1. Texas Holdem Tournament Usa
2. Texas Holdem Tournament Videos
3. Winning At Texas Holdem Poker
4. Winning Texas Holdem Strategy

Multi Table Tournament (MTT) Strategy. Multi Table Tournaments are by far the most glamorous versions of the game with the biggest chance to win a huge amount overnight. They also involve a lot of luck. The MTT strategy differs from cash games and SNGs, most notably because every decision you make could be your last. It is a balancing act. Let's now take a closer look at Texas Holdem strategy and the pattern that is essential for beginners to learn. The chart shows how many hands you are supposed to play depending on which position you sit in at the table. Example: You are sitting as player 6 to the left of the dealer button and you have a king of spades and a 7 of spades.

(This article is a follow up to 'Late Stages Tournament Strategy')

If you have reached the final table of a poker tournament, you have clearly been doing something right. However, the correct strategy for final table play is much different than the correct strategy for play at previous points during the tournament.

The most important factor in deciding your final table strategy is your stack size. At this point you may be entering the final table with a short stack, with an average stack, or even as the chip leader. This page will provide strategies for each chip stack, and will teach you how to advance in the pay scale and have a shot at winning the entire tournament.

Also, now that you are at the final table of the tournament, you are likely to run into some skilled players. The strategy on this page will help you deal with skilled players at the final table:

Evaluating Your Opponents

Since there were only ten players left prior to the final table, you should have a pretty good read on at least four of the other players. Your first goal at the final table should be to develop an opinion on each player's style of play. Use the note taking feature to record your thoughts so you can come back to them later.

Make sure to note if players like to limp/fold, steal in late position, defend their blinds, or get all-in preflop. This information will come in handy later in the tournament when you need to make an important decision.

Playing the Short Stack at the Final Table

We consider any stack that has around ten big blinds to be a short stack. The blinds/antes at the final table will be very significant, and will place enormous pressure on your stack. Because of this, short stacks have to take a very aggressive 'all-in or fold' approach just to survive.

As a short stack you should be opening pots with an all-in raise any time you have a pocket pair or two face cards. If someone has raised the pot in front of you, you should only call your whole stack off if you have a big pair or two big face cards. The reason why you can raise all-in with worse hands is because you may win the pot uncontested, but if you call all-in you have to go to a showdown no matter what.

Also, any time you are in late position and the other players fold to you, you should push all-in. There is a good chance you can pick up the blinds/antes with this steal play, which will pad your stack and let you survive a little longer. If possible, you should steal against average stacks because they are most likely to fold.

Short stacks are so desperate they may call your steal attempt with a marginal hand, and big stacks have enough chips to call with a weak hand and take a shot at knocking you out. Average stacks, on the other hand, are trying to advance in the pay scale, and are most likely to fold