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Expert Plays for No Limit Tournaments
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Poker How To...
101 Tournament Poker Strategies
21. How to take advantage of poker odds to win big pots
You probably know what pot odds and implied odds are in poker, but do you know how to take full advantage of this knowledge in a no limit poker tournament?
As a reminder, pot odds are the ratio of the size of the pot to the size of the bet. If the pot has $400 in it, and your opponent bets $400, the pot is $800. Since you need to call with $400, the pot odds are $800 to $400 or 2-1.
Implied odds are based on the amount you believe you may win at the end of the hand, if you make your hand and win.
For example, the pot has $1,000 after your opponent bets $500 on the flop. You have a straight draw, and the pot odds are $1,000 to $500 or 2-1. Which is not favorable for drawing to a straight.
However, if you hit your straight on the next card, you believe that you may end up winning $4,000. Therefore, your estimate of your implied odds is $4,000 to $500 or 8-1 and you can call the bet.
While it's important to know these odds, it's even more important to know how to take advantage of the odds. Here's an example:
You are in a no limit poker tournament. It is the first hand with the blinds $25-$50. Everyone starts with $4,000 You are in the big blind.
The player under the gun raises to $150. Everyone folds to you. You have the pot odds of $100 to call the bet. Your pot odds are $225 to $100, or slightly over 2-1.
You look down at your cards and you have 8-7 suited. What should you do?
The correct play in this situation is to call the bet since you are getting excellent pot odds. If your opponent has a big hand like pocket Kings, and you hit your hand, you could win a much bigger pot.
What happens in this situation is that right before you call the raise, your opponent picks up his cards to look at them. By accident he flashes his cards to you. He has pocket Aces! Now what should you do? Does this change your original decision?
Not at all. Call the bet.
As a general rule, when you are in the big blind consider calling a bet if you are getting 2-1 odds or better, have much bigger implied odds and have a drawing hand or better.
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22. The 3 most popular poker strategies you must avoid
There are three popular poker strategies that you simply most avoid if you want to win a poker tournament. I am sure you have read each one of the following poker gems many time, and now believe them to be poker truths. Unfortunately they are just plain wrong for winning.
Poker Strategy #1: "Play tight early in a no limit poker tournament."
There are many ways to start in the early rounds of a poker tournament, yet you may have read this poker strategy most often. Why is this poker strategy so popular?
Think about it. If you got knocked out early, would you trust this guy's opinion?
Unfortunately, the worst poker advice for no limit tournaments is to play tight early. Poker is about gambling. Poker tournaments are about winning. Embrace the risk in the game because you need chips to survive those bad beats. You are not going to outplay the luck in the game.
The right strategy early in a no limit tournament is to put at least 20% of your chips at risk with drawing hands like suited connectors, so you can win big pots.
Remember this: No one has ever folded their way to victory. Never.
Poker Strategy #2: "You need to be selectively aggressive to win a poker tournament."
Oh my. Is this nonsense or what? Being aggressive is bad, but being selectively aggressive is right.
I guess that key word "selectively" means that if you are aggressive and win you are being selective. But if you are aggressive and lose you are not being selective enough.
What if you go card dead for an hour and are bleeding out your chips? Are you being too selective by not being aggressive.
Forget this nonsense strategy. You need to be aggressive to win a poker tournament. You need to accumulate chips. Raise and re-raise by making the right plays.
Poker Strategy #3: "It depends."
This has got to be the biggest joke of a pseudo-poker strategy ever. It depends. It depends on the stage of the tournament, the chip stacks, the opponent, the table images, etc. Duh!
So now that I've told you all that information, what's the answer? It depends…
I think we should put "it depends" next to "Depends" diapers..it's all wet.
The leaking is over! Make the right play at the right time.
Of course, sometimes in poker you make the right play at the wrong time. Yeah, you take a bad beat. But other times you will be wrong and make the wrong play at the right time. Yeah, you put a bad beat on your opponent.
Don't think "it depends." Ask yourself what is the right play at that moment. And if you still are not sure, err on the side of being aggressive by asking yourself the following:
"What move will put fear in the heart and mind of my opponent?"
About the Author
Mitchell is a successful
poker author,
coach, & player.
He is a strategist
to business including
Procter & Gamble
and Hewlett-Packard.
PokerStars Intellipoker selected his first book
for international distribution to educate players worldwide.
New!
Play to win. Not to bubble.
Amazon's #1
Best Seller in it's Category
"Best poker book released this year!!!"
"Unbelievably awesome."
"Outstanding!"
"One of the top
poker strategy books."
"Superb!"
"Full of sound advice and a lot of fun to read."
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