subject: Everything You Wanted To Know About Online Poker Tournaments [print this page] When it comes to online poker tournaments you need know a number of things if you are going to be successful. You need to be organized, you need to be patient and you need to be able to play the game. Here are a number of points that will help you finish in first place. The tips can't guarantee success but they are sure to reduce your chances of failure.
The first thing you need to do is take a deep breath and relax. Once the cards start flying the pressure is going to be on to perform and do well. You just have to let the game take care of itself. In an effort to make your mark, you only have to make one mistake to see you eliminated. Yes you want to do well but you have to pick your spot carefully.
In the early stages, the blinds are small and everyone is going to want to try and accumulate a nice chip stack. At the same time, people are not wanted to be crippled by a bad move so will be tight. So you will have this paradox where some people are playing ultra tight and others are ultra aggressive. You should bounce between the two just make sure you choose the right time.
Be prepared for lots of all-ins and showdowns. If you can win a couple of these, it puts you in a great position once the tournament settles down and people relax a bit. Then you can play your normal game. At this stage be cautious, but at the same time keep your eyes open for any opportunities to increase your chip stack.
One of the things about this stage is that you can be relocated to another table or new people can move to your table. This is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, you have just learned how to play against a certain type of player and now have to come to terms with new ones. But by the same token, the new players don't know you. This puts you in the position where you can put some of your moves on them.
Once the antes start to reach significant levels, this is going to influence how people play. When they are a hefty percentage of a person's stack they won't have any qualms about going all-in. Inversely, if you are short stacked you don't want to be blinded out and may be forced to go all-in with a weak hand as this could be better than what you will be forced to go all-in with next time. You need to keep this in mind.
People are also going to tighten up once you near the bubble. They will do everything they can to stave off elimination if it means surviving for another few minutes will see them make the prize money. This is going to affect people's thinking once the bubble approaches then as every other person is eliminated. You can take advantage of this kind of thinking.
