Top 10 Poker Tournament Tips !

November 6th, 2009

Winning a poker tournament requires more than just luck, this is where your poker skills will be put to the test and to help you become the best poker player you can be, we’ve listed here the top ten poker tournament tips :

Set a worthwhile goal

When playing in a poker tournament, make sure you have a goal in mind. While we would all love to make winning our goal, this is not realistic. Just cashing is not the best goal in the world either. If you just cash, often you will be playing at a loss. Set a goal that involves making the final table. That is where the real money is.

Have a Plan

Don’t just go in and react to what is going on around you. Have a plan, and try to stick to it. While every plan changes a bit upon contact with the enemy, try to stay to the larger aspects of a quality tournament plan.

Play to win! Don’t play not to lose

If you play in a tournament with the goal of protecting your chip stack, you won’t last very long. Your stack is a weapon that you will use to pressure other players out of their chips.

Identify the Weak Players Early

The early rounds of a poker tournament will offer you your best opportunities to double and triple up your stack. Identify the weak players, and the extremely loose players. These will be the folks whose chips will most easily be separated from them.

Choose Your Drinks Well

Tournaments are marathons, not sprints. This means you will need to keep a clear head for a long period of time. Avoid the alcohol offered by the cocktail waitresses, and be leery of energy drinks. Many of them may give you a jolt of energy, but also bring a debilitating crash later on.

Drive the Action

Over the past few years, we have seen a more aggressive form of poker succeed on the tournament level. Simply being the caller is not a good poker strategy. Be aggressive with your hands.

Bluffs are More Effective Early in the Tournament

Because of an escalating blind structure, bluffs are more effective in the early parts of a tournament. In the later stages the bar for playable hands has been lowered, so bluffs are less effective.

Use the Bubble

You don’t want the bubble to burst on your chances, but you can also use the bubble as unspoken pressure against other players. As the bubble nears, players will tighten up in hopes of protecting their chances. This offers prime blind stealing opportunities.

Short Stacks

Players with short stacks will be looking for a double or triple up opportunity. In their desperation, they will avoid drawing hands, and go all-in on just about any pair; hoping to flop a set.

The All In Offensive

In the early goings of a poker tournament use the all-in bet as an offensive weapon when you have the cards. The maniacs will give you action on your bet, and you can quickly chip up.

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