O boss, I have been playing online poker now for quite a while, and I admit I am not any kind of pro by nature. I am just what you would call a pretty good player that knows what to do with what. That said I have learned a lot about online poker over the years, and while I don’t think I am any where near the all-in skill of a John Juano, I do know a few things that keep me a pretty decent player.
I have played at quite a few of the online poker rooms and I admit I have made a few bad decisions along the way, bad beats and all. I generally find the easier games, especially the lower stakes, to play. I guess that is because I have had more experience playing with those kinds of players. I guess Iatched up to a few of the drunks too.
I guess what ever thoughts go through your mind when you look at making a big tournament payout in an online poker room, it doesn’t matter. You have got to do it and you are going to do it whether you like it or not. You are not going to get paid on time or in a timely manner if you have a lousy tournament.
The best poker advice I can give you is to take a ton of risk if you want to make it big. Follow your gut, and trust your instincts. Odds are you will win more than you will lose. You may not win the tournament, but you may end up on the final table for much bigger money.
In my opinion, the best way to play sit and go tournaments is to take advantage of the fact that many players who play sit and go tournaments are players with a lot of cash. Because most players playing in these types of tournaments are players with a lot of money, the competition is that much better.
The best poker advice I can give you is to take a ton of risk if you want to make it big
Here are some key strategies that will help you in your sit and go poker tournaments.
- Early on in a sit and go tournament you need to get a feel for the tableYou can’t sit down on the first hand after you have bought in unless it’s a nice pocket pair. Most people won’t let you draw with any cards though most people are scared to raise with anything unless they have a premium hand.
Going all in early will allow you to bet and steal the blinds more often and that’s a key to winning sit and go tournaments. If you raise with AA and the flop is coordinated you can probably steal the blinds without many confrontations. When it gets past the flop, you want to be on the balls of being able to complete a drawing hand.
- You can’t bluff or semi-bluff unless you have really Blow-by- Blow stamina and confidence. If you ever call a raise with a hand like 75s when you are up against 75s again and again and loose, you have proven to yourself that you can play better than your opponents even if they are experienced. Having the proper patience to wait for a better hand than your opponents to invest in a big pot will propel you through the middle stages of the sit and go tournament.
- Start slowly and build your respect as you make small blisks. You opponent may just be playing with a small pair and not even know it. There’s nothing wrong with checking/limping in because it’s not a huge risk if you are in early position. Besides, the reality is you want to build a proper image for yourself.
If you are in the later stages of the tournament when you either have few callers or you seem to be a favorite to win the hand, then you can take a chance at stealing the pot with questionable hands. But, you really want to be playing a hand where you have a lot of respect to win the hand. That hand may be the nuts to win, but you want to take a chance at stealing the blinds or else fold to your opponents raises.