Poker tournaments are a great way to learn and improve your poker game without breaking the bank.
If you get a bit lucky and make it to the final stretch of the tournament, you could also make some good money.
And how can you improve your chances of winning poker tournaments? Check out the seven tips below!
1 – I have tokens, therefore I exist
The main difference between cash games and tournaments is survival. When you run out of chips in the tournament, you’re out.
For this reason, you should always know how many chips you have, what the blinds are and where you stand in relation to the average chip count.
Chip sizes fluctuate – at the beginning of the game, your stack will have a lot of big blinds – 50, 100, 150 or more. In the middle and late stages of the tournament, your average chip stack will probably hover around 30 big blinds, so the fewer chips you have, the more you should focus on keeping your stack healthy.
2 – Think before using your tokens
At the beginning of the tournament, you will be very deep and have a lot of room to maneuver, you may see a lot of flops, etc. But, over time, your stack will get smaller and you will have to calculate and think very carefully before risking chips on a move.
It is also worth remembering that choosing the right tournament is just as important as the way you play. Wasting your bankroll on tournaments where you will have no advantage or anything like that will definitely be -EV.
3 – Patience is everything
A phrase to define how a beginner should play a tournament: Play tight at the beginning of the tournament and gradually loosen up the game until the final levels.
Of course, this will depend on your stack, but in general you should relax in the early levels. Don't put yourself in difficult situations unnecessarily, use this time to get to know your opponents.
4 – Don’t be shy in the bubble
The bubble is one of the most difficult moments in a poker tournament. You are just a few steps away from securing your prize, and being short-stacked at this point can be difficult.
If you have a short stack, now is the time to be careful with your decisions. However, if you have a healthy stack, now is a good time to put pressure on your opponents and increase your stack even further!
The chips in the middle of the table will be just waiting for you, as most of the short stacks will be afraid to “bubble” the tournament. Do your part, grab your chips!
5 – Don’t be too passive when playing short-handed
In the final stretch of tournaments, the tables end up having fewer players than normal.
At these times, you should play more aggressively, as your cards gain more value due to the fewer players at the table.
If you wait too long for a good hand to get involved in a pot, you will lose a lot of chips to the blinds and antes, making your stack no longer a threat to the villains. Think about it!
6 – Heads-up? It’s time to put even more pressure on
If you survive to this point and make it to heads-up, you should know that at this point the game changes completely.
Playing two players, all decisions will involve you, and small hands gain a lot of value.
A hand like A5o may be weak in early position at a 9-handed table, but heads-up it is an excellent hand. Put pressure on your opponent and secure your victory!
7 – Don’t be abusive in final table deals
Reaching the final table, especially in a big tournament, can be tempting. The prizes are big, and beginners end up being intimidated by the amounts, accepting terrible deals when they would have a good chance of fighting for better prizes. Think about each offer, look at the stacks, the blind times, the level of the opponents, and if possible, opt for a deal based on ICM (Independent Chip Model), which will be fair for everyone.
Article translated and adapted from: 7 Simple Ways to Get Better Results in Poker Tournaments
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