When playing in a No Limit Holdem Multi-Table tournament, the way a poker player should play and the different hands the player plays are going to depend on the size of your stack. As the size of the stack changes, a poker player has to adjust their aggression level, either adding or taking away the types of hands they play.
20 or more Big Blinds
When your internet poker stack consists of 20 or more big blinds, you can play as you wish. This usually is the case when a tournament is just starting. Some players choose to be tight and others choose to be aggressive. When you are playing with deeps stacks, you are looking to play hands with Implied Odds. Hands like small pairs and suited connectors are hands with great implied odds.
12 to 19 Big Blinds
So you lose a decent size pot and your stack size drops somewhere between 12 and 19 big blinds. It is time to adjust your play! You can no longer play as you were when you had a big stack. Those suited connectors and small pairs you were playing lose most of their value, so you do not want to be playing these hands. Instead, you now want big cards, like AK, AQ and high pairs. As well, you want to increase your aggression and take a few more risks so you can get rebuild your stack. The ideal play when you have this size stack is to 3-bet shove over an opening raiser. One successful 3-bet shove will earn you 4.5 big blinds. (3 big blinds from the open reraiser + 1.5 big blinds from the small and big blinds)
6 to 11 Big Blinds
Now your stack is getting low. It is time to adjust your play again. 3-bet shoving is no longer the best play, as you are definitely going to be called by the opening raiser, which you do not want. Instead, now you want to be the opening raiser. Remember, do not open a pot unless you are willing to call a 3-bet that puts you all in. Do not raise KJ if you are going to fold when the big blind puts you all in. Small PokerStars.com pairs and suited connectors have lost all of their value, so throw them away. You are still looking for hands with big cards.
6 Big blinds and Under
Your stack is now at a critical level and it is time to become a short stack ninja. Whatever hand you play, you are pushing all in. This level is very easy to play since your only play is to raise or fold. In late position, push any ace or high king. From middle position, you can push suited aces, small pairs and any two broad way cards. From early position, big aces and middle pairs are playable in this manner.