How to win a poker tournament, part 1

By Chris Ferguson

fergusonPeople often ask very specific questions about how d be a winning poker player.

How many tokens am I supposed to have after the first two levels?
Should I play more hands in the early stages because the blinds are cheap and then become increasingly tight as the blinds increase?
It seems to me that I always go out on the bubble. Should I play tighter on the bubble or should I try d accumulate the most before possible token?

Surprisingly, the three questions have the same answer:

Stop d trying to provoke things. Made only that focus you on the solid Poker and let the chips arrive when they arrive.

In fact, c is the best answer for n matter what kind of tournament. Here are the most useful questions.

Qu - what is different between the strategy ring game (RG) and tournament strategy?
The answer: not as many things as you can believe it.

Before adjusting your strategy for tournaments, you focus to adjust to other players. The most important ability to poker is authorised to adapt to your opponents, according to they play much or not many hands. A player capable of doing that will be as good in RG qu in tournament.

The most costly errors in tournament are the result of too much adjustments to the style of tournament play. Let's look again at these issues:

How many tokens am I supposed to have after the first two levels?

The short answer is: more than you can.

Play your cards. Play your opponents. N not try to induce action simply because you believe that you 'must' have a certain number of tokens. You must remember to collect as many tokens as possible, but also think about saving those you already have. The more tokens you have, it more you will have chances to win the tournament.

Should I play more hands in the early stages because the blinds are cheap and then become increasingly tight as the blinds increase?

Your style should not change that much during the progress of the tournament. Adjust your game to gain the upper hand over your opponents, regardless of the duration of the tournament. Most of the players are too loose in the first stages of the tournament. Instead of becoming a player like them, make the following adjustments:

Try to steal the blinds less often
Allow more than raise
Re-raisez more frequently

Similarly, when your opponents become more tight later in the tournament, you should steal more blinds and avoid introducing you in an open pot. Again, this is an adjustment to the style of your opponents and not to the level of the tournament you're in.

Last question: it seems to me that I always go out on the bubble. Should I play tighter on the bubble or should I try d accumulate the most before possible token?

Usually, the people who ask this question are those who are tight too early before the awards. D in other words, they s adjust many according to the stages of the tournament. Not only is it incorrect to s adjust until you're in 2 or 3 places money, but also to tighten too early in a tournament is the best way to finish on the bubble. Don't play your best poker, an aggressive poker, and try to not be in a situation where even an in n all is more than enough to make sunset your opponents, even those with marginal hands. Locate an opportunity to do it before, even if it means to do this with a hand that n is not necessarily a hand of first quality.

Next week, I'll tell you about the two situations where the fact d adjust your play will help you.

 

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