Adjusting Your Tournament Strategy by Field Size

Navigating poker tournaments is a difficult challenge, as the size of the field significantly impacts your strategy and potential profitability. In small-field tournaments, you might face as few as 50 players, while larger online events typically feature thousands of entrants. This variance requires you to adjust your strategy to maximize success.

Understanding the importance of field size is crucial, as it affects everything from ICM (Independent Chip Model) adjustments to stage-specific tactics. This guide will help you understand the nuances between different-sized tournaments and optimize your approach based on the size of the field.

Field Size Categories: What You're Really Playing

Poker operators change factors such as structure and payouts based on the field size, which directly influences your optimal strategy. By grasping the characteristics of different tournament sizes, you can adjust your approach to increase your chances of success.

Below, we’ve highlighted the key differences between the most common tournament sizes:

Small-Field Tournaments (50-200 Players)

Small-field tournaments typically pay a smaller percentage of the field (~10%), but have flatter payout structures once you reach the money. Despite paying a smaller percentage of the field, the limited number of players means that you’re more likely to make a deep run.

For example, in a 100-player tournament (assuming equal skill level), you’ll reach the final table roughly 1 in 10 times, which is far more common than the 1 in 500 times you would expect from a 5,000 player tournament. The frequency of deep runs means that you need to be adept at knowing when to switch gears, moving from stack protection to accumulation.

Keep a close eye on the structure, and start to open up your game when the average stack reaches around 40bb. This will allow you to regularly steal the blinds and antes, keeping your stack healthy for the latter stages.

Medium-Field Tournaments (200-1,000 Players)

Medium-field tournaments offer a balance of moderate variance and balanced payouts. They have more of a prolonged “middle game,” which allows you to exert your edge over the weaker players in the tournament.

As you approach the bubble, you can find spots to exploit ICM-ignorant players by value betting aggressively with your strong hands. Identifying weaknesses in your opponents is often easiest in medium-field tournaments, as you’re together long enough to identify patterns in play without dealing with the fatigue often found in larger events.

Large-Field Tournaments (1,000+ Players)

Large fields feature top-heavy payouts and high variance, often requiring marathon sessions. For instance, in a 2,000-player tournament, the top prize might be exponentially higher, but reaching it demands endurance and strategic precision.

The focus is on survival in the early stages and managing extreme bubble pressure in the latter stages. When playing these tournaments, it can be easy to get bored and punt off your stack, so you need to stay focused for the duration of the event. It can often take multiple hours to reach the bubble, by which point mental fatigue starts to set in. Concentrate on playing solid poker, take your edges where you can find them, and you’ll find yourself making deeper runs more often than not. These tournaments require larger bankrolls to deal with the increased variance.

Characteristic	Small Field	Medium Field	Large Field
Payout %	10%	10-15%	15-20%
Variance	Low	Moderate	High
Deep Run Frequency	High	Moderate	Low
Strategic Focus	Adaptability	Skill Edge	Survival
Best For	Quick Wins	Skill Growth	Big Scores

ICM Adjustments That Actually Matter

ICM pressure varies significantly with field size, influencing your decision-making process. To help you make the best-possible decisions, we’ve suggested real-world adjustments that you can make to your game.

Early Tournament Play

In small fields, ICM relevance kicks in earlier due to the compressed structure, while large fields remain ICM-neutral for longer. You need to constantly be aware of your stack size in relation to the blinds, so we suggest having the tournament structure visible while you play.

Look for spots where you can exploit ICM pressure in smaller events, either by playing aggressively with a big stack or by avoiding busting with marginal hands when short-stacked. When playing larger-field events, your aim should be to accumulate chips by picking off weaker players with strong hands.

Bubble Play

Bubble dynamics shift dramatically based on field size. In smaller fields, playing tight to lock up payouts can be the right decision, while in large fields, accumulating chips for the final table is more important than min-cashing. When you approach the bubble, use our 3-step adjustment process to make your decisions:

Assess Stack Depth – In small fields, you should check your stack against the shortest stacks in the field, while in larger tournaments, you should check against the tournament average.
Adjust Your Aggression – Change your approach to the game based on your stack size:
- Big Stack – Open wider to take advantage of the bubble pressure and to steal blinds and antes.
- Medium Stack – In smaller tournaments, play conservatively to guarantee that you make the money. In larger tournaments, pick spots to accumulate chips without making unnecessary risks.
- Short Stack – If you’re likely to bust, ramp up the aggression to top up your stack with the blinds and antes or potentially double up.
Evaluate Your Opponents – See how your opponents are adjusting to ICM pressure and change your strategy accordingly. If they’re playing conservately, open up your range, but if they’re playing aggressively, wait for good hands to trap them with.

Final Table Pressure

Pay jumps at final tables vary greatly depending on the size of the tournament; small-field events can have payout ranges between 3x and 25x your buy-in, while large events typically payouts between 100x and 500x your buy-in.

In smaller fields, the payout ranges are small, giving you more incentive to play for the win. In these events, we recommend that you play aggressively to try and accumulate chips and knock out your opponents. However, in large-field events, even the difference in payouts between 6th and 5th can be significant, so playing conservatively with a middling stack is often the best advice.

Game Selection: Choosing Your Spots

Choosing the right tournaments can make or break your poker journey. Small fields give you a chance of consistent returns with lower variance, while large fields offer massive upside but with significantly higher variance.

Let’s look at how each option compares:

Profitability by Field Size

Small Fields: Pros include higher ROI, lower variance, and faster skill development. You'll go broke less often and experience a smoother playing experience. However, the upside is limited compared to large fields.
Large Fields: The massive upside and softer early competition are appealing, but expect high variance and lower ROI. Deep bankrolls are a must. Large fields are more profitable in terms of expectation and the sheer monetary value of prize pools.

Making the Right Choice

Bankroll assessment: Ensure adequate bankroll depth for your chosen field size. Small fields require approximately 100x buy-in, while large fields demand 200x or more due to higher variance.
Skill level evaluation: Identify where you have the most edge. Smaller fields allow you to realize your edge with smaller sample sizes—you may only need 500-1,000 tournaments in 100-300 runner fields versus 10,000+ in massive fields.
Goal alignment: Decide between consistent income and chasing big scores.
Mental game readiness: Evalutae your variance tolerance; if you can’t handle long stretches of losses and small wins, big-field tournaments may not be right for you.

Implementing Your Strategy

Putting these strategies into practice is essential for success. A systematic approach will help you refine your game and achieve better results.

Your 8-Week Plan

Audit past results by field size
Set bankroll requirements for each category
Design a balanced weekly schedule
Track key metrics (ROI, ITM%, deep runs)
Refine after 50-100 tournaments

By tracking your results and sticking to a defined schedule, you give yourself the best chance of succeeding as a tournament player.

Mastering Field Size Strategy

Understanding how field size affects strategy is crucial for any serious player, as it fundamentally changes how you should approach each tournament. The size of the field determines the variance and can have an impact on your overall ROI, making it one of the most important factors to consider when game selecting.

Determine which type of tournament fits your play style best, and focus your energy on those events. If you’re not sure which options are best, play one tournament in each category this week and see which one you prefer.

Long-term success comes from systematic application; those who consistently refine their approach will separate themselves from break-even players. If you get stuck, remember to check back and follow our adjustments. To find the best US poker sites that offer multi-table tournaments, read our in-depth expert reviews.

Jordan started writing about poker in late 2020 after discovering he could combine his passion for explaining things with his favorite game. He continues to stay on top of the newest poker theory and the latest goings on in the poker world to deliver top-quality content. While poker is his biggest passion, he also closely follows soccer, snooker, and F1.