Almost everyone who has ever played poker has at one time or another been in a poker tournament. Heck, we all have probably even been part of a poker tournament at one time or another. But, does that mean we can walk home with a dime from the tournament?
Poker tournaments are a bit different than cash games. In cash games, you can just play for an hour or two and if you are not doing well, you can get up and leave. In poker tournaments, players stick around a lot longer. If your playing well the majority of the time, you stay around. If you start to lose, you stay around longer, then when you start to lose, you get up sooner then you would have otherwise, leaving when your out of chips. In a cash game, if you leave before you lost all your chips, you are out of chips, even if you did not win.
Many of the tips in poker tournaments apply, but there are specific instances that may be different. For example, in a poker tournament you should not be afraid to get tough with a weak hand. If you are card dead, drinks are not going to improve your odds. In poker tournaments, you need to be more Corkuden than fish. If you push all in with nothing, you cannot expect to win anything but maybe chips.
In a poker tournament you cannot leave early. If you do not think you will be able to continue on with the tournament, do not enter. This is usually the best thing to do whether you are against 863-856 or AA-JJ. It is NEVER a good idea to enter a poker tournament under the influence of alcohol. Poker tournaments require much more skill and courage than a game of craps. Craps is a much easier game to learn and, though still very challenging, can be entirely profitable, especially if you push your luck.
Seasoned tournament players will often tell you that the time to get aggressive is when the tournament is in its early stages. Do not ask how this is done, or try to find a time when it is happening, you have to wait until it is time to act. Let the other players fall victim to their own thoughts. Raise and raise some more, you do not have to just sit by and watch. When you play in the early rounds, you are hoping that your opponents will be less willing to call because the stakes are not as high as it will be later on.
Many MPO777 tournaments have 6 or 7 players on a table. Sometimes, the more players, the harder it can be to win. As long as you pay attention and play smart, you should be able to win. If you are playing in a satellite tournament, you might want to wait until the field is smaller in order to get a better price on your tickets. You can also get special promotions that can required to get you a free seat or increase the amount of chips you are given.
Always read the rules before entering a poker tournament. If you cannot remember the rule, you can ask the person at the table to remind you. Write it down on a piece of paper so you can refer to it if you run into a difficult situation. You would want to avoid arguments or any types of chat. You want to remember that a lot of players have already paid to play so you do not have to remind them again.
put your odds on when you are going to bet. Play only if you have a comfortable pot odds. When you only have a 4:1 or less, you should either wait for a great hand or get out.
Pr some aggression on the flop. So many times I see novice players chasing at too many flops. It is fine to do this once in a while but you cannot do it every hand. My overall style is passive so I want to keep the pot size small.
Are there any draws on the flop. If there are, you should either be in with the best hand, or be in with a high pocket pair.
Are all bluffing or slow-playing going to be over the top? Bet out if you have something decent.
Are you going to continuation bet? If so, when? What are your opponent’s tendencies? (i.e. Do they call a lot of small raises, or do they fold on the flop light?)
What is your own style of gambling? Are you going to call the big bets, or are you going to fold if you see the cards?
There are two entire sections of this book dedicated to each style of play. You need to acquire a lot of information on your own, and then try to act on it. I cannot stress enough the importance of this. Part of the reason you are successful is because you have read this book from start to finish!