Poker is arguably the most popular card game in the world, and if you’ve ever played it before, you’ll know exactly why. The great thing about poker today is that thanks to the various online poker tournaments, finding a competitive game at any time is now easier than ever. However, if you’re considering participating in multiple online poker tournaments for the first time, you’ll want to make sure you’re as prepared as possible. That’s why we’ve compiled this article listing various poker tournament strategy tips that have proven to be effective. Entering your first tournament can be daunting, but if you remember the poker tournament strategy tips we’re about to give you, your chances of placing high, and maybe even winning, will increase exponentially.
Early in the game, play tight: First of all, one of the most important things to remember when it comes to poker tournament strategy tips is to play tight from the start. Don’t worry if you’re not quite sure what this technical jargon means, we’ll go over it now. Basically, early in the game make sure you sit back and bide your time. Many people make the mistake of getting caught up in the small blinds early on by playing fairly weak hands. Unless you are sure you have a particularly strong hand, you should sit back, play carefully, and wait for the other players to remove themselves from the game.
Pay attention to your opponents – Whether you’re playing a tournament round of poker at a friend’s house, or simply participating in online poker tournaments, you should always try to pay attention to your opponents. Take notes on how they play throughout the game. For example, if there is a player who bluffs a lot, but often has a weak hand, remember this for later in the game.
Aim for 1st place at the final table – Remember, at the final table, the lowest payouts are really just fairly small percentages of the total prize money. Because of this, you can afford to take some risks because ultimately you are looking for first place and to win the first place prize, whatever that may be.
Keep your funds in good condition throughout the tournament. Obviously, the point of a poker tournament is to win and hopefully win as much money as you can. Needless to say, you can’t expect to win every game, so you’ll need to give yourself some breathing room. Many experts recommend a bankroll of at least 50 entries to avoid going totally broke, so whenever possible try to play a little more conservatively to ensure you don’t spend all your money/chips.
Remember that drawing hands have smaller values. Finally, it is critical to understand that as a tournament progresses, compared to the blinds, each player will now have smaller chip stacks. Because of this, smaller drawing hands like small pairs are worth much less because, on average, each opponent will be short-stacked. If you then end up spending money on drawing hands, you’re likely to lose because they’re worth less and the pots just won’t be big enough to offset your spending.
