Tournament Poker Strategies that Work

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Expert Plays for No Limit Tournaments

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Poker How To....

101 Tournament Poker Strategies

5. Raise. It's that simple. Raise, raise & raise again.

If you are not raising, you are not winning.

In a poker tournament there are opportunities starting from the middle of the tournament to accumulate chips by simply raising without big hands. One reason is that many players want to survive and play it safe. Another reason is that after a long time period, players who know winning poker is aggressive poker, revert back to their comfort zone of playing a smart, cautious style.

When you notice you have fallen into the trap of playing it safe for a long time period, you have an opportunity to raise and steal pots. When you notice that your opponents have fallen back into this style, you have an opportunity to raise and steal pots. You need to accumulate chips, and you can't do that by folding.

Remember that tight, safe play gives you the right to raise and accumulate chips because you have a tight table image. So raise and accumulate chips with a wide range of starting hands.

What about your opponents? Have they tightened up their play? A clear signal of a tight table is when most hands are won without ever seeing the flop. If so, that is another signal for you to raise with a wider range of starting hand.

It takes courage to raise without premium hands but that is exactly what the poker pros do to win a poker tournament. Do you know the winning moves that poker pros make?

6. Know your opponents' and your own table image.

What is Table Image? Why is it So Important?

The playing style that a player has at the table is considered his table image. If an opponent has not played any hands for a long time period, he will have a tight table image. A player who enters many pots with a raise will have an aggressive table image.

It is important to try to determine the playing style of your opponents since it will improve your decisions. For example, holding A-Q is a stronger hand against the aggressive player than a tight player. The reason is that the aggressive player is entering many hands and probably does not have a hand as strong as yours. While the tight player will need a premium hand to enter the pot. As a result, while raising the aggressive player is a smart play, folding may be the right play against the tight player.

It is important to think about the table image you have created to your opponents. Importantly, you will find that not all of your opponents perceive your image the same way. As a result, your decisions against one opponent may differ against another opponent.

As a general rule, though, you want to play the opposite your table image. If your opponent views you as never being able to bluff, it will be easier to make a play that will bluff him out of a hand. If your opponent views you as a maniac, you will be much more likely to be called or even raised to put you to the test.

If you want to become a better poker player you need to understand table image and the moves that the pros use to win.