Where Are Chips Truly Won — Preflop or Postflop?

[babyrosejr]

The longer I play tournaments, the more I realize that tournament poker is its own universe. There are no endless rebuys like in cash games — every stack feels like a life on its own.

One mistake preflop can turn a comfortable 50 BB stack into a short one, while a single bold river decision can suddenly push you into the top 10.

I keep wondering about the balance:

How much energy should we invest into a “pure” preflop strategy — precise ranges, ICM, sizing work?

And how much into postflop skills — reading textures, pot control, bluffing?
Tournaments seem to reward brave decisions under pressure, yet consistent results often come from a very disciplined preflop game.

What do you think matters more for long-term success in tournaments — an almost flawless preflop, or the ability to navigate postflop when stacks have already “lived a few orbits”?

I’d love to hear your thoughts and real-table examples: where do you usually “build your stack” — before the flop or after?

 

[dannystanks]

I think post flop is where all the chips are. Most people have figured out how to play pre flop, but post flop is where they will make mistakes and compound then the deeper they get in the hand. By the river the pots are at its biggest, this is where you will win the most chips. You might get a few big blinds pre flop when you raise and they fold, but on the river you are getting like their whole stack sometimes, 20-30- 50 big blinds, so yeah studying how to play post flop is important.

 

[puzzlefish]

Pre-flop accuracy sets you up for post-flop success. Maybe you don't necessarily win more chips pre-flop, but your choices lead to the post-flop action.

 

[TeUnit]

Working with an ICM tool would help answer most of your questions.

The remaining questions would be answered through work on your postflop play.