Most players start playing Vegas88 games instead of tournaments. I learned this the hard way, when I broke my bankroll the first time playing in a tournament. Since then, I’ve learned to make a tournament profit, but it wasn’t because of how to play in cash games. I actually thought about throwing away most of the tourneys until I realized the truth.
Let’s first clear out some common misconception, tournament players are provided with significantly more opportunity to accumulate chips than in cash games. Despite the Gow Poker rule, which requires players to accumulate a certain amount of cash before they can move onto the next stage, tourneys provide the opportunity to accumulate a great deal of chips, even though you are playing with a $1,000,000 chip stack. In cash games, you are playing for entertainment, and usually the only way you’ll accumulate any real money is via a lucky poker hand.
Also, despite the fact that the overall objective is to push the house edge down as much as possible, tournament players are at a distinct disadvantage, because they must accumulate a large amount of chips throughout the tournament. Cash games, on the other hand, requires that you win a given amount before you move on to the next stage. The faster you can win your stack, the better your chances of moving up the prize ladder. Tournaments also protect your hand against the field. Since the tournament poker objective is to eliminate players, the only way they can succeed is if you are eliminated. The entire field is aware of this and will play generally tighter to avoid being eliminated and forced to gamble for their survival.
While cash games are definitely the most profitable way to accumulate chips, moving up quickly into a tournament is also extremely profitable. As long as you are maximized your stacks, you can very quickly move up the ladder by not taking unnecessary risks. The most important thing tournament poker players must understand is that the players who are achieving high chip stacks are generally ahead of the game throughout the tournament. They are not sitting on their stone cold Monopoly hands, but are using other strategies to try and gain an advantage on their opponents. This means that you will not find a lot of time changing tables, but rather just have to be focused and patient to build your stack in the early stages.
However, you might want to expand your Purists this myth, because there are also a lot of bad beats being thrown around the internet. Many players claim that you should not be playing psychologically perfect poker, because it leads to all or most bad beats. Really? It’s understandable that people can get frustrated that they lose a pot they see a lot of junk on the board and lose a hand that they were leading in. The truth of the matter is that a hand like that is very dependent on the entire table. Just because you were leading doesn’t mean you should play every hand, because you’re leading, and those pocket kings in your hand isn’t going to win every time the player in front of you acts classy and calls your raise. In fact, the passive player is almost forced to call, because they’re afraid of what the aggressive player will do behind them.
Despite the numeric advantage of playing more poker hands, the reality is that most players don’t treat it seriously enough. It’s often expressed that playing tight numerically can be associated with a more thoughtful, patient play, but really, that’s just a façade if you don’t want to be famous as a button. What’s important is that you play as many poker hands as possible, and play them with your poker face, but without the patience of a watchful eye, you will just end up getting unlucky. One of the few solid poker strategies will be to take the chance generally, but for once, take the risk on a monster and be done with it.
Knowing When To Let Go
If you’re just starting out, one of the best strategies you can develop is say, the first hands you play. Just for the sake of example, if you are dealt a seven and an ace on the first hand, you might want to stick around, but if you are a more experienced player, you will want to fold immediately. Something like, “I’ll be waiting for the next deal” – this kind of sophisticated play goes a long way in displaying patience.
You also want to practice immediately any new strategies you learn or start using, because the most impact of those strategies will be for your own benefit by saving you from making a very big mistake. So be sure and try both out eventually, and refine your game completely.
Letting Go – A Solid Advice
So, you’re playing tight, you’re playing aggressively. But you’re not doing it the right way, you have to seriously stop if you’re having too many suckouts.