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Classroom |
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Tournaments
- Single Table Strategy
When you enter a single tournament at Empire, you will receive either $800 or $1000 in tournament chips, depending on the size of the buy-in. The limits begin at $15 and $30. You have plenty of chips to play the first couple rounds. As a rule of thumb, play tighter in the early rounds and loosen up as the blinds increase. You are looking to sit back, playing only good cards, then raising or reraising with your big pairs.
It’s usually best to wait for players to bust out before you open up your game and play hands other than premium ones. After players bust out, your weaker hands will have a better chance of winning simply because of fewer hands to go against. This helps immensely when you are trying to steal a pot.
As the binds and antes increase, you’ll need to accumulate chips in order to improve your chances to come in the money, or win. Always keep track of when the blinds are going up, as they will affect the way you need to play. Do not let the blinds break you when you are short. Instead, select a hand and more importantly, an opponent that you think might fold to a raise. The worse that can happen is you go broke. If you don’t play something the blinds will break you anyway, so you really have nothing to loose. If you play, you might win a pot, and a few chips to get back into the game. If you enter a pot playing aggressively, you at least have the chance of winning if everyone folds to your raise. Always remember, the higher the blinds get, the more important it is to pick them up just to stay in the game.
When it gets close to the money decide which is your best strategy to make the most money you can, after all, that is our goal. You should always aim to win first place but sometimes it is better to sit back and slide into the money. Other times, when players let you, attack and steal their blinds. Just take into consideration all the factors, the blinds, your cards, your position, your chips, and your opponents position and chip count.
Because single table tournaments pay three spots, adjust your strategy depending on your chip position and how the other players are playing, especially as it gets close to the money. If you get off to an early lead, the other players will sometimes try to avoid you, thereby giving you a good opportunity to steal their blinds. If you get off to a bad start and are short of chips, you may have to gamble with a hand just to stay alive. Remember the shorter you are in chips, the more willing you need to be to gamble and give yourself a chance to win.
When you have plenty of chips, learn to protect them. By that I mean, don’t gamble foolishly with bad hands. On the other hand, you can raise and pick up the blinds if the other players are playing very conservatively.
The more you practice the better you will get at making correct decisions. Practice, Practice, Practice.
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