Online Poker : Poker Tournaments
Patience is the hurdle most beginners struggle with. The
biggest mistake is usually playing too many hands. If they
have not seen a hand for 20 minutes, all of a sudden A4
looks like a monster in any position. Don't do it. Patience
is everything.
Secondly, watch ! Watch how many hands someone plays and
how they play them. Make mental notes. Watch. Ask how you
can take advantage of what they are doing. Watch. Ask yourself
are they doing something worth copying. Watch and keep thinking
about it. Most experienced players don't ! That's why you
can catch up and pass them. Put the effort into the thought
process and you will be rewarded.
Respect a re-raise. If you have raised with AJ, and someone
has re-raised, then they probably have you well beat. Learn
to swallow. Pass. (The exception to this, is in major championships.
Good players will re-raise with anything in a major event.
You need to know which will though, and which won't.)
When you reach a reasonable standard and start playing
with better players, mix it up. When the whole table knows
you are passing A4 in early position and raising AQ in late
position. Try mixing it up. Raise with suited connectors
occasionally. This can have several benefits. You can often
steal when the flop comes high. Secondly, you often get
called when you hit the flop.
Now we are majoring in contradictions, let's contradict
the patience argument. Be aware of your chip stack compared
to the Blinds. Don't let yourself get too low. A lot of
good cash players can't win tournaments because they blind
themselves to death. If you have less than 3 times the big
blind, you are in trouble. Make a move before this happens.
Even with A4 when needs must.
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