Texas Holdem Tournaments - Getting Ahead Before The Game
Online poker can be both fun and rewarding. Perhaps you're
tempted to try a Texas Holdem (No Limit) Tournament. Here are
some tips from a true tournament champ. Warning! This guide
isn't for beginners.
You may enjoy playing poker online, but perhaps you want to
improve your Texas Holdem tournament results. After playing the
game for many years, I've developed a strategy guide for anyone
looking to improve the chances of winning at the Texas Holdem
(No Limit) Tournament game. These suggestions apply mostly to
large multi-tables games with potentially hundreds or even
thousands of players.
The Chance Factor for Texas Holdem
It is important for players to understand that no matter how
good you are, Texas Holdem does involve some element of chance.
The better you play and make good decisions, the more limited
the downside. The best players in the world usually end up on
the final table, but they too take bad beats. This proves it can
happen to anyone.
The important thing to note when you lose is not the fact that
you lost any particular poker game or hand, but to consider how
you lost. If you were put out holding A5 having gone all-in
against AK pre-flop then it's safe to say you probably won't
make a final table.
On the other hand if you lost or regularly lose having the best
hand at the point of all-in and are outdrawn, your chances of
long-term success are considerably greater. There is no way I
can promise a magic cure for your Texas Holdem ills, I can only
point out a number of strategies you can employ to improve your
chances.
At all times in an online poker game you need to be as observant
as you would in a live game. Tells do exist when playing online
poker they are just different in nature to a land based Holdem
game. With online games, there are some immediate tells that you
can point out, even before you begin the game.
Prior to the Tournament Start
With most Texas Holdem tournaments, you start with around 1500
in chips. The field against you will range from 10 to thousands
of players. Your first step is to look at the player names on
your table - those players who use their real name, those who
use an amusing name, and those who use a nonsensical name.
When looking at such names, I categorize players in my mind in
the following way (these categories change over time as the
poker play develops):
1) Those operating under their own name are new players with a
low level of skill. 2) Those using handles such as Holdem King,
or Suckout Boy are average to good players. 3) The ones to watch
are poker players with a name like gpgn5576tb.
I am cautious with players in the third category as they usually
choose such a name so they are harder to be recognized. Such
names are easily forgotten. I often find players like this
multi-tabling for hours on end and you can't be sure if you
remember them from one day to the next.
Tournament Commences
It is important to watch the play as it unfolds - learn the feel
of the table by observation and memory. In a very short space of
time you should be able to classify players into one of four
groups and play those groups in accordance with your
expectations. Typically players fall into the following groups:
1) Loose Aggressive 2) Loose Passive 3) Tight Aggressive 4)
Tight Passive
The most dangerous type of player, particularly for those of you
who may be new to the game is the Loose Aggressive types who
seem to bet anything and everything. These are the Gus Hanson
style of players who play lots of pots and do so as though they
have great hands. Clearly they don't - statistically they will
have the same hands as you so the key to moving against these
players is to wait for good cards (JJ or higher), wait until
they've dug a large enough hole by calling them down and
re-raise on the turn or river.
Loose Passive players are those that are prepared to bet heavily
and often but usually do so by calling whoever is doing the
betting. Often termed a "calling station".
Tight Aggressive applies to the majority of the poker playing
population. These are people playing the cards they hold, rather
than the players opposing them and the situation they find
themselves in. It is very difficult for these players to win on
a long term basis because really good cards seldom come out, and
when they do people will run for cover perceiving you to be a
'rock".
Tight Passive Holdem players are the worst of the bunch. They
seldom play and when they do they can often be pushed off the
best hand by other players.
Each of these types of player requires a different approach to
play. Poker is an assessment of multiple situations, each
different, where the long term winner will be those who make the
best decisions. Each play is therefore less about your starting
cards and more about the type of player opposing you, the
situation at that moment in time, or the probability of "outs."
So bear in mind that there mare many things to be aware of when
starting out. As we have seen in Texas Holdem there are players
of varied skill levels but also remember that chance plays a
part too. And sometimes, luck isn't always on your side.
However, if you follow these guidelines you will minimize your
mistakes and maximize your possibility of winning.