Online
Poker Tournaments -- Time to get aboard
Online poker tournaments are skyrocketing
in popularity due to reasons ranging from low
buyins into major tournaments for a fraction of
their usual cost to those who do not live within
driving distance of a land based poker room. (And
of course another factor is the money that can
be won.) The Internet has changed where and when
one can play. This revolution in how the game
is played has resulted in millions of dollars
being placed into online poker tournaments and
satellite poker tournaments, with more opportunities
on the Net coming up each week.
Poker as a "sport" is
widely enjoyed by millions around the world due
to the necessary level of quick thinking, skill
and challenge of the game. For those who don't
understand, what makes it a game of skill is this,
the element of luck is in the draw of the cards,
but the skill is in how those cards are played.
Too many times on televised tournaments you can
see extremely bad hands winning because of how
the hands were handled in a case-by-case situation
by the player. Anyone can get lucky for a good
run or even enough to win a tournament, but over
time the skill level of a player will reflect
their number of victories and the amount of winnings
taken home.
What fundamentals does a poker player
need to know before playing tournaments over the
Internet? Here are some tips:
Make sure you are ready. Practice
in regular play over the Internet as much as possible.
This is what lets you gain years of playing experience
in a matter of months. Many young players in their
20's are doing well against top players and this
is one of the big ways of how they get their knowledge
so fast.
Take the time to invest in learning
strategies, techniques and how to read players.
Purchasing a few books written by experienced
top players is a better investment than playing
at a table without an idea of what is going on.
Combining the two will enable you to play a solid
game and wait for others to make mistakes and
bust out. And know how to adjust your playing
strategy when the blinds increase.
Surrender in order to survive. It
does not make sense to play marginal hands in
a tournament if you don't have to. Unless you
know you have a winning hand, it may be wiser
to fold. The chips you save may help you to win
a larger amount when you get a superior hand.
For the first few rounds in a tournament, you
are trying to survive while others are being eliminated.
Take the time to understand when
a player is "pot committed". When a
player is pot committed, they have so much invested
that it makes it hard to back away from folding
or putting more chips in. Knowing to watch for
this will enable you to put on more pressure when
you know you have a superior hand. It should also
help you know when to abandon a hand so that you
do not place yourself in a situation when it becomes
hard to back away.
Finally, keep a written record to
track your play and earnings. It will help you
to focus in order to become a better player. This
lets you stay on track and forces you to ask yourself
if you are playing the best game you can play.
Tom Howze is a webmaster for 7 sites
that relate to online gambling, World Series of
Poker and World Poker Tour events and updates.
For more information, please visit
2005 World Series of Poker . He can be reached
at webmaster@justgambleforfree.com for questions. |
