Understanding M and Q in Tournament Play Compared to cash games, tournament holdem poker is notably different by the fact 💸 that you need to increase your stack in order to survive, whilst in cash games if you maintain a constant 💸 stack for hours, you are not winning but you are not losing either. In order to convey this notion of 💸 variable chip value, Paul Magriel coined the term M factor, originally conceptualized by Doyle Brunson in Super System and later 💸 popularized by Dan Harrington in Harrington on Hold'em. The M factor is simply equal to stack/(small blind + big blind 💸 + total antes), where total antes is the value of the ante times the number of players at the table. 💸 The denominator of this fraction is the total number of chips it costs to stay at the table for one 💸 orbit, so M is the number of orbits you can survive without taking into account any action that you could 💸 make. Equivalently as the pot before any action is the blinds plus all antes, M is your stack counted in 💸 number of starting pots. You must have played some Texas Hold'em tournaments in order to appreciate how crucial this M 💸 factor can be. This corresponds to the familiar feeling of being eaten alive by the rising blinds and antes when 💸 your stack is small and M is small too. The M & Q ratios explained This is a situation where 💸 you do not get any playable cards for a while, but meanwhile your stack decreases after each hand. As you 💸 approach elimination, you must gamble your entire stack in order to try to make a come back. In this predicament 💸 where M has decreased below a few units, you must take decisive measures in order to avoid your inevitable exit 💸 to happen. Conversely when the M factor in very large with no immediate likelihood of elimination, you should play a 💸 different strategy. M offers a fast, easy to calculate and uniform measure for evaluating your stack size under various blind 💸 structures or tournament stages. This M ratio can then help you determine what the best course of action is in 💸 the present situation. If you M changes, then you have to play differently. The M-Zones as defined by Dan Harrington 💸 in Harrington on Hold'em are ranges of M each with its specific optimal strategy. The Green Zone is when M≥20 💸 and you have freedom to play any strategy, as your chips reserve is very comfortable. In the Yellow Zone which 💸 is when 10≤M≤20 you cannot play very conservatively anymore as the blinds will catch up too fast. In the Orange 💸 M-Zone where 6≤M≤10 your actions gets more limited as you have less to no fold equity due to your small 💸 stack and you must play even more aggressively. The Red Zone is defined by 1≤M≤5 and you almost always must 💸 push allin if you decide to participate in a hand. Finally the Dead Zone where M≤1 is a zone you 💸 never want to reach and you should have moved allin from the Red Zone when you had a chance. The 💸 Q factor a.k.a. the "weak force" is a number introduced by Dan Harrington which represents your position in the overall 💸 tournament. Q is your stack divided by the average stack size of all remaining players in the entire tournament. Q 💸 represents your relative position and you can use it to adjust your play more aggressively if you have a high 💸 Q. The M ratio is the most important of the two ratios in normal tournaments. The Q ratio becomes more 💸 significant in special formats, such as satellites tournaments where a group of players will share the same prize, which is 💸 an entry into a larger tournament. Use you knowledge of the M ratio to play more efficiently in online poker 💸 tournaments. Our selection of online poker sites offers the rooms with the best tournaments, such as PokerStars. Pokerstars have many 💸 top pros like Liv Boeree. Watch, learn and beat them.
