How can I keep up with blind increase in tournaments?

miklcct · Oct 30, 2025

I started a tournament on time with 100 BB or more. I started playing. I couldn't really win many chips when there were so many people playing aggressively, including shoving, in the very early rounds.

Then players started to be eliminated. The blinds went up. My stack level fell from 100 BB to 20 BB or less, and I even had to play tighter. I couldn't keep up with the average stack as well.

My stack continued to fall. Sometimes I got lucky and got a really good hand that I could shove and win, but my stack didn't really recover because I fell so far behind.

I couldn't afford to wait for a playable hand. Eventually I got blinded out before any hope of money came unless I shove a lot of marginal hand (and got knocked out when I shoved A9 and got called with AQ).

How do people actually keep pace with the tournament?

Andyreas · Oct 30, 2025

Was it a freeroll or a regular buyin? If so, what amount? Usually it is not that common for people shoving in the very early blind levels except if it's a freeroll or super micro tournament.

Anyway, as you will end up having < 25 BBs in most tournaments at some point - except if you have one of those super sunshine runs - it is quite important to learn which hands to 3-bet shove (<25 BBs) or open shove (< 15 BBs) from each position.

Try to carefully observe the table, if a loose player opens many hands, you can 3-bet more to try to steal some blinds or just get it in with a decent hand.

If you end up waiting for a top tier hand, chances are people won't call your jam or you will simply blind out, as you said.

CRStals · Oct 30, 2025

miklcct said:
I started a tournament on time with 100 BB or more. I started playing. I couldn't really win many chips when there were so many people playing aggressively, including shoving, in the very early rounds.

Then players started to be eliminated. The blinds went up. My stack level fell from 100 BB to 20 BB or less, and I even had to play tighter. I couldn't keep up with the average stack as well.

My stack continued to fall. Sometimes I got lucky and got a really good hand that I could shove and win, but my stack didn't really recover because I fell so far behind.

I couldn't afford to wait for a playable hand. Eventually I got blinded out before any hope of money came unless I shove a lot of marginal hand (and got knocked out when I shoved A9 and got called with AQ).

How do people actually keep pace with the tournament?

We wrote an entire poker learning series on managing your stack in a poker tournament that would be worth while to go through. We covered topics exactly as you described about keeping pace with blinds; managing your stack relative to the table and to other tables, and should have some good tips for you. I'd encourage you to take a look:

miklcct · Oct 30, 2025

Andyreas said:
Was it a freeroll or a regular buyin? If so, what amount? Usually it is not that common for people shoving in the very early blind levels except if it's a freeroll or super micro tournament.

Anyway, as you will end up having < 25 BBs in most tournaments at some point - except if you have one of those super sunshine runs - it is quite important to learn which hands to 3-bet shove (<25 BBs) or open shove (< 15 BBs) from each position.

Try to carefully observe the table, if a loose player opens many hands, you can 3-bet more to try to steal some blinds or just get it in with a decent hand.

If you end up waiting for a top tier hand, chances are people won't call your jam or you will simply blind out, as you said.

I usually play freerolls but also occasionally regular buy ins like $0.25 or $0.50 tournaments.

SpanRmonka · Oct 30, 2025

Never worry about the average stack, its only really important how many BBs is in your stack and the stacks of your opponents.

One way to help to keep up your chips is to target players with less chips than you, as they are slightly more likely to fold.

But in your example, it sounds like either you do not raise enough early on and are just waiting for massive cards and to hit the flop hard, or perhaps you just didn't get the right cards this game! it happens

Poker Orifice · Oct 30, 2025

SpanRmonka said:
Never worry about the average stack, its only really important how many BBs is in your stack and the stacks of your opponents.

This is exactly what I wanted to emphasize after reading OP's initial post. Average stack means nothing. It is irrelevant re how we will be choosing to play with our stack size.

Natox · Oct 31, 2025

You must adjust your strategy as blinds rise and stacks shrink. In Freerolls you will often face that early on aggression, cause it can lead to an overwhelming advantage for later stages. And the downside is... there is no cause its free.
Now to you: Try to become more aggressive and play a more spec. range of hands in the early stages and shifting to a tight aggr. mode later. Also a more all-in or fold strategy as stacks get shorter is fine. A common mistake is failing to adapt, which can lead to being blinded out.

hardongear · Oct 31, 2025

As others have said avg stack size is pretty much a worthless stat pay no attention to it.

