Sunday, October 6, 2019
No Limit Texas Hold'em - Play More Hands in Tournaments
No Limit Texas Hold'em - Play More Hands in Tournaments
Most no limit Texas Hold'em tournaments feature a small blind, a big blind, and after a certain number of rounds, an added ante. Normally, each player in a no limit Texas Hold'em tournament must contribute his or her $100 ante in each hand once the blinds have reached $400/$800. The added cost of the ante forces the action at the poker table a little bit, making it very difficult for a tight or conservative player to stay afloat while waiting to play only premium starting hands.
Waiting to play only premium hands in a Texas Hold'em tournament is usually not a good idea anyway. As a matter of fact, it should be your goal as a no limit Texas Hold'em tournament player to actually play more hands than the average player during a poker tournament. Most poker players know the difference between great hands, marginal hands, and junk hands. Everybody will play premium hands while most will even play marginal hands. Some Texas Hold'em tournament players will even play junk hands if the situation calls for it.
Novice players should stick to premium hands until they are comfortable with marginal hands and card/player reading. Bluff attempts at stealing blinds are a good place to start when learning to play marginal hands. However, just be sure to realize that there's more to poker than bluffing.
The bottom line is that since the blinds and antes steadily increase during a Texas Hold'em poker tournament, sitting back and waiting for only premium hands will only result in your stack being blinded away. Learn to play more hands in tournaments and you will become a much better Texas Hold'em tournament player.
Most no limit Texas Hold'em tournaments feature a small blind, a big blind, and after a certain number of rounds, an added ante. Normally, each player in a no limit Texas Hold'em tournament must contribute his or her $100 ante in each hand once the blinds have reached $400/$800. The added cost of the ante forces the action at the poker table a little bit, making it very difficult for a tight or conservative player to stay afloat while waiting to play only premium starting hands.
Waiting to play only premium hands in a Texas Hold'em tournament is usually not a good idea anyway. As a matter of fact, it should be your goal as a no limit Texas Hold'em tournament player to actually play more hands than the average player during a poker tournament. Most poker players know the difference between great hands, marginal hands, and junk hands. Everybody will play premium hands while most will even play marginal hands. Some Texas Hold'em tournament players will even play junk hands if the situation calls for it.
Novice players should stick to premium hands until they are comfortable with marginal hands and card/player reading. Bluff attempts at stealing blinds are a good place to start when learning to play marginal hands. However, just be sure to realize that there's more to poker than bluffing.
The bottom line is that since the blinds and antes steadily increase during a Texas Hold'em poker tournament, sitting back and waiting for only premium hands will only result in your stack being blinded away. Learn to play more hands in tournaments and you will become a much better Texas Hold'em tournament player.
