on a variety of flops, so say your in the cut-off position, and youmake it 3x BB, its highy unlikely your gonna be in very veyr bad shape (as in vs an overpair), and if you are, you can always fold preflop when they reraise you. Its probable however that you do not have the strongest hand in value terms out of yourself and the 3 players t act behind you. However, because you are making the raise, and not calling a raise, the opponents ranges of hands they can call you with is smaller than you think. e.g A2-A6 would probably fold from the SB to a raise (well, theoretically) as shud K2-K8 e.t.c So you can make a lot of the hands that beat you fold. And if you do get called once or more times, you have a decent hand to see a flop with. Obviously you can alter the hands as you like, but you get my general thesis.


Chipping up is all about getting a bigger stack earlier on in a tournament. The goal from the beginning to the end of a tournament is to increase your stack, untill you win all the chips. Obviously at some stages you wont know where you are in a hand, which is fine.

But if you have an opportunity when you are pretty sure you are ahead in a hand, go ahead and get your chips in. Your gonna lose sometimes, bad beats do happen. You may even not be ahead a few times, but you need to take these chances earlier on.

You want to play a wide range of hands in position, and a small range of hands out of position. E.g KQs is great in LP or button positions.... but under the gun?? Some players will limp occasionally, but if you get raised... what exactly are you beating?? In a game where people know what they are doing, noone is going to raise KJ prelfop, unless they have position. or QJ or similar.

Remember - you dont need to play small pots to chip up. Youll find that being agressive earlier on, getting your chips in while racing or ahead earlier on, can help you win in early levels.



Ill leave you with the best MTT quote ive seen in a while


"In a mutli table tournament - you need to die on order to live" (Amir Vahedi)

Im just rambling now and going in circles so ill stop.