If you’re saving up your money to play in one of the big
$10,000 events on the poker circuit, these five tips will
help make you a winner.
1. Don't lay odds on your pre-flop raises.
In these big tournaments, after about level four, antes
are introduced to go along with the blinds. For example,
if the blinds are 400-800, the ante will be 100. With nine
players at the table, there will be 2,100 in the pot before
the cards are even dealt.
If you have a hand that you want to raise with, I suggest
making it 2,000 to go.
The so-called standard raise would be to 2,400 (three times
the big blind), but you can get away with a smaller raise
and accomplish the same objective.
With a smaller raise, say 2,000, you risk less to win the
2,100; the standard raise costs you 2,400 to win that same
2,100 pot.
2. Protect your chips before protecting the pot.
When you’re involved in a pot, the first thing to think
about is protecting the chips that you already have. Then
you can focus on protecting your hand and not losing the pot.
In other words, in marginal situations, where you probably
have the best hand but could easily be wrong, err toward
the side of caution. Yes, this approach will cause you to
get outdrawn by your opponents more often, but when they do,
you’ll lose the minimum rather than all the chips in front of you.
For example, you hold pocket aces and the board reads K-K-7-2.
If your opponent checks, play cautiously and check as well.
If she bets on the river card, you should usually just call
and hope that she doesn't have the third king in her hand.
3. Avoid coin flip situations.
When you make it all the way to the end of the tournament,
try to avoid playing large pots in situations where the odds
of you winning are close to 50-50.
Having a middle pair versus two higher cards (7-7 versus A-K)
is a classic example. The best way to stay out of trouble in a
marginal situation like this is to avoid reraising before the
flop. Instead, just call to see the flop first.
And don’t go crazy with the all-in bets!
If you continually put all of your money in before the flop,
you’re destined to go broke. Sooner or later, your small pair
will be in terrible shape against a bigger pair, or you’ll be
in that coin flip against two overcards. Both are situations
that good players try to avoid.
4. Don't bluff too much.
If you bluff too much, your table image will be damaged. It
will be less and less likely that you'll be able to get away
with future bluffs as the tournament progresses.
Small semi-bluffs are okay for the most part, but when risking
a large percentage of your chips, you should rarely be bluffing big.
5. Understand your stack size and never give up.
I often see short-stacked players make desperate moves. They
think they have no other choice since they’re so low on ammunition,
but their desperation is often premature.
You needn't be overly concerned with how your chips stack up
against the tournament average. It's more important to focus
on your stack size in relation to the blinds and antes.
For example, if you have 12,000 in chips, and the blinds are
600-1,200, you only have ten times the big blind. At that point,
when you do decide to play a hand, you’ll need to push it all in.
That doesn't mean you should go all-in with a trash hand. You
can wait at least one full round before taking your best shot
at the pot.
These five tips are the recipe for success in deep stack tournaments
like the World Poker Tour. Keep them in mind and you’ll outlast
much of the competition.
By Daniel Negreanu (Falls Church News Press)
Protect Your Rights
To Vegas Experts Poker Players,
You are not alone in your enjoyment of the great game of poker.
More than 70 million Americans play poker and roughly 23 million play the game online.
An American tradition and a true game of skill, poker is part of the heritage of the United States. From presidents and generals, to Supreme Court justices and even members of Congress, poker has tested the intellect of Americans for nearly 150 years.
Remarkably, if some members of Congress have their way,
playing poker on the Internet may soon come to an end, forcing
you to fold your hand. Legislation moving through Congress right
now seeks to ban Americans from playing Internet poker by deputizing
banks and Internet service providers to keep you from accessing poker websites.
You can take a stand to protect your right to play poker and the American way.
We encourage you to contact your local Congressman today! You can help turn back
Congress' efforts to ban online poker.
Support the efforts of such organizations as the Poker Players Alliance,
a growing group of more than 25,000 poker players, who are taking a stand
against this legislation and working to promote and protect the game.
The Poker Players Alliance is asking Congress to consider a more rational
and realistic approach to online poker, one that would create a regulated
environment for online play, and similar to what the U.S. government has
done for brick-and-mortar casinos.
You can contact your state and local officials through websites such as
www.congress.org.
Help keep the tradition alive - both online and off.
Sincerely,
The Vegas Experts Team
Bodog Poker Room
The Newest and Still the Best. The New Bodog Poker Interface changes the face of online poker
while maintaining the best tournaments, online gaming community, and customer
service in the world.
