How to win at a poker tournament?

Question

I am a good poker player but I've never played in a tournament. Anyone has any good tips please?!

Answer 1

play a little looser than you normally would since time is limited and you won't have all night to wait for the great hands. Early on when the stakes are lower advertise, that is play hands that aren't very good or even bad as long as you can get to the show down cheaply, your opponents will think you play those bad hands, then later when the stakes are higher play better hands and you'll get calls from people expecting you to play the crap you were playing with at the begining. Of course selective aggresion is key. If you feel the other players are better than you steal pots by going all in preflop with the best hands if you can, then they can't out play you, you've only left them with one decision(to play or not) rather than the many decisions the would have the the choice to make if you hadn't. Lastly its not enough to be good, but you also have to get lucky, such is the nature of a tournament. Without know what game you're playing thats all I can concisely add.

Answer 2

I'm going to assume you're playing no limit Texas Hold 'Em tournaments since they are the most popular these days...

If you are already an experienced cash game player then you have to realize that tournaments are a totally different animal. The first thing to do is (as mentioned before) READ. I suggest two different authors: Dan Harrington's "Harrington on Hold 'Em" series is my bible for tournament play. If you read and understand the concepts in his books you definately should be a profitable tournament player. The other book I suggest (which was already mentioned) is David Sklansky's "Tournament Poker for Advanced Players" -- Sklansky's books are always full of excellent information. Sklansky's concepts usually apply to all forms of poker, not just hold em.

In general - you need to be more agressive in tournaments (increasing blinds mean you have to play more hands or go broke). Blind stealing is important in tournaments (not really important in cash games). Also - luck is a bigger factor in tournaments than cash games. If you are all in with a 20 to 1 advantage on the turn - but the river makes your opponent's hand better, that's it... game over. In a cash game you can just rebuy. So it is important to remember that every hand you play against a bigger stack could be your last. Make sure you pay attention to your opponents style of play - it will come in handy later.

Experience from cash games will be helpful in many respects, but harmful if you play too tight. In a cash game I might fold pre-flop about 85-95% of the time - in a tournament that is playing way too tight.

Another important thing to remember -- the quality of hands you will be up against goes down in a tournament compared to a cash game. Everyone feels the pressure from the blinds - so people are forced to play mediocre hands, and take more chances. While top pair + top kicker is a marginal hand in a cash game - it is often good enough to put everything in the middle in a tournament.

Answer 3

The difference between a cash game and a tournament are simple, a cash game's blinds never go up or down so you can be more patient for hands and wait for a good situation. In a tournament the blinds always go up after a set time so it is your job to keep your stack above average in order to survive. In tournaments you have to see value in every situation and you have to try and steal the blinds more often. If you can steal the blinds once per 1.5 times a round then you will be building your chips, and if your chips go under 10 times the blind then you are in trouble and need to make a move. Just play well and make good decisions and you will do well.

Answer 4

play good solid poker and you will do fine. Generally, everybody plays looser in the early rounds of the tourney, so it is better to play tighter in those rounds. Later in the tourney, everybody tightens up, so it is better to play more aggressively and steal some pots or blinds. Since it is later in the tourney, the blinds matter more if you steal them. Don't abuse the agression and always be aware of your table image. Also, and probably most important, PLAY TO WIN. Most people will get really tight at bubble time and at the final table so that they can get in the money and move up in money as people get eliminated. It's easy to exploit that.

Answer 5

use bodog.com to play ur game on it they have tourney's for real money with ten people u can play one for 2.20 and the pay out the top five fifth place loses .20 cents 5 throught first goes like this 2-3-4-5-6 just when u sign up if u could please use the refferal number PA40FD6
this i promise u will hon ur skills so that u can win against the guys

Answer 6

try getting a 5 dollar tournament with friends and you will become more conftrable with ur skills at a tourney!

Answer 7

Of course you can't count cards when they are shuffled every hand and you don't see the muck. I think the major key is learning how to read others and picking up their signs.

Answer 8

Have your poker face on ! That is the first rule

Answer 9

Try to improve your skills first otherwise you will lose your money.

Try to play poker without money. At following site, you could play without money to improve your skills.


Bet365 http://www.anurl.com/?GNTSG

Check whether it is legal to play online casino at your area.

Answer 10

its really all about how lucky you are if you are playing with people who are about the same skill level as you