Tournament Strategy - Online Poker Tips

One of the most popular ways to play poker is tournament style. A poker tournament is when there are many entrants who each pay a fixed buy-in which then becomes the prize pool. The are rules and setup for tournaments are usually constant and can be found under Tournament Rules.

There is no single "right way" to play tournament poker, but there are certain things can be done to maximize your chances of succeeding. In tournament poker, you have to adjust your play for the fact that you cannot quit playing until you win all of the chips, or get until you get eliminated by losing all your chips. In cash games you are allowed to quit playing whenever you feel like it. In tournament play, if you don't like your table or aren't on your "A" game, there is nothing you can do but just try your best.

As the tournament progresses so do the blinds and antes. For this very reason you must adjust your play according to how fast the blinds are rising. You will find that it is sometimes the right play to go all in "under the gun" with any two cards just to try and steal the blinds and antes, or to even fold pocket Kings to an all in bet (rare but happens). The best way to maximize your chances of finishing high in a poker tournament is to be extremely aggressive towards the blinds of the weakest players at the table. This way you will have the best possible chance to win pots without a showdown.

It is always best to recognize how well the medium stacks are playing. If you can find a weakness in these players, this will give you the best chance of winning pots without a showdown. It is much harder to steal pots from the larger and smaller stacks. This big stacks are not afraid of losing, and are much more likely to make moves at you if they think you are stealing. Small stacks are ready to give up. They will move in with very weak hands sometimes if they think you are stealing.

If you can spot a short stack holding on for life trying to make the money, than you are in a great spot. If you are playing late in a tournament and notice players folding to make the money, it is correct to raise from almost any position with any two cards. Smart players will know what you are doing, but wont risk going broke with A 10 off against your J 4 off. A weak player will call off their tournament with any ace. The reason this is a bad play is because any ace is not always the best hand, and if its the best it probably is only a 60% favorite at best.

Remember it is very important to try and win pots without a showdown. To do well in any poker tournament luck will come into play. The best way to avoid having to get lucky is to try to win as many pots as you can without a showdown. This is not easy to do, especially in an online tournament where the blinds get huge compared to chip stacks. It is much better to play 72 off suit against a player who folds 90% of the time on the flop, than to play AK suited against a player who sees the river 90% of the time.

Tournament poker can be extremely fun but also involves extreme pressure at the same time. The thrill of potentially being knocked out or doubled up in one hand can really get your adrenaline pumping. The biggest thing you can do, especially in tournaments that lasts more than one day, is play smart and not always for "all the chips". Feel out your opponents and figure out if they are big gamblers (maniacs) or if they are super tight (rocks).

Players that continually push all-in rarely make it past the dinner break and even that is if they are extremely lucky. Take control of your hands by always making smart logical decisions, and your opponents should pick up on that. Let players move all in on you all the time and when you finally pick up a monster, your patience will pay you off.

One rule of thumb that works well playing online poker tournaments is that if you can beat AA, AK or KK when playing a rock, you should be ready to commit all your chips. If you flop a set or make two pair on the turn, you will usually have the best hand against a rock. This is because rock's only play the best cards. They will not be in pots with J9 or 64. Unlike maniacs, you will not have to worry about them holding random cards that beat you. A maniac gambling with random cards will outdraw you a lot more than a solid rock will.

It seems that the normal goal is to always try and at least place in the money when playing in a tournament. While this is very true, to be very successful the thought of making the money should not even cross your mind. When it gets down close to the cutoff where the next few people out don't make any money, you should be focusing on how other players are reacting. Try to figure out who is playing super tight, and who is trying to steal the blinds and antes.

By focusing on everything but making the money will only help you succeed in the long run. Sometimes you might be the last person to not make the money when you could have easily folded and placed, but even if you were making a "high reward steal" (made a play at someone where they would have to be holding an absolute monster hand to call you) and got caught bluffing, it is still better to always make what you think is the best play.