Personally when I get down to 40bb or below I start playing a bit looser in position and more aggressive overall. For example if it's raised in front of me if I'm playing the hand I'm all-in never calling. Just calling is throwing chips away majority of the time and when you're short stacked you can't afford that and calling means you gotta be a good post flop player. 95% of people at micro stakes aren't good at playing post flop.

Fwiw I also only play 10+ blind level MTT's that gives me more hands before the shoving has to start and takes some of the variance/luck outta MTT's that have 5-8 min blind levels.

Cheers!!!

Viking26 · Oct 31, 2025

In tourmaments play more hands Than You would in cash game....try to accumlate As mutch chips until te add on period

miklcct · Nov 1, 2025

I was just kicked out from a GGPoker weekly freeroll.

I planned to go home before the tournament began but my journey was late, so I was on the train when it started. However, the mobile network kept dropping on the train (it didn't have WiFi) despite running on open terrain.

I managed to keep up with the average stack in the first hour and exceeded it, but the tide turned when my call went wrong in 76 minutes. The bubble was 3000 players and I was about 1100, but it was still a long way from bursting. My stack size was slightly above tournament average and limped an AK, planning to 3-bet any raise.

However, someone shoved after I limped. I called the shove with about 29 BB left and lost it to a pair.

I could never recover from that point and eventually lost before the bubble bursted, when the blind increased to only 11 BB left in hand and I shoved AJ UTG, got called with AQ and lost.

Igor Popadyk · Nov 13, 2025

Play tournaments with a smooth structure, not turbo or hyper, there are also chart hands depending on the blinds

Aleksandr1991 · Nov 13, 2025

miklcct said:
Я вовремя начал турнир со стеком 100 ББ или больше. Я начал играть. Мне не удавалось выиграть много фишек, когда вокруг было так много людей, игравших агрессивно, включая пуш, в самых ранних раундах.

Затем игроки начали выбывать. Блайнды выросли. Мой стек упал со 100 ББ до 20 ББ или меньше, и мне даже пришлось играть тайтовее. Я даже не мог угнаться за средним стеком.

Мой стек продолжал падать. Иногда мне везло, и я получал действительно сильную руку, которую мог пойти ва-банк и выиграть, но мой стек так и не восстановился, потому что я сильно отставал.

Я не мог позволить себе ждать, пока появится играбельная рука. В конце концов, меня выбили блайнды, прежде чем появилась хоть какая-то надежда на деньги, если только я не пошёл ва-банк с сильной пограничной рукой (и вылетел, когда я поставил A9 и получил колл с AQ).

Как людям удается успевать за турниром?

you need to constantly your own adaptive transition, which becomes more aggressive as your stack relative to the blinds

fundiver199 · Nov 13, 2025

The whole point of a tournament is to bust everyone but the final winner. So just because you bust, does not mean, you did anything wrong. There is no magic trick, that will make you win (or cash) every tournament.

KeyPatience · Nov 14, 2025

Focusing on one hand at a time and living in the present!

Lux12 · Tuesday at 8:39 AM

The key is adjusting your mindset as the blinds go up. Early levels you can be patient and pick your spots, but once blinds start eating into stacks you’ve got to open up and play more aggressively. Stealing blinds becomes crucial, and you can’t wait only for premium hands. Pay attention to stack sizes — if you’re under 20BB, shove/fold ranges come into play. Basically, don’t let the blinds blind you out; stay proactive instead of watching your stack shrink.

kaynbergo · 2025-11-26T11:17:46-0500

Try to be more relaxed about losing a tournament, especially if you play a lot of freerolls. The more you hold back in the tournament, the fewer hands you'll have to win, and you can lose even with AA against 82 of any suit, so waiting for a strong hand isn't a good option.

GarotoMaroto · 2025-11-26T11:29:00-0500

Play very tight since the very beginning, and get more agressive as the final table gets closer, if you don't waste your chips they will multiple better, like, 5000 x 2 = 10000 but 4300 x 2 = 8600, at the end, the more chips you have, more chips you are able to get.
Go for the gold
God bless

machinm19 · 2025-11-26T13:57:56-0500

This is something you will pick up as you play more. It’s all about changing gears, even experienced players struggle with this at times myself included so don’t be too hard on yourself about it.

How can I keep up with blind increase in tournaments?

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