Ten Tournament Tips

Many of the people who stumble across this site are either existing tournament players or are interested in trying out tournament play. In the hopes of helping you get off to a start, I wrote this article to give you a basic idea of winning tournament play. Poker is a game of skill and, if you use a proper poker strategy, can be an extremely lucrative game.

Keep in mind that these tournament tips are a little on the basic side. I know that not everyone looking for the Absolute Poker referral code is a new player but many people are. Anyways, if you take these ten tournament tips to heart, you’ll see improved results at the tables and possibly even make it deep in your next tournament.

1. Play a tight-aggressive game early in the tournament

Don’t be tempted by the small blinds to play a bunch of iffy hands early in the tournament. Play a normal, tight-aggressive game in the early stages of a tournament. You can play drawing hands such as small pocket pairs in late position but don’t get in the habit of calling raises with these hands or playing them from early position.

2. Attack the blinds late in the tournament

The blinds grow large in tournaments too quickly for you to rely solely on catching strong hands. When the blinds get big (around 50/100 or so), start looking for opportunities to steal the blinds every chance you get. Many of the other players tighten up at this point and that’s the perfect chance for you to steal their blinds.

3. Attack the weak limpers

Weak tournament players like to open the pot by limping in with drawing hands. You can often steal their limp money by putting in a strong preflop raise. This is best done when three factors are in place:

• You know the players in the blinds are also likely to fold
• You believe the limper is capable of folding
• The blinds are large enough to be worth the trouble

4. Never forget the Gap Effect

David Sklansky’s Gap Effect states that you need a stronger hand to call a raise than you need to make a raise yourself. When you raise, you have the advantage of aggression and also have two ways to win the pot: by having the best cards at the showdown or by making your opponent fold.

You need a stronger hand to call a raise because you are fighting against an opponent who has taken the initiative by raising. That player has declared he has a strong hand but you don’t know what he has. Unless you can bluff that player off his hand (a risky proposition in a tournament), you will have to have the best cards at the showdown.

5. Position is all-important

Always pay attention to position – both your own position and your opponents’. In late position, you have the advantage of information because you get to act last every round. In early position, you have no idea what your opponents will do so you have to play a tighter, more straightforward game.

Also pay attention to the position of your opponents. A raise from an opponent in early position is much morel likely to represent a strong hand than a raise from an opponent in late position. Notice how your opponents play in each position and look for weaknesses in their strategy.

6. Pay attention even when not involved in the hand

Even if you fold before the flop, pay close attention to the hand. Every hand you witness gives you information that will help you play better against your opponents. When you observe your opponents, you get to see what types of hands they play, how they play from each position, how they play made hands, how they bluff and much, much more. Always pay attention to your opponents.

7. Adjust to each opponent and each table

You can play the same style against all opponents. A great tournament player is flexible and able to change gears on a moment’s notice. You’ll have to play tight against some players, aggressive against others and be able to do it all at the same table.

8. Keep an eye on stack sizes

Both your own stack size and your opponents’ stack sizes greatly affect tournament strategy. With big stacks, you can afford to make preflop raises and play several streets of normal poker. As the stacks get smaller, most of the action will take place before the flop or on the flop. Players with big stacks play much differently than players with small stacks.

9. Attack the medium stacks near the bubble

The players with medium or slightly less than average stacks are the best ones to steal from during the bubble. They are the least likely of all to defend their blinds because they know they are so close to making the money. The small stacks will call out of desperation and the big stacks will call because they can. This doesn’t hold true 100% of the time but it’s worth keeping in mind.

10. Begin the tournament focused and well rested

This is the easiest way to increase your tournament results. Make sure you are always well rested and ready to play before the tournament. Get a good night’s sleep, eat breakfast and take a shower. You’ll feel sharp and confident if you approach the tournament the same way you approach an important day at work.

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