Poker Strategy & Texas Holdem Success Step 5: Tournaments & Tells
by Bodog Poker | Apr 9 2010
The most popular way for new players to
play poker is in a tournament. Most players will get started playing in local live events or in some of the online tournament action available around the clock.
Even the average home game with friends is a type of tournament called a sit-and-go, and most of the professional coverage on television displays the best players in the world in the Pro Tour events.
Tournaments are the best way to go from nothing to a big bankroll, and there's no better setting for the poker dream to come true for someone who has a good day.
Strategy for a
poker tournament is dependent on the tournament structure. These events come in a number of structures, most differing in blind levels or table structure. These two factors will dictate how you play the tournament, and consideration for these two elements must be taken when deciding to buy-in. The size of the blinds and the frequency that they elevate will force players to get more aggressive when their stacks are low. When a player's stack is above average they can relax and play as aggressively as the game permits them to get away with, or they can tighten up and wait for big holdings because they can afford to.
Basic tournament strategy preaches survival above all else. The longer you last in a tournament the more money you will win, so playing an overly-loose style will rarely provide any kind of consistent results.
During the early stages of a tournament the blinds are small, which means that there's isn't a lot to play for, and therefore one shouldn't look to take big risks with their chips at this stage. As the tournament goes on, and your chips start to fall behind the average, you'll have to take more chances to earn more chips or the blinds will eventually force you out of the tournament without a fight.
Poker tells, especially in tournaments, are not what many new players might think they are. Unlike popular poker movies of the past, poker tells are not some subtle movement or glitch that a player might display. Most tells come from betting patterns that don't add up, or in rare cases something that an opponent may have said as they try to conceal their holdings.
A lot of novice players will make poor bluffs out of fear or ego, and these are often picked off by an experienced player who can recognize when things just don't add up.
The best way to eliminate tells as you play a poker tournament is to try and be as robotic as possible. You can joke and have fun once you get used to playing the game, but first you should always follow a couple of simple rules to eliminate giving away information to good players:
1. You should always try to delay an equal amount of time before you act. Some players take more time when they have a big hand, while others rush a bluff when they decide to force the action.
2. Just as important is to change up your play; playing the same situations the same way will make you predictable. And finally, keep your mouth shut – don't talk until the hand is over.
Now head over to Bodog's
online poker room. Reading up on
poker strategy is fine, but the best way to learn is by playing.
