Adapting to ICM Pressure in Mid-Stakes MTTs

[babyrosejr]

Discuss how ICM affects your decisions during the bubble and final table stages. Share examples where you had to fold a strong hand or make a thin call under ICM pressure. How do you adjust your ranges?

 

[fundiver199]

When you are under ICM-pressure, you need to be tighter calling it off as a mid-stack. It also makes sense to pot control more and try to get to showdown without risking all your chips with hands, that are stong but not nutted.

 

[sandy358]

Discuss how ICM affects your decisions during the bubble and final table stages. Share examples where you had to fold a strong hand or make a thin call under ICM pressure. How do you adjust your ranges?

Preflop you start folding a lot of hands, especially a lot of Q or J-high suited hands, but you have more ace, especially suited ace, raises compared to the same ChipEV spots.

If someone raised before, you generally play a game of 3-bet or fold (especially in early position, where you basically lose all calling ranges even if you had ones in ChipEV scenarios), you call far less often and shove somewhat less often (even shortstacked where in ChipEV you mostly play rejam/call/fold, non-shove 3betting makes a return). Your 3-betting ranges are mostly big pairs and suited aces IIRC (you 3bet a lot of suited aces and some suited kings too, though depending on the position, and it is all mostly for the blocking effects) and your shoving ranges are as always condensed.

Also mind the stack sizes. You want to play more cautious against people who cover you or who will leave you too short if you both go all-in.

Postflop you generally play more cautiously, more checking, smaller bet-sizes, overfolding. But if you are against someone who you cover, especially if they are a midstack with a lot to lose if bust, you can apply more pressure and bluff more often.