If you have ever had a look at the tournament rankings immediately after the first few hands have been dealt in order to determine how much of a prize is up for grabs then you will probably have spotted that there are a few chip leaders who dominate the pot already. Weaker players will look at these chip leaders and then assume "man, I am really lagging behind, I gotta catch up!". This is not how poker works and it would be in your best interests to get such feelings firmly under control because impatience is not a vice you want to have when it comes to poker.
In the initial stages of a tournament when everyone is still finding their way the only thing you should be concentrating on is your table and what the blind structure is. All else is materially irrelevant so focus! Just because a few players have got lucky and managed to swell their pot quite considerably does not mean that you are actually in a weaker position than them, in fact in all likelihood the opposite is true. Many of these chip leaders have managed to get so many chips through luck and in contradiction to their strategy as opposed to in reliance of it. They made a risky bet in a multiway pot and it paid off, once. These jokers mistake their lucky move as skill and strategy and hope to emulate their earlier success. They get over confident and complacent meaning that big stack of chips that they are so lovingly holding onto will soon be yours.
Some of these players are looking for a quick buck and an even quicker exit because they realise on some level that they do not possess the skills or knowledge to actually maintain a long term game and face the prospect of playing against real players with actual skill. Whilst some veteran players will be able to stack up on chips fairly early on within the game, the overwhelming majority of these chip leaders are nothing but posturing paper tigers.
You may sigh and bemoan the fact that one of these idiots happens to be at your table but in reality you should be very pleased indeed because you have your very own golden goose which you can exploit at your leisure and convenience. Make sure you keep these guys playing the same way as they have been throughout the entire game because in doing so you will be luring them into a false sense of security. Once they let their guard down totally, you can move in for the finisher and take them for all they have.
There will be the very rare occasion when a fish will appear just in time for the bigger stacks to be up for grabs but these events are so few and far between, it really is not worth getting caught up about it. Typically, these guys all follow the same pattern of game play: typically spewing the whole of their chip lead within a matter of hours of gameplay. You may find their unbelievable luck infuriating in the extreme….but when you swoop in for the kill you will be pleased that the chips are all in one handy location!
