Tournament ICM Quiz: The Answers
Nice work finishing the quiz. Below you’ll find every question, the correct answer, and the reasoning behind it, because understanding why ICM changes correct strategy is what separates players who cash from players who win.
You recently reached the money in a 500 person tournament. It folds around to the BTN who has 13bbs, who goes all-in. You’re in the BB with 25bbs with A8o. Do you call?
- A Yes
- B No
Coach’s Take
The BTN will go all-in with worse Ax such as A7o-A2o which you dominate, and some Kx you are way ahead against.
With 10% of the field remaining, facing a 2x raise from an unknown player UTG, what should you do on the BTN with TT?
- A Fold
- B Call
- C Re-raise 3x
- D All-in
Coach’s Take
UTG is raising a very strong, condensed range and you are not thrilled to get all the money in preflop because you will be at best flipping a lot of the time when called vs AQ+, or dominated vs JJ+, while rarely getting called by worse pairs (except 99). You also don’t want to raise/fold TT, which leads you to calling and playing it in position, re-evaluating postflop.
There are 18 players left and you’re on the BTN with 25bbs and J9s, covering both blinds, who have 12bbs and 14bbs. What should you do?
- A Fold
- B Limp
- C Raise 2x
- D All-in
Coach’s Take
Go all-in. We avoid raise/folding to active re-shove stacks, we generate a lot of fold equity, and the hand plays well vs the pairs and Ax in the villains’ calling ranges.
With 10% of the field remaining, you have 20bbs in the cutoff and raise to 2x with ATo. The SB goes all-in for 18bbs. What should you do?
- A Fold
- B Call
Coach’s Take
We dominate enough of the villain’s shoving range, which makes ATo a call. The SB should be shoving dominated Ax and Tx combos as well as pairs we’re fine flipping against.
The cutoff raises to 2x out of their 25bb stack. You are in the big blind, also with 25bbs. Which hand is better to use as a 3-bet bluff?
- A A4s
- B A3o
Coach’s Take
A4s has more postflop playability and therefore does not want to 3-bet and face a 4-bet. Since A3o has less postflop playability, it is not such a disaster for it to have to fold to a 4-bet.
In ICM situations when it folds to you in the Small Blind, should you limp more often at shallow stacks or deeper stacks?
- A Limp more when shallow stacked
- B Limp more when deep stacked
Coach’s Take
Limp more when deep stacked, and push equity by raising or going all-in more often when shallow.
What does ICM convert?
- A Equity into chip stacks
- B Chip stacks into dollar value
- C Position into expected value
- D Variance into win rate
Coach’s Take
ICM is a mathematical formula that converts your tournament chip stack into dollars.
Two tables remain and you are on the BTN with 30bbs and TT facing an UTG raise from a player with more chips than you. Which option is best?
- A Call
- B Re-raise 2.5x
- C Re-raise 3x
- D Re-raise All-in
Coach’s Take
TT isn’t strong enough to 3-bet and call off the 4-bet all-in, and it’s too strong to 3-bet/fold. Call and play the hand in position.
Who has the higher risk premium deep in a tournament?
- A The medium stack against the chip leader
- B The big stack against a medium/short stack
Coach’s Take
The medium stack will need more equity or a stronger hand to call an all-in than the big stack will vs a shorter stack.
The action folds to the LJ who has 35bbs, who raises 2.5x. It folds to you in the CO with 25bbs with AJs. What should you do?
- A Call
- B 3-bet to 6bbs
- C 3-bet to 7.5bbs
- D Go all-in
Coach’s Take
AJs plays very well in position, keeps in worse Ax and Jx, and will rarely get called by worse when all-in.
How Did You Do?
You have a strong grasp of ICM and late-stage tournament strategy. Time to sharpen the edges and start hunting final tables.
Solid fundamentals, but the spots you missed are exactly where the biggest pay jumps are won and lost.
You know the concepts, but applying them under payout pressure is costing you real money. Structured study will fix that fast.
Good news: you just found your biggest opportunity. Most players never learn how ICM should change their decisions.
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