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Classroom |
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Tournaments
- Multi Table Strategy
There are two major strategies for playing tournaments. Some players choose the strategy to play very fast in the early rounds, trying to accumulate a large stack of chips. Others choose to play only premium cards in the early rounds in the hope of being able to hold enough hands to last a long time. Both of these strategies have advantages and disadvantages.
If you choose to play fast, you risk going out very early in the tournament, without giving yourself enough time to catch some good cards. But on the other hand, if you do catch some cards or get lucky while playing fast, you can accumulate a large stack, which could put you way down in the tournament and strengthen your chances of winning. If you get knocked out early, you’re free to do something else, like finding another tournament to play. So if you are willing to gamble and don’t mind the consequences if you get busted early, it might be your choice of play. If you do choose this strategy, protect your chips if you get a big stack. By that I mean you don’t have to keep it in high gear. It’s ok to slow down sometimes, you can always speed up again.
Some players online play more than one tournament at a time. By playing more than one tournament at a time players are able to get into the money more often, but you also put more money at risk.
If you choose to play only premium hands, your chances of surviving a long while in the tournament are good, but your chances of accumulating a lot of chips are slim. It is very hard to hold enough premium hands to win a tournament. One of the good things about playing only premium hands is that you get a good table image, that of a very tight player. You might ask yourself “How is that going to help me?” Think about it, if everyone thinks you are tight, they will give you lot’s of respect when you do raise. So when you want to steal the blinds they might throw their hands away easier. This is the strategy to play as a new player in tournaments. It will give you a chance to get some practice time in playing tournaments and help you develop a feel for them. It will also make it easier for you to manage your money. But keep in mind the longer you last in the tournament, the higher the blinds get, so your play needs to open up a little right along with the blinds.
It is almost impossible to hold enough premium hands to win a tournament. Because of this somewhere along in the tournament you will probably need to steal the blinds just to stay alive.
After getting plenty of practice time in you will be able to use the best of both these strategies. Starting out conservative in the early rounds, setting up a good table image. Then as the blinds increase you will learn to open up your game a little and be able steal the blinds you need just to stay alive. Remember even when you are out stealing and get called, you might get lucky and draw out on someone with a better hand.
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