Playing an online Poker tournament is a great way to test your game knowledge and skills as well as to earn a good amount of money. Every Poker player wants to make it big in the gaming world by participating in online tournaments with huge guaranteed prize pools. Playing in a Poker tournament is an absolutely thrilling and adventurous experience. It offers you the opportunity to prove your mettle against opponents of various skill levels and win mind-blowing rewards.
Here are some time-tested strategies you can use in an online tournament to maximize your chances of outwitting the opponents and winning the lion’s share of the prize pool:
1. Flexible Playing Style
A tournament player must know how to adjust his strategies and playing pattern according to the ever-changing situation on the table. It is crucial to not give any type of “tells” to your opponents by not following any playing style (loose/tight/aggressive/passive) religiously. Staying unpredictable on the Poker table is a skill that can only be learned through consistent practice and training.
2. Play As Per Your Chip Stacks
The number of chips in-hand plays an important role in determining your gameplan. You can play with weak or average hands in hopes of hitting the flop if you are holding a good amount of chips. But if you are playing with a limited number of chips, you need to select the best hand in value as you cannot afford to lose more chips. Players with small chip stack often try to pull a bluff in this situation by betting big with a weak hand in order to make their opponents fold their strong hands. As you cannot say with certainty what your opponent is holding, it is crucial to make a move only after carefully analyzing the opponent’s table position, table image, and past playing record.
3. Play Freeroll Tournaments
Before joining a real stake tournament, play Poker freeroll tournaments online to develop confidence in your skills and game knowledge. At practice tables, you can experiment with your strategies without risking money. As you need to take quick “calculated” decisions, playing freerolls is a great way to learn how to read your opponent’s mindset, predict his future moves, and devise a strategy accordingly.
4. Bluff With Caution
Bluffing is a strategy used to make opponents holding stronger cards in value than yours to fold their cards. A successful bluff is well-timed and based on table position and bet sizes. If you bluff against a tight player who cannot afford to fold his cards or an inexperienced player who calls your every bet, then your bluff will definitely not help. Find out which type of player you are playing against (skill set, experience, betting pattern) to predict his next move (fold/call) before making a bluff.
5. Discipline & Patience
Regardless of whether you play poker games online or offline, it is important to learn how to patiently observe your opponents. Your betting actions must be based on your opponents’ level of skills. For ex.- play tight in the early stages of the game and avoid confrontation to let the poor players (fish) help you build the pot. You can also identify the strong and decent players who bet aggressively to make other players fold. This information helps you decide whether to enter the pot or throw away the cards and wait for the next hand.
Focus is the key to earning big in an online Poker tournament. It starts at a specific time, but you cannot predict when it is going to end. If you want to become a successful Poker tournament player, you should be aiming to learn how to maintain your concentration for long periods of time.
