Strategy Guide for Tournament Poker

The poker boom has fueled wild excitement for tournament poker. Tournament poker players are viewed as icons of the poker world. After all, that’s where the money is. Not a week goes by without some news of a new tournament poker mega-winner. Are you ready to develop your tournament poker game? There are two strategies to playing that we will discuss today.

All or Nothing

One strategy is to play extremely aggressive up front. The idea here is to try and intimidate some players, take chips and build up fast so you can slow down later. The other idea is that you will either be out quick and free to do other things or you will be sitting pretty. The downside of this strategy is you can run into a hand easily. Many maniacs prefer this style.

Conservative

Another strategy is to play it very tight initially. Fold often and only play premium hands. The goal is not to accumulate chips initially, but to hold on to your chips and slowly move up the ladder as other players get knocked out. The one caution here is that you must make sure to play enough to keep money for your blinds. At some point those blinds will start increasing and if you have not increased some, the blinds will eat away your stack.

Playing in a poker tournament is much different than playing in a regular cash game. The psychology and strategy is totally different. Some players find they do better at one or the other and a few players do really well at both. The best way to increase your skills is to join poker tournaments and practice your strategy. There are some great tournament poker books out there too.