Poker is one of the oldest card games in the world, but there are still things that people are uncovering about it every day. This is truly amazing when you sit down and think about it. However, there is also no denying that poker is a game of skill, patience, and most of all, timing. Timing really is everything in poker, and you likely already know this is you are a big player. It doesn’t matter if you are going for a gutsy bluff or you are just waiting for the right card, it is all about timing. Timing is the most important part of any player’s game and it can make or break you, especially during tournament play when dead money is involved.
What Exactly Is Dead Money
If you are an avid poker player you are likely familiar with the term dead money. If you are not that’s okay too. Dead money simply refers to the chips or money that has been left behind by the folded or disqualified players. Dead money will always be more of a concern in tournament play because there are always huge amounts of chips in play. Another reason is that there are always high blinds and antes in tournaments. It doesn’t take a genius to realize the more you bet, the faster your chips will go away. This is why you need to get creative on how to continuously build your stack and stay in the game.
Attacking Dead Money
Anyone that has ever played in a poker tournament hosted by logiclub knows that attacking dead money can be tricky. That big extra pot is just sitting there and everyone wants to get their hands on it. Not only will it make them more secure in the tournament, but it will only add to their already amassed fortune. The real trick is all about trying to steal or re-steal as much of that money as possible. As was already mentioned, this will take the right timing. You will have to find the right opening to attack, while also taking into account the positioning and the chips stacks of everyone.
Defending Dead Money
Sure, that money is just sitting there and it will only be natural to go after it as quickly as possible. However, this is the type of thinking that has been the downfall of many tournament players. Sometimes you just have to sit back and defend the money. It will probably really come down to the other players in the game. The type of experience that they have. Just like you are planning on taking the money, there will be other players at the table with the same idea. This is why you have to push more chips to defend the money so that you can later claim it when the time is right. The best example is when a good, aggressive player will go all in to try and steal the pot. They do this to make it look like raising is not an option, but it is always an option, and it might be your very best in this exact situation.