How to Pick The Right Poker Tournament
If you are looking to start playing in poker tournaments, you will be faced with a wide variety of games to choose from. To make sure you don’t end up wasting your time playing in tournaments that do not meet your needs, you should decide exactly what you are looking for up front. Once you know what kind of tournament you are looking for, it should be easy to find a perfect fit.
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Stealing The Blinds
How do you steal the blinds?
In any of the poker games that utilize ‘blinds’ or ‘antes’ such as Texas hold ‘em, many players consider ‘stealing the blinds’ a standard move. The basic idea is to make a strong raise pre-flop while holding poor-medium strength. For a steal to work, every other player at the table must fold. If this happens you win (steal) the posted blinds. Stealing the blinds may or may not be considered bluffing, depending on the strength of the cards you are holding. This might sound pretty risky, after all you could be raising with a 7 8 suited to the small blind who is holding a pair of Aces. While there is no sure fire way to steal the blinds, there are some conditions that put the odds in your favor.
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Sit And Go Basics
‘Sit and go’ (SNG) is a specific type of poker game. SNG poker games are special because they don’t have any scheduled starting times, nor do they require pre-registration. These games have a set number of seats and begin as soon as all of the seats are full. SNG games/tournaments have become quite popular and are available online all of the time at various poker sites but, if you keep your eyes open, they can be found in some live casinos as well.
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Being Better than your Opponents
If you been reading my previous articles, you should be at a point now to understand some of the things it takes to be better than your opponents in poker. You must keep youself focused at all times by remaining patient and playing under control by leaving your ego at home and not bringing in to the poker table.
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Leave your Ego at Home when Playing Poker
The poker table is no place for your ego. Sure, it’s a good thing to be confident and play aggressive poker. You believe in your abilities at the poker tables but if you walk around with a big ego you will make big enemies and pride like this can cost lots of money.
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Playing Poker Under Control
Imagine this scenario, it’s the game of your life. You flop a set and are betting like crazy. The pot is massive and then, on the river, some bozo catches two running clubs to beat you with a flush. What do you do?
In loser poker, you blow your stack and tear him apart for calling those bets with such a weak hand. Yeah sure, it would feel great to tell this whack-job exactly what you think of him and his card play but ultimately, that will cost you money.
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The Patient Poker Player
In my last few strategy articles, I’ve discussed some of the more obvious traits of a successful poker player. For instance, you have to be intellectually smart to be a successful poker player, not just poker smart. I’ve also touched on some of the more external traits of a winning poker player like playing poker with an aggressive style or playing fearless at the poker tables. This next trait may not be as obvious to some but I consider it to be one of the most important traits of every successful poker player.
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The Aggressive Poker Player
In poker, aggression can be an effective winning strategy. This true mainly because if you bet often, no on can ever be sure what you have. Earlier, in my article “Playing Fearless at the Poker Tables“, I discussed letting go of your fears while at the poker table. In the case of the aggressive poker player, aggression and fear go hand in hand.
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Playing Fearless at the Poker Tables
Poker is nothing more than a test of courage. Not only are you potentially risking big money but you are (at times) putting yourself on the line. Sitting at that poker table, online or not, making a bet, folding, raising, getting beat and raking a pot will all make you feel butterflies in your stomach.
Poker Smarts
To win at a poker table, you have to be smart. I’m not just talking about smart play, such as aggressiveness, I’m talking about you, yourself. You have to be smart, you have to have a certain amount of intelligence. Poker is a difficult game to play well, you have to be sharp and stay sharp the whole time you are at the table.
Just one missed tell or one missed sign from another player all could be lost, especially with No-Limit Texas Holdem, but also in the limit games as well.