All poker players who have ever wanted to discover how to go into an online poker tournament need to understand that the first phase is deciding to play in the tournament in the first place. This will make or break your poker tournament strategy plans. Deciding to play early or late is pretty much up to the judgment of the poker tournament. You will have to use self-discipline and be willing to forgo poker tournament strategies that you are used to, in order to follow-through your strategy plans.
Two of the most important decisions in the poker tournament round 1-2 are:
- Which stage of the tournament will you be playing in? This is the obvious question. You must take some time to consider this, because you only have a few tournaments under your belt and you don’t want to waste your money on the wrong tournament.
Remember, the goal is not to just survive, but to win. Poker tournament strategies that allow you to win, without risking too much of your poker tournament bankroll are different from strategies that bankrupt you. If you want to become a better player, stop using autopilot techniques and take the time to learn each of the most effective poker tournament strategies.
- How early in the tournament should you be playing? In other words, which of the 3 starting positions in the poker tournament table or advancement group do you want to be in? If you’re in the first group, you want to play tight and be an all-in type of player, because you want to survive into the money. If you’re in the middle group, you can relax a bit more and be more aggressive in your games.
If you’re in the latter group, you want to be the wild and aggressive player, so that you can be more likely to double up the prize pool. Typically, if the poker tournament you’re playing in is part of a larger tournament, you should play more loosely, given your position in the tournament. In other words, you can take more risks and be more aggressive given your position at the poker tournament tables. Still, the most important thing to remember is to try to double up the prize pool.
When you’re playing tightenesses, you should look to build your chip stack by either forcing people to fold or winning the blinds uncontested. Look to control the action by either tightening or loosening up your starting hand requirements. For example, you start the poker tournament with AA. If you find that you get called a lot and your opponents are keeping a closer eye on you, you should be more likely to loosen up, since your opponents are likely to put you on a strong hand.
On the other hand, in case you’re in the more dangerous position of being the first to act, you should be more inclined to bet and raise, since this will help you get more out of your game and also given you the opportunity to take the pot down with a raise.
As a general rule, to be effective in any poker tournament, you should set a particular objective and work toward it. This could be to simply survive, to simply win a particular round of pokerboya, or to finally win the whole tournament. No one is expected to do the first but it would not hurt as well to at least get to the money.
The main strategy in a poker tournament is to try to let your opponents put each other out. Don’t be too predictable, and be wary of your opponents raises and folds. Take other players’ observations into consideration, but don’t be afraid to play your hand strong, as well. If you have a very strong hand, don’t hesitate to make your opponents pay in order to see their cards. In a Texas Holdem Poker Tournament, the best tactic is to patiently wait for a good hand and then value bet it strongly. In any case, do not bet or raise unless you have a real hand.