Tournaments (part 2)

As I promised in my previous post, I will share some of my experience about the poker tournaments and give you some hints on how to play in the different stages of the game. It is crucial to understand the basic concepts if you want to be a winning poker player. So lets get started!

In the beginning everyone starts excited and impatient to collect as many chips and prove to the others that he is the best. However, most of the people have absolutely no idea of strategy and planning ahead. That is why you should play very tight (as we call it ABC) poker in the beginning. Pick your spots very carefully and do not bluff because most of the people playing are still weak players who tend to call you down with weak hands. Be patient and if you are not very unlucky you will have a medium or big stack for the next stage.

In the middle stage the stacks become shallower and most of the weak players are already out of the tournament. You need to consider how big is your stack - if you are one of the short stacks, seek an opportunity to get all your chips in the middle with a premium hand - double up is your only chance for a top ranking. If you have a medium or big stack this is the time when you have to steal as much as you can, bluff from time to time, because the blinds and antes are very high, compared to the stacks of the players. The main goal is to arrive on the final table with a big stack.

The final table is where everyone wants to be - big prizes, tough competition and adrenalinе. That is the moment when you have to slow down and return to your solid tight image. Pick the spots for bluffs very carefully until you pick up some information about the players on the table - some of them will play for the win only and will risk more than others who play just to climb one or two places on the leaderboard. At this stage you will have to play your opponent, not your cards, and if your reads are correct you may be the winner.

I hope you learned something new and I will see you on the final tables!