Tournaments – Multi Table Strategy
There are two major strategies for playing tournaments. Some players choose the strategy to play very fast in the early rounds, trying to accumulate a large stack of chips. Others choose to play only premium cards in the early rounds, hoping to be able to hold enough hands to last a long time. Both of these strategies have advantages and disadvantages.
If you choose to play fast, without giving yourself enough time to catch some good cards, you risk going out very early in the tournament. But on the other hand, if you do catch some cards or get lucky while playing fast, you can accumulate a large stack, which could put you way down in the tournament and increase your chances of winning. If you get knocked out early, you’re free to do something else, like finding another tournament to play. So if you are willing to gamble and don’t mind the consequences if you get busted early, it might be your choice of play. If you do choose this strategy, protect your chips if you get a big stack. That means you don’t have to keep it in high gear. It’s ok to slow down sometimes; you can always speed up again.
Some players online play more than one tournament at a time. By doing that, players are able to get into the money more often, but you also put more money at risk.
If you choose to play only premium hands, your chances of staying for a long time in the tournament are good, but not for accumulating a lot of chips. It is very hard to hold enough premium hands to win a tournament. One of the good things about playing only premium hands is that you get a good table image, that of a very tight player. You will probably ask yourself “Why is it good for me?” Well, Think about it, if everyone thinks you are the tight type, they will give you lot’s of respect when you do raise. So when you want to steal the blinds they will probably throw their hands away much easier. This is the strategy to play as a new player in tournaments. It is a chance to get some practice time in playing tournaments, make it easier for you to manage your money and it will help you develop a feel for them. But keep in mind the longer you last in the tournament, the higher the blinds get, so your play needs to open up a little right along with the blinds.
Holding enough premium hands to win a tournament is almost impossible. Because of this somewhere along in the tournament you will probably need to steal the blinds just to stay alive.
After practicing enough, you will be able to use the best of these two strategies. Starting out conservative in the early rounds, setting up a good table image and Then as the blinds increase, you will learn to open up your game a little and be able to steal the blinds you need just to stay in the game.
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