Playing small pots at the start of a poker tournament will be a key point of any good Texas Hold Em Tournament Strategy. By playing small pots in the beginning you can steal blinds and antes. Playing the small pots at the beginning of a tournament can win you a massive amount of chips, however they are more vulnerable to things likeStraights and Flushes.
The thing about playing small pots early on in a tournament is that you want to be either out of position or have a very strong hand (like a high pair or something, but something that people rarely play). The reason for playing small pots is that you want your blinds up so you can win them. You don’t want to be dependent on the luck of the draw to win a tournament.
If you are in the small blind and there has been no raise before you call, but there is a raise in front of you it is a much better time to call. Almost always the initial raise was from a player who had a hand that was not likely to hold, but the initial raiser could have a different hand. In any case, if you call the initial raiser, there is a good chance there will not be another raise behind you.
Then the flop comes. If you happened to flop a set on the flop, the best case scenario is that someone else held the 2 or the Ace. That would be the best case scenario. Also, there is a good chance there will be another set on the board. If you are in the blind and there is another raise, your duty is to call that raise, no matter what you have. Do not call a raise with a hand like pocket 3’s just because you might have the best hand.
If you flop a set, play against your opponent’s bet. If you think your opponent might have a better hand than you, call to see the flop. Do not make the mistake of thinking an Ace high flush is likely. If the flop turns up a King, unless you have the set, you should probably get out of the hand, unless you want to go all in and chance the cards.
Playing middle to late positions – In mid to late position you have seen the flop and have reasonably good cards. You most likely have some sort of hand (even if not a high pair). When it comes time to play against the blinds you are in mid to late position you have to be looser than normally.
You can steal the blinds from the button or the cut-off. Both of these positions are good for a stealing attempt. Decide whether you are in position or out of position when you attempt to steal. If you are in position you are in position to make an effort, but if you are out of position you are without position and will have to act in an unsolicited manner. Throw an occasional raise out there. Keep your opponents guessing.
Playing late position – This is when you are at either end of the table and can look on the Egp88 stack. This is an advantageous position because it will allow you to see your opponents better. although you will not have exact information on your opponents actions, you will know what cards they play.
In playing late position, you should have a fast play, but not one that is acting in a loose style. When playing from late position, you are at a disadvantage because you do not know what cards the other players will play. However, you can take a few more hands per round and improve your chances of winning when you are playing from this position.
This is not to say that you should fold every hand or anything, but you should have a better play. The use of basic poker strategy in situations such as this is a great advantage. When playing from late position, you are usually looking for hands such as high pairs, high cards, or suited connectors. You will be willing to take a bit of a risk playing from this position, but you want to make sure that you are winning that coin flip.
If you want to improve your chances of winning playing from the blind, doing what is called gaining information advantage. This occurs when you can identify, through observing your opponents, that a player such as the button, or someone very early in the position, is playing weak hands. This gives you an opportunity to play more value hands against them, because you know that they are more likely to be playing with weaker hands than they are.
This is the essence of gaining information advantage. How often have you been able to take a small bit of a player’s stack, through a successful steal of the blind, and left them wondering what exactly you did just before you got up and left the hand?.