Tournament Poker Tips
The tournament variation of poker should be considered to be completely different compared to a standard real money cash table due to the fact that you are dealing more with real money chips rather than a representation of a buy in shown with an inflated amount of chips.
Although we can’t completely list the best poker tournament strategy into one article, we can highlight some of the most important factors that should be considered while you are taking part in a tournament situation.
1. During the early stages, play tight and keep your starting hands strictly to the premium hands.
So many players in tournaments feel that due to the low level of blinds that start the tournament off, they have to increase the size of the betting in order to speed up the tournament.
The fact is that there is a large percentage of poker players who are unable to play tournaments at the lowest blind level because they are uncomfortable with the low level betting that is taking place, leaving the players without any option but to try to bring them into their comfort zone, leading the players to over bet each hand within those blind levels.
2. Play your game in line with the blind levels.
In order to be better adapted to the game play you need to be willing to alter your play according to the level of the tournament, this means being able to become more aggressive within your approach to the game.
Aggression within your game can include a number of alterations to your play including forcing large bets during strong hands that you are holding or trying to steal blinds.
3. Play tournaments that are affordable to your bankroll.
So many poker players that play tournaments online in online poker rooms head to the tournament that they want to play without thinking about how their bankroll could suffer should they fail to place within the payout positions.
A general unwritten rule that has been in circulation within the online poker scene for a number years and this rule says that if you are looking to play tournaments rather than cash ring games, you should always look to have enough of a bankroll to cover a minimum of 50 buy ins into your desired tournament.
Allowing for this margin means that you are allowing for tournaments that simply aren’t going your way, you are not about to go broke after only one tournament, allowing you a chance to win your investment back.
4. Play the hand to the value that they represent
At the start of a tournament every hand carries a certain amount of value into a pot but as the tournament progresses and the chip stacks of the players begin to flutter away, hands will begin to lose potential value.
A great example of this would be suited connectors, connectors such as 5/6 become less valued and begin to offer too much of a cost to the holder than what they have a possibility of winning.
5. Remember that it can sometimes be easier to make an all in call than to make a flat call on a big bet.
Having the poker knowledge to know when to make a standard call as opposed to pushing all of your chips into the middle with an all in shout can offer players the difference between success and failure.
Remember that players often prefer to make all in calls due to either fear of your hand to emphasise their strength or to avoid confrontation and having to place a number of bets into the centre pot.
6. Use a player’s position within the tournament standings to your advantage.
Having the ability to take chips from players who are cruising within the middle field of a tournament is vital if you are going to be able to stand the test of time as the blinds increase within the tournament.
Remember that as the tournament breaks into the later stages, you will need a larger amount of poker chips within your stake in order to make a stand and hold your own within the play.
7. Make notes about your opponents.
As with any poker game, you need to be able to analyse both your own poker play as well as all of the opponents who are seated around your table.
Doing this is easier while playing poker online due to the notepad feature that almost every online poker room offer to their members and with this easy to call function been available here, you are able to reference to your notes at times where you need to have a quick recap of how a player is holding at the tables.
Another thing to think about is that while you are making notes within an online poker environment, you will be able to save these notes for times that you clash with the player again.
8. Use your position within the action to your advantage.
You will have seen it written all over the internet that using a players position at the poker tables can sometimes be more important than the cards that you are dealt by the dealer.
It wouldn’t be something that would have come into too much light if it wasn’t for stories like that of Annette Oberstad, a professional poker player who has recently signed with Full Tilt Poker.
The female poker professional was able to play a complete tournament on the biggest online poker room in the world without looking at her cards.
Oberstad said that the reason that she conducted the tournament without making reference to her hole cards was to prove that correct use of your position within the action can pay off greatly.
9. Practice your tournament finishing strategy within smaller style tournaments like Sit and Go’s.
Playing a tournament within the early and middle stages is sometimes easier than playing the final leg of the action as the games tend to remain active with tables that are full of other opponents.
If you don’t possess the killer instinct to be able to finish a tournament with methods of extracting chips from the remaining players, you simply aren’t going to find yourself gracing the winning podium or the first place position at the end of the tournament.
Poker is about playing a game with the intent to finish another players participation within the tournament, making friends and taking it easy on them could soon come back to haunt you at a later stage.
Offer no remorse and never have any regrets.
10. If you’re going to play in a tournament, you have to be in it for the right reason.
Playing a tournament can be a great experience, especially if you have the chance to play within a large live tournament.
You have to be entering the tournament for more than experience though because it could well prove to be a costly experience for you.
If you’re not playing the tournament to win it, you’re playing it for the wrong reasons and shouldn’t be even thinking about placing the buy in fee.
When I say that you should be playing for the win, I’m not saying that you should be completely focused on the money or prize that is offered should you win as this has been proven to effect a players willingness to stick to their poker ‘A-Game’.
