Bounty poker tournaments have a unique strategy, knowing how to change your game to play in these tournaments is important if you really want make that extra money. What is a bounty tournament? When you knock out a player any time during the tournament you receive are part of the prize pool. Lets look at that strategy..
The start of a bounty game will almost remind you of playing a low NL cash table.
Players are limping in, hoping to hit a nice board; maybe a set or 2 pair, and have a sucker push all in before you.
You should be limping in with them, from late position. The first couple hands will play out like this till someone is bounced, then things start to settle. They start to settle because someone now has a commanding chip lead at the table, kinda like a freeroll.
Try not to call big pre flop raises early in the tournament with marginal hands, such as KQ, QJ suited, ect.
You don’t want to be drawing, or bouncing out with 2nd pair. Often your going to see 4-5 to the flop even with a big raise pre-flop.
If you try to play a normal MTT strategy, you won’t have much success.
You will have to gamble more times then your use to.
Bounty Tournaments are generally fast pace, and end quicker then a normal MTT with same amount of players.
I am typically a tight/aggressive player, that grinds out at the tables. You will find these players generally are not good bounty players. It is often played with Freeroll Tournament Strategy, so changing my hand selection, mostly from med to late position is the key to success in bounty tournaments. A great example would be a small x3 raise from middle position with 98s, pocket 5’s..etc. Hands you know you can let go over quickly if the board doesn’t present itself in your favor.
Don’t expect
great players or plays. It won’t take much time or games to find players chasing down a dream, or gut shot. So don’t get to upset with your game when it happens, it will happen.
The short stack
all in player, 2 players call.Normally you might see a check down,
in a bounty you are more likely to see a big raise or another all in. Isolation.
Watch your chips
Try to keep it above 1/2 the players at your table to give you a chance at bounties. No worse feeling then taking down a monster pot to find you were the smallest stack in the hand.
The end goal
The bounties are nice, if you pick them up on the way. keep an eye out on the prize pool, 50% of the buy in went towards it usually, so there is still light at the end of the tunnel if you don’t get a bounty or two.
Free rollers
Often times you will see a player take down 2 bounties early, and they start acting all crazy.
Yes, they are freeroll’n, so now they are going to try to accumulate a lot of chips to keep them covering anyone.
Making moves
when small stacks go all in is very common. Players try to isolate more often in a bounty tournament, pushing off a medium stack with less then marginal hands to isolate the all in’er.
Take notes
is very important if you choose to take the active bounty tournament playing style.
Note who will go all in early with Ace rag, who will chase a flush draw, etc..
These Player Notes may not help you in the first game, but over time, when you start seeing some of the same players, pays off with heads. View my Poker Note Taking article to help you write up your own.
