While playing, you will notice that there are players put under pressure, which is a very important, because these moments prove to be the turning point in almost every hand, thats why is very important to understand the logic behind these actions if you want to be successful poker player.

The player who is making the pressure, often has the advantage in the game, so the skill to exert pressure in the most important time is very valuable and brings you one step close to the win

I believe that this is one of the No-Limit skills, which is required to play well in SNG and multi table tournaments. Many of this skills and principles refer to the cash games, but playing with limited amount of chips and be the aggressor in the tipping point of the pressure is a big advantage

Here is a simple example: while the bets continue, quantity of pressure which every player put the others under is getting bigger and bigger, many people say that the difference between the losing and the winning player is the different decisions they make when put under stress. If you can force your opponent to make hard decisions, then you are in the better position and you can control the game

Your goal is to control the size of the pot and to manipulate the hand, so you will be the one who is exerting the pressure. Lets say you have AA, you raise and others make the call. The pot is 80$, the flop is T 9 8. You bet the pot and you are called again, the pot is 225$. Your turn is 6, you bet 200$ and your opponent raise with 700$, you have 1200$ remaining and the player is covering you. Make a notice: the stress put on you is the increasing of the hand. You are forced to call 700$, also realizing that you must put and your last 500$ also. You have only 500$ and you can’t put your opponent under bigger pressure.
If your stacks were with 5000 chips each, there are more chips with which, you can exert the pressure and you can create the tipping point of stress in this hand, but when the stacks are small, then the tipping point comes earlier in the game.
The things you can do, before this moment are to gather as much information as you can about the hand of your opponent and to put yourself in the position, which will let you to create the pressure. To see/understand the opponent’s hand, you must narrow down the range of hands, which the other player may have, as early as you can and at the same time increase the range of your hand thus confusing the opponent, all this is required for you to have power over the bet and thus making big enough bet to exert maximum pressure.

So lets analyze some scenarios:
Deep stacks, I raise LAG(Loose aggressive strategy) player on the turn with high card and this is the tipping point - I was the player which had the opportunity to exert pressure on my opponents. If we were with smaller stacks, he again will bet on the turn, and this would be the tipping point and the pot would be his.

Same hand, the LAG player had too little information about my hand, when he was forced to make hard decision. When the stacks are small, to gain more information, often doesn’t justify the efforts.

Next scenario.
You have JJ and raise early and you re-raised. Definitely you put your opponent with AA, KK, QQ, or AK at worst. Just now, you achieve one of your goals - you narrow down the possible hands just to four. Your decision to continue, depends only at how far is the tipping point. The pressure is on you, and you must take action. If the stacks were deeper then the tipping point would be far away, and you could calmingly continue with your hand. Lets say you call and the flop is 8 7 6, your opponent bets again and you still think that your chance is under 50%. You play (to call or raise) depends again on how far ahead is the tipping point, if the bet of the other player is this point, then the hand is over. But if you called the flop and re-raise his turn bet, will this be this hand’s peak pressure? If the pot’s raise bet is the high point, you can turn it into pressure, only if you now is your opponent capable to fold over pair after this kind of development. In other words, can you increase the chance for you opponent to fold, making this bet? If the stacks are small, then the answer is “no”
Final scenario: 4-handed SNG(Sit and Go) player is limping in UTG (Under The Gun) with AA(double Aces ). You have left 8.5 big blind and the small and the big blind are covering it. The small blind is paid, BB(Big Blind) checks. The flop is 6 5 2, the small blind makes a bet and BB raises. You probably understand what the player with the aces was trying to do, but look where he is up now. He is the one who is under pressure, he doesn’t have information about his opponent hands. If he had tripled the big blind or even 2.5 it, then he would had the chance to became the one who is exerting the pressure.

I hope that you understand how important to the game can the pressure be and how you can use it in your advantage. Good Luck!