Take a deep breath, put on your safety belt, and don your crash helmet. I am about to take you on a guided tour on how to play and win a poker tournament.
The idea for this column was sparked by an email from Phil D. of Sacramento, CA. He recently sent me an email that goes like this:
'Geno, my buddy Tom and I are ready to bite the bullet. We are going to play in a major poker tournament in Las Vegas this weekend. The buy-in is $500. It may not be major to professional players, but it's big to us. Please give Tom and me your best advice on how to approach this exciting event. Thanks.'
First, I want to wish Phil and Tom the best in their undertaking. A first tournament is a scary proposition for most players and I can imagine the butterflies that are racing around their stomachs.
Here is what I advise them to do. Plan to arrive in Las Vegas early enough for a good night's sleep. In the morning, eat a healthy breakfast with plenty of energy-producing food, including fresh fruit.
Dress comfortably and bring healthy, energy-producing food to the table like fruit, granola bars, and nuts.
Find a low-limit table and play a few hands before the tournament starts. You want to acclimate yourselves to the cards and nothing beats holding a few hands before the tournament.
I don't know how many starting chips you will have, but with a $500 buy-in, I estimate your stack will total around 300 times the big blind.
Think of the early stages of a tournament as a state fair. You have plenty of money for the rides, but there are so many rides to choose from. If you pick too many rides at the start, you won't have the money to pay for rides later in the day. Darn! That means you must go easy early in the tournament until you have added to your stack of chips and preferably doubled up.
You won't want to get into major confrontations early in the tournament. Unless you have the other players dominated with your hand, be very careful. Remember you cannot win a tournament early, but you can lose it.
As the blinds increase and you get accustomed to the other players, you can increase your aggression, but only do it when you have position on the competition. An A-J off suit from early position is a folding hand, while J-10 suited is a raising hand. A good flop could give you top pair and straight or flush possibilities, where a jack with the A-J could leave you in second or third place.
During the middle stages of a tournament if a weak player is in the pot and a possible flush comes on the board and he comes out betting, get rid of your top pair -- fast. He has probably made the flush and you want nothing to do with him.
Don't be a calling station and refrain from being a maniac. Just play solid poker.
The middle stages of a tournament is the time to build your stack of chips. This means raising in position and calling less with medium hands. By raising in position, you will win a lot of blinds without a fight. This is important to do before the blinds get too high.
In the late stage of a tournament, play fewer small pairs and small suited connectors. They will rarely help you and could lose a lot of chips.
Avoid battles with players whose chips far outnumber yours. Be the aggressor, not the caller, and go after the smaller stacks. Never let your chip stack sink below five times the big blind without going all-in.
Talk to the other players to gain information. This helps relax you and it may greatly assist you in a hand when you find yourself perplexed over whether to call, raise or fold.
If you have K-8 in the big blind and face a raise, fold.
When the player gets short-handed, play more aggressively. A hand like K-Q can dominate the table in a short-handed game. And if you are heads-up, A-5 is a monster.
If one of the other players wants end the tournament and divide the spoils, make sure you get full value for your chips -- otherwise politely refuse. You came to the tournament to win, not to compromise.
When it's all over, be sure to tip the dealers. They worked hard to provide you with a good tournament and great entertainment and deserve the money. Shuffle up and let the games begin.
Author: Geno Lawrenzi Jr.
(Geno Lawrenzi Jr. is an international journalist, magazine author and ghostwriter and poker player who lives in Phoenx, AZ. He has published 2,000 articles in 50 magazines and 125 newspapers. If you want to share a gambling story or book idea with him, send an email to glawrenzi@gmail.com ).