General Tourney Strategy

[stormswa]

A lot of this might be general stuff or stuff you already know but its my post so deal with it. I have always been a better tournament player then a cash game player, I actually think I'm a pretty poor cash game player because I seem to tilt a lot when I'm in a cash game when I take a bad beat but I seem to not in a tournament. So I came up with a kinda list of how to play solid tournament poker and here are my basic rules when I play.

1. Don't over play you hands - I see nothing at wrong seeing flop early on in a tournament with speculative hands like suited connectors BUT don't over play those hands. If you get to see a cheap flop with something like 7 8 do not go broke on that hand. Realize that even if you flop 2 pair on a flop like A 7 8 you do not have a lock or a monster hand. A lot of cards can come before showdown that can counterfeit your hand, a lot of cards can also come out that can put you as a big favorite to a big underdog.

2. this kinda links into #1 here, do not play giant pots early in a tournament, there is absolutely no reason to put all your chips in the middle. Play small pots and chip up, there is no reason to put your tourney life on the line in the 1st hour. Of course this is assuming you don't flop a monster, of course if you flop a monster you want to get as many chips in the middle as possible. This is more like you have K Q on a Q high board, of course if you flop Q high you are going to bet but don't over commit yourself. Don't go broke on top pair.

3. Don't get crazy against players that can bust you. This is pretty obvious but some people seem to do it all the time. If you are 2nd in chips at the table there is no reason to get involved with the only one at the table that can bust you. Instead pick on the small stacks that are trying to chip up or trying to get to the money.

4. Don't let yourself get blinded to less the 10BB, I see this all the time and I laugh all the time. If you are getting to 10BB kids its time to gamble, after all we are here to win the tournament right? why the hell would you just want to barley make the money? I mean say you join a $10 buy in and the bubble is like at 18 and there is 28 left, why the heck would you let yourself get blinded down into place 18 with like 3BB left? Makes no sense at all to me to sit in a tourney for 3 hours to make five dollars in profit. If you see yourself getting low then its time for you to take some gambles.

5. be the raiser not the caller - Raising with A T is a lot better then calling with it. This is another one people do not understand, I see a lot when a guy in EP raises and some guy just calls with hands like AT. This is not a hand you want to be calling with, this is a hand you want to raise in position.

6. don't let someone walk all over your blinds- this happens in every tourney ever played. Guy on the button raises with hands like K 9 which is the correct thing to do because that hand is favored over random blind hands. Eventually though you need to play back at him or push it all in, this is more true if you are getting short stacked. If blinds are like 1k/2k and guy on button raises to 6k and you are sitting around 10BB at 20k it might be time for you to play back at him. This is of course if this guy has been stealing your blinds over and over and you have folded to him. This is especially true if you are getting close to the bubble. The guy will think "wow this guy has just put all his chips in this close to the bubble he must have a monster". Also think of it like this there is 3k in middle from blinds maybe 100 ante so that's another 1k and he raises to 6k so that puts 10k in the middle before the flop so if you win you go from a 20k stack to a 30k stack, that's a massive increase!!




think thats about it for right now, I dont know if this will help anyone but thought I would post it just in case. PLEASE feel free to add any or if you dont agree with anyone please post why because I think alot are pretty basic. I do think all these are important for any tournament you join, I might add more later as they come to mind.