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Every poker player has leaks. The difference between players who stay stuck at the same stakes and those who move up consistently is simple: the winners identify their weaknesses and fix them systematically. If you are losing money in spots you cannot explain, or if your results have plateaued despite putting in volume, you almost certainly have leaks draining your win rate.

The good news is that finding and fixing leaks is one of the fastest ways to improve your results. A single major leak, once corrected, can turn a break-even player into a consistent winner. This guide covers the most common tournament poker leaks, how to diagnose them, and the tools you can use to eliminate them for good.

What is a poker leak?

A poker leak is any spot in your game where you consistently make decisions that cost you expected value. Some leaks are dramatic, like open-shoving too wide from early position or calling off your stack with weak holdings. Others are subtle, like flatting instead of 3-betting at a frequency that lets opponents play too comfortably against you, or failing to adjust your ranges based on stack depth.

The tricky part is that leaks often feel invisible from the inside. You might think your preflop game is solid because you memorized a few opening ranges, but if those ranges are not calibrated for your actual stack depth, position, and the tendencies of your opponents, you are bleeding chips without realizing it.

The most common MTT leaks

While every player’s game is different, certain leaks appear again and again across the tournament poker population. If you have not specifically studied and addressed these areas, there is a strong chance at least one of them is costing you money.

Preflop leaks

Preflop is the foundation of your entire strategy. If your opening ranges, 3-bet frequencies, or push/fold decisions are off, every street that follows is built on a flawed foundation. The most common preflop leaks include opening too wide or too tight from certain positions, not adjusting ranges for stack depth (especially in the 10 to 25 big blind zone), and missing preflop calls from both the small blind and big blind.

Solver-based preflop charts exist specifically to solve this problem. They give you the mathematically correct action for every position and stack depth, removing guesswork entirely.

Blind vs. blind mistakes

Blind vs. blind play is one of the most complex and frequently misplayed areas of tournament poker. Many players either limp too passively, fail to defend the big blind wide enough, or do not adjust their postflop approach for the unique dynamics of these pots. Because blind vs. blind situations occur so frequently, even small errors here add up fast.

ICM errors

The Independent Chip Model changes the value of every chip in a tournament depending on the payout structure and remaining players. Ignoring ICM, especially on the bubble and at final tables, leads to calls that are too loose, shoves that are too wide, and folds that give up too much equity. Many players understand ICM conceptually but fail to apply it accurately in real time.

Postflop sizing and frequency errors

Using the wrong bet size on the flop, turn, or river might not feel like a big deal in any single hand. But over thousands of hands, betting too small when you should polarize, or too large when the board favors a range bet, adds up to a significant leak. The same applies to check-raise frequencies, delayed c-bets, and river bluff-to-value ratios.

Mental game leaks

Tilt, fatigue, and loss of focus are leaks too. If you play your A-game for three hours and then punt off stacks in hour four because you are tired or frustrated, the technical work you have done gets wasted. Recognizing your mental game patterns is just as important as studying solver outputs.

How to diagnose your leaks

Knowing that leaks exist is one thing. Pinpointing exactly where your game breaks down requires a structured approach. Here are the most effective methods.

Database review

If you play online, your hand history database is a goldmine. Tools like the BBZ MTT Leak Finder analyze your database and highlight the specific spots where your results deviate from optimal play. Instead of guessing where you are losing money, you get concrete data showing which positions, stack depths, and situations are your weakest.

Session review

Reviewing key hands after every session helps you catch patterns before they become habits. Focus on hands where you felt uncertain about your decision, not just the ones where you lost a big pot. Uncertainty often signals a gap in your strategy.

Coaching and outside perspective

One of the biggest advantages of working with a coach is that they can see patterns you cannot. When you are inside your own game, biases and blind spots make it difficult to evaluate your play objectively. A strong coach cuts through that quickly.

Building a study plan around your leaks

Once you have identified your biggest leaks, the next step is building a focused study plan. The mistake many players make is trying to fix everything at once. A better approach is to prioritize the leak that costs you the most expected value and attack it first.

Here is a simple framework that works:

Step 1: Identify your top leak

Use database analysis, session reviews, or coaching feedback to determine the single area that is costing you the most.

Step 2: Study the correct strategy

Use solver outputs, preflop charts, or coaching content to understand what optimal play looks like in that spot. The BBZ Daily Seminars library contains over 3,000 hours of coaching content organized by topic, making it easy to find targeted material for virtually any leak.

Step 3: Drill the new strategy

Knowing the correct play is not enough. You need to practice it until it becomes automatic. Preflop trainers and hand quizzes help bridge the gap between knowledge and execution.

Step 4: Review and measure

After implementing changes, go back to your database after a meaningful sample size and check whether the leak has improved. Then move on to the next one.

Why coaching accelerates the process

Self-study is valuable, but it has limits. When you study alone, you are limited by your own perspective and biases. A coach brings an outside eye, years of experience spotting patterns across many students, and the ability to cut through confusion with clear, direct feedback.

Jordan “BBZ” Drummond has coached players ranging from aspiring grinders to some of the biggest names in online poker. Lex Veldhuis, one of poker’s most well-known streaming professionals, has worked with Drummond for several years. During that time, Veldhuis has become a consistent winner in the biggest online tournaments.

Two-time WSOP.com Player of the Year Mike “BrockLesnar” Holtz credits BBZ Poker as a major factor in his development. He went from considering a run at professional play to producing one of the strongest results graphs in online tournament poker.

Whether through private coaching, live seminars, or structured courses, having a guided path through your leaks saves time and prevents you from reinforcing bad habits during self-study.

Tools for finding and fixing leaks

You do not need to figure everything out on your own. The right tools make the process faster and more precise. Here is what is available to help you systematically eliminate leaks from your game.

Preflop Charts and Trainer

Solver-based ranges for every position and stack depth in MTT poker. The trainer lets you drill these ranges until they are second nature, eliminating preflop errors at their source. Try them free for 7 days.

Daily Seminars

Live coaching sessions 8 times per week, plus an archive of over 3,000 hours of content. With more than 100 hours dedicated to blind vs. blind play alone, you can find targeted instruction for virtually any leak. Start your free 7-day trial.

MTT Leak Finder

Upload your database and get a detailed analysis of where your game deviates from optimal play. This is the fastest way to identify which leaks are actually costing you the most money. Learn more here.

Courses

One-time purchase video courses from professional coaches covering specific topics in depth. If you know exactly which area you need to work on, a focused course can be the most efficient way to level up that part of your game. Browse available courses.

Start fixing your leaks today

Every session you play with unaddressed leaks is a session where you leave money on the table. The players who improve fastest are not necessarily the most talented. They are the ones who take a structured approach to finding weaknesses and eliminating them one by one.

Pick one area of your game, study it with the right tools, drill it until the correct plays become automatic, and then move on to the next leak. That cycle, repeated consistently, is what separates players who stay stuck from players who keep moving up.

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