Tips for Laddering Up in Poker Tournaments

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You’ve probably heard about the concept of laddering up in a poker tournament and not understood the term. Laddering is where you’re trying to move up the payouts to try and secure a larger payout. These players are not focusing on winning the tournament, but rather are just trying to eek out a profit.

While we don’t advocate simply laddering up in poker tournaments, it is a strategy that sometimes comes into play. When those times arise, it is good to have a strategy for laddering up. Today, we give you a few tips to help you ladder up more in tournaments.

Evaluate the Stacks at Your Table and the Tournament

First, you need to quickly evaluate the other stacks at your table, and if possible, the tournament in general. You’re generally looking to ladder when you’re a shorter stack, so check to see what the other shorter stacks are at your table.

Next, evaluate some of the stacks above you. For example, if you’re sitting with a stack of 10 big blinds, look around for those in the 10 to 20 big blind range. These are other opponents that are likely to be playing for their entire stacks sometime soon. This will help you get an idea of how many people could bust out before you and give you an idea of how far you can ladder.

How Quickly Can You Ladder?

Laddering up in a poker tournament isn’t just based on how many short stacks there are. It is also based on how many spots pay out at the various pay levels. For example, in large-field tournaments, 20 to 30 people may have to be eliminated before a pay jump.

Next, when do the blinds go up next. Often, you will see players try to make a move right before the blinds go up because they know their stacks will be worth less. This often results in pay level jumps.

Still Play Strong Hands

If you’re looking to ladder up, you don’t want to completely shut down and blind out. If you wake up with a reasonable hand, you will still play it. In this case, you’re looking to make one move. When you look down to a playable hand, you’re going to shove with it.

At this point, you will likely have a tight image, so players know you likely have a stronger hand. However, you may still get called by players looking to knock you out and build their stack. If you double-up, you can then choose whether to still try and ladder up or make a run for the win.

Laddering at the Final Table

The place you will hear the term laddering used the most is at the final table. That’s because the payouts at the final table are much higher than the rest of the tournament. Often, laddering up one spot can significantly increase your earnings.

Many of the above tips apply to laddering at the final table. However, you also want to evaluate the action at the final table. Sometimes, you will run into a final table with a ton of action and this can allow for some laddering. Players that are more worried about winning than laddering may make some moves and open the door for you to ladder.

Is It Better to Ladder or Go for the Win?

When evaluating whether it is better to ladder or go for the win, it depends on your situation. Long-term, it is always going to be better to go for the win. However, some situations may lend themselves toward laddering.

For example, if you’re at the WSOP Main Event final table and have a shorter stack, laddering could win you anywhere from an extra $250,000 to $3 million. Another example is a tournament where you’re in via a freeroll or for very little money. Laddering when you’re freerolling isn’t horrible, as long as it is worth the trouble.

Ultimately, whether it is better to ladder or go for it depends on the amount of money won. Some online poker tournaments do not lend themselves to laddering. The payouts don’t increase enough to make it worthwhile. You’re better to make some moves to make the final table rather than ladder up the pay scale.