The following are some tips on how to become better at Poker Tournaments:

1. Become a better rather than a caller. Remember that if you bet then you have two chances to win, you can either have the best hand or you can force the others to fold, giving you the pot without any real challenge!

 

2. A good base strategy for a single table tournament is to play tight, only playing with good hands in the first three rounds. After you are passed these initial rounds you open up your game and start playing more hands. You need to then get more aggressive in your play the further you progress in the tournament.

 

3. When you are a good way into the tournament and have a sizeable amount of chips to play with and are just a few places away from a prize, that is the time when it is easier to rob other players who are desperate to try and also grab a prize. Play a bit more aggressively and play more hands than you normally would and in most cases you will win even more chips.

 

4. Play for real money in the first rounds of a multi table tournament. The game at these early stages is quite relaxed as you aren’t being forced too much by the blinds, so it is an excellent place to learn and practice. Focus again on playing tight and solid poker. I would however recommend single tournament games initially as they are slightly easier to play in.

 

5. When your chip stack get to less than five times the big blind in a no-limit tournament you will have to consider going all in irrespective of the cards in your hand as long as you are the first player into the pot. In this extreme situation you are betting on the fact that no one will have a hand to call you on. Even if you do get called the cards might still go in your favour, you really don’t have much option though as at this point you are almost out anyway.

 

6. When you are playing it is very important to keep a close eye on how your opponents are playing and pick out the ones who will and won’t defend a blind. The higher the blind becomes the more relevant the information becomes, remember that players who like to play tight are generally easier to rob as they are scared of gambling too much, always be ready to exploit this situation, be ruthless.

 

7. The best way to build up some good skills for poker tournaments is to play in single table satellites.

When you do this, visualise that you are actually playing at the final table of the WPT. Keep in mind that every single chip you have is crucial. Playing single table tournaments is great practice for end game play at tournaments. The strategy in multi table tournaments and single tournaments is actually very similar, with the only real difference being that single table tournaments usually take less than an hour to play whilst multi table tournaments can take up to 4 hours. Also bear in mind though that the competition is fiercer on multi table tournaments so it is better to start off with single table tournaments.

 

8. When you have another competitor who is playing very aggressively then, as in martial arts, you need to use that against them. Let them think that you have a weak hand when in fact you have a strong one, check on the opening bet to keep them interested then later on start raising to really punish them. If you have a real monster hand you should try and check the first 2 rounds before raising.

 

9. Have a plan ready for the tournament. Decide before you sit down at the first table whether you are going to play tight in the first rounds or if you want to play loose and try to build up your chips early on. Your tactic can of course be tweaked as you play but you should avoid jumping from one extreme and then back to the other too often.

The best advice I can give is to be prepared for anything and avoid any distractions whilst you are playing, but most importantly have fun!!