How much does ICM change your decisions?

ICM can completely change the way certain hands should be played, especially near the bubble or final table. How much do you adjust your strategy because of ICM pressure, and what situations do you find the most difficult?

That depends on, how much ICM-pressure I am under. Early in an MTT no adjustments are needed, since we need to build a stack to make it into the money. But on the bubble of a SnG or satellite very large adjustments can be needed. Lets say 4 players are left in a 9-man SnG with the traditional 50/30/20 payouts. CO has 5BB and fold. BTN has 8BB and fold. SB has 31BB and jam, and action is on me in BB with a 15BB stack. Then even AKs is a clear fold, whereas early in an MTT it would be a fist-pump call. And because I need to fold so much, SB can print money by jamming any two cards, whereas early in an MTT he would want to fold junk or maybe implement a limping strategy.

fundiver199 said:

That depends on, how much ICM-pressure I am under. Early in an MTT no adjustments are needed, since we need to build a stack to make it into the money. But on the bubble of a SnG or satellite very large adjustments can be needed. Lets say 4 players are left in a 9-man SnG with the traditional 50/30/20 payouts. CO has 5BB and fold. BTN has 8BB and fold. SB has 31BB and jam, and action is on me in BB with a 15BB stack. Then even AKs is a clear fold, whereas early in an MTT it would be a fist-pump call. And because I need to fold so much, SB can print money by jamming any two cards, whereas early in an MTT he would want to fold junk or maybe implement a limping strategy.

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That’s a really good example of how extreme ICM situations can become. Spots like that still feel counterintuitive sometimes, especially folding hands as strong as AKs. I also think many players underestimate how wide the big stack can jam when medium stacks are trying to survive pay jumps. It’s one of the hardest adjustments in tournament poker because chip value changes so much compared to early stages.

ICM does not affect my decisions often but they do affect when i am near the money and final table and final table button. The 2nd thing that ICM can affect for me is what are the stack sizes around me. If i am a low stack and 2 from a meaning full pay jump and there are say 4 super short stacks I will playe more careful until we get to the next level. If i happen to be a big stack I will go after the ones who should get paid and the short one as they have the most to lose.

SergioV said:

That’s a really good example of how extreme ICM situations can become. Spots like that still feel counterintuitive sometimes, especially folding hands as strong as AKs. I also think many players underestimate how wide the big stack can jam when medium stacks are trying to survive pay jumps. It’s one of the hardest adjustments in tournament poker because chip value changes so much compared to early stages.

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Jam any two spots are actually surpricingly common even on MTT final tables, as long as you are a big stack and jamming into smaller stacks. Of course you also want to consider, if the profitability depends on people folding hands like AK, which they might or might not be good enough to do. ICMizer is a great tool for learning both the equilibrium ranges and also to look for situations, where maybe its reasonable to deviate from them, because the general player pool is not going to play a GTO strategy.

SergioV said:

ICM can completely change the way certain hands should be played, especially near the bubble or final table. How much do you adjust your strategy because of ICM pressure, and what situations do you find the most difficult?

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In my game, it doesn't influence me much. I see ICM as a component that will help me determine how much I would win in the money, but I continue with my strategies to win the tournament regardless of ICM.

I adjust my strategy quite significantly because of ICM, especially on the bubble and at the final table. At these stages, I almost stop thinking only about hand strength — the value of chips and the impact of elimination on payouts become much more important. Sometimes I even fold relatively strong hands if I feel that the risk of busting is too costly.
The most difficult situations for me are decisions in the middle stack zone, when I am neither the chip leader nor short-stacked. In these spots, I have to balance carefully: on one hand, I cannot be too passive and just wait, but on the other hand, a single wrong decision can heavily affect my payout.
Another tricky moment is when there are short stacks at the table and their pressure influences everyone’s ranges. In those situations, it is especially important not to overvalue hands and to consider who is actually most likely to be eliminated next.

fundiver199 said:

Jam any two spots are actually surpricingly common even on MTT final tables, as long as you are a big stack and jamming into smaller stacks. Of course you also want to consider, if the profitability depends on people folding hands like AK, which they might or might not be good enough to do. ICMizer is a great tool for learning both the equilibrium ranges and also to look for situations, where maybe its reasonable to deviate from them, because the general player pool is not going to play a GTO strategy.

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Jamming 52o against the short stacks BvB or on the button feels so dirty.

The real counterplay to these ICM spots is just being totally ignorant to ICM and calling off with a regular range. Can't be scared of something you're too dense to even recognize. Like a baby crawling into traffic.

ICM heavily affects tournament decisions by making survival and payout jumps more important than chip value. It often forces tighter calls and allows big stacks to apply more pressure.

I try to critically assess risk but at the same time not to play too tight. Of course it all depends on the format and structure of the tournament, but in most cases I only take risks when I understand my advantage and the weakness of my opponents.

ICM changes tournament decisions massively, especially near pay jumps and final tables. A call that’s profitable in chip EV can actually be a mistake in real money EV. That’s why good tournament players tighten up in some spots and apply pressure in others — survival and payout structure matter just as much as chip accumulation.