Have you played in a couple of poker tournaments and gotten knocked out earlier than you would have liked? It happens to almost everyone who starts playing in more than just a weekend game with friends. Sure, there are stories of folks who win big in their first-ever tournament, but the percentage of first-time winners is very low. If you’re like most of us, you’ve lost, possibly badly, in your first few tournaments. The good news is that you can always get better, and we’ve got tips and advice to help you do better in your next poker tournament.
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Poker Tournament Tips & Advice: How to play longer & smarter
Poker Tournament Tip: Pay Attention Early
You’ve got your table assignment, you’ve got your chips, and the first deal is already underway. Start taking mental notes on each player as soon as possible. The sooner you start understanding how your opponents approach the game, the sooner you can start to take advantage.
Playing loose early? That could be an inexperienced player, or it could be a sharp that ran into a hand. A guy playing tight right away? Again, this guy could lack experience, or he may be trying to throw you off. The cards will tell you what the truth is. Pay attention to what’s going on.
Poker Tournament Tip: Avoid Early Battles
This one doesn’t mean giving up big hands, but a great way to get knocked out early is to over-commit on one of the first few hands and end up short-stacked.
If you’ve got a big hand, by all means, play it. However, don’t throw good money after bad. Let’s say you have a pair of eights after the flop with a 10 and a queen along with your eight. Then, a couple of guys come out firing early. It’s okay to tap out here. First, it’s early, and this is a battle that could cost you. Second, at least one of these guys likely has a better hand than you do. This is a situation that you would want to stay out of in the early stages of the game.
It’s common for beginners to want to see the flop on every hand. While you may be able to pick up a few early wins, this is a great way to end up short-stacked and playing from behind. It’s okay to stay on the sidelines, especially if you’re not big or small blind. Remember to keep an eye on the games you don’t play in. Keeping an eye on your opponents will help you make your own reads later in the game.
Poker Tournament Tip: Stay Emotionless
The best players are almost robotic in how they approach the game. Allowing yourself to get too high or too low during a tournament will end up distracting you. Distractions lead to missed opportunities, and missed opportunities lead to crashing out. Stay Emotionless until it’s time not to be emotionless.
This requires a bit of training for your mind. Learn to avoid reacting emotionally in your daily life. This will carry over to your play and keep you from making mistakes. You can still feel every emotion, but you don’t have to react.
Watch a top-level tournament, and see how often winners are emotional at final tables. It’s rare that a real hot head will end up winning. Leave emotion at home when you come to the poker table, maintain your discipline, and focus on your opponents and the cards. Amateurs allow emotion to win. Pros win on the table.
Poker Tournament Tip: Understand Positions
In this case, position means where you’re sitting at the table.
Are you big blind or small blind? You’ll need to play defense because you’re committed, but it’s okay to stay out of early battles. Protect your big blind, but don’t overprotect your big blind, especially early. Keep an eye on how your opponents are betting when you’re big blind. Are they playing overly tight? Playing overly confident? It’s okay to raise if you think you can bully an opponent out of a position, but remember that bullies eventually get their comeuppance.
Are you in an early position in the hand? You have less information to go off of, and it’s advisable to play a bit tighter when you have to play an early position.
Are you playing a later position? It’s okay to get a little more aggressive if you’re in a later position. You know what the early players in the hand are doing, and can choose to stay in or fold. Again, it’s better to play tighter in early rounds, but it’s okay to play if you see a lack of action early in the hand.
Poker Tournament Tip: Vary Your Play
It’s easy for beginning players to come across as predictable in their play in an effort to ‘play it safe’ or even just to stay in the game.
Vary your bet size and play styles to avoid being easily read by other players. You still want to avoid getting too aggressive early, but going bigger on bets and varying how you attack other players will help in the long run. Playing the same bets or the same types of hands will eventually reveal a pattern to even novice players.
Change up bets, adjust when you enter, and try different tactics early on in the game. This will keep most players at the table off balance when you start playing hands that really matter later on.
Keep in mind that your time playing online or at a table shouldn’t cause additional stress. You get enough of that from work, family, and sports gambling. If your blood pressure is rising, get up, take a walk, throw on your earphones, and listen to the latest episode of the Sports Gambling Podcast, but always remember to let it ride!
