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Poker Tournament Strategy and betting size to Play like a Pro

Poker Tournament Strategy and betting size to Play like a Pro

Poker tournaments in India are great for players belonging to each level. Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned player, you can learn more about the game to win bigger money. If you have been playing tournaments, you must be aware that you win only because of tactical skills and strategy rather than mere luck. And if you have that skill, poker tournaments can be the best medium to get some serious money.

One thing which I have noticed is that poker tournaments require skill and complete focus throughout the tournament. While you may lose due to misfortune, with experience and skill, your chances of winning increase. In short, poker is a game of mind and soul that requires players to sync in rhythm with patience and pressure. Read below to find more tips and poker tournaments strategies to lay like a pro.

Bet Sizing for Tournaments

Knowing how much and when to bet is an important decision as winning and losing depends on it. The betting size differs highly during early sessions and the final table. In general, two betting matters the most which are post-flop and pre-flop.

Pre-flop Betting size

Betting during a pre-flop session means raising the line according to the moment on your table. This means you are signalling your opponents about your winning chances. Raise 5*BB if all the other players are doing 2.5*BB which will put the entire limelight on you. This strategy works most of the time. Though beginners must stick to a standard pre-flop raises and as the tournament progresses, you can vary the bet size upwards or downwards according to your stack size.

Post-flop Bet Sizing

After all the flops are out, bets become live. Now is the time you must do well. In almost every situation, a pre-flopper raises bet more. Approximately 55-75% of the pot size is a good continuation bet size. This is the amount that will decide the strength on your hand and let all the opponents understand that you hold a decent pack. Any small betting done can either get raised or checked. Larger, on the other side means you are committed to calling or making an all-in call with mediocre holding.

Poker tournament strategy and tips

  • During the first few levels, never get over-excited. The blinds are comparatively small and go for it only when your pack is decent and you feel that it can make you win the pot. But never get excited to take a risk too early.
  • Tournaments last a long time. You’re going to get a lot of terrible beats. Consider the larger picture. It will place the awful beats into perspective. If you don’t lose your cool, your tournament plan can withstand a few setbacks.
  • Look for weak players to play against. By the very same logic, avoid the truly skilled players until you find out how they compete.
  • Maintain your voice at the table in mind. This will alter during the tournament as you go through the stages and shift tables.
  • Also keep in mind that since you’ll be playing against so many players over a few weeks, many of whom you’ve never met previously, you’ll have to be capable of reading their signals, bluffs, and tactics.
  • Just attempt to spice things up. Keep your table’s image in mind at all times. For instance, let’s say you’ve been playing for 60 minutes and you’ve got terrific hands. As a result, you’ve been raising a lot before the flop avoiding getting to reveal your cards. Nevertheless, to keep your opponent’s guessing, consider raising on some lesser hands as well.
  • Table allocation is one that you should be aware of. You have no control over the table you sit at or which players you play with. Maybe you’ll be with some extremely good players, and other times you’ll be with those who aren’t so good.

Is ‘playing tight’ a correct approach in poker tournaments?

Although playing tight seems to be a correct approach, but only to an extent. You need to play tight during bubble stages if you carry middle stacks since you do not want to fight with bigger stacks. Rather, try to be safe so that your chips are not risked. If you have a small stack, it is also possible that you will lose some more. Middle stacks are the most difficult to play as compared to short stacks as you cannot make extreme decisions. The same rule applies if you play too loose and risk too far. Therefore, a good player always balances between playing tight and light to make their bluffs and calls more tricksome.

How does timely Aggression win poker Tournaments?

Aggression is one of the characteristics that is needed while you play poker tournaments. But what does it mean in reality? One who never raise in blinds or the one you keep raising the bets? Well, the answer to it is a complicated one. Aggression in a poker tournament is all about balancing chip accumulation and survival.

 You will never go far in a poker tournament unless you cannot hold your chips well. Likewise, you may not build your stack if you do to lose some. Nonetheless, throwing chips unnecessarily when reaching the final table become more risker and slim. Therefore, timely aggression seems to be the best strategy. Once a correct opportunity lay in front of you and your winning chances becomes higher, show some aggression and raise bets. When the tournaments progress towards the final stages, the blinds get bigger and requires more aggressiveness. You have to be more aggressive in later stages to cope with increasing blinds and antes.

Deciding upon bluffs

Table image: Your table image has a huge effect on whether or not your bluff is effective. To utilise it, you must first grasp what it is. If you’re perceived as a tight player, the bets will be interpreted as standing strong. Your bluffs will have a greater chance of success. If you’re viewed as an aggressive player, your bluffs would more than certainly fail since you’ll be challenged.

Opponents: The most central part in deciding your strategy for the hand is who you are playing against. The notion is also not as straightforward as believing that if they wouldn’t like folding, you just cannot bluff them. Nearly every single player has some traits that allow them to bluff at a certain time.

Size of bet: While betting as a bluff, you must evaluate what size is most rewarding. To generate a profit, a compact size does not need to see as many folds as a larger size, but it is not always certain where the tipping point is. Because of your opponent’s patterns, a single bet may not be enough to compel them to fold. This is where your decision in choosing how much danger you are prepared to take comes into play.

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