Upon reaching the middle stage of the tournament, you want to win the blinds without any resistance. One of the main ways to increase your chip count is to win the blinds. A minimum raise or Min-raise, when you raise the bets before the flop to two mandatory bets, can win you the pot without resistance.
Example:
You have Q♠-10♠ in middle position. You have 22,000 chips, and the blinds are 400-800. Everyone folds to you, what should you do?
If you just call, you invite other players to also enter the pot and see the flop. Also, if someone raises after your call, you would have to seriously consider folding, because if someone raises three times the Big Blind, it would cost you more than 10% of your chips with a medium-strength hand.
By making a Min-raise, you hope that 1600 chips will make your opponents seriously consider whether it's worth getting involved in the pot. They might think you have an ace, a pocket pair, or even a very strong combination. Another advantage of the Min-raise is that it can protect you from a larger investment. A player who planned to raise might be a bit intimidated by your raise and just call your Min-raise.
Do not make this move when a player has already limped into the pot. The Min-raise will not work on this player. Also, do not make this move from the Big Blind position when there are already several callers. One of the worst moves you can make from the Big Blind is to re-raise with a Min-raise. Even if you have aces, a Min-raise from this position will not make any opponent fold.
Tip: Play more pots in the early stage of the tournament
One way to increase your chip count is to play more hands and see more flops in the early stage of the tournament. Since the blinds are so small, you can afford to take risks with a wider range of hands. If you hit a strong combination, you can win big pots against your opponents who play more predictably.
For example, imagine the blinds are 25-50, you have 7♣-5♣ in the dealer position and call a raise. The flop comes A♠-7♥-5♦. If your opponent has AK, you have a good chance to win a big pot. When the blinds are very small compared to your chip count, don't be afraid to take risks with these slightly weaker starting combinations. Remember, you are taking a small risk, and the reward can be very large.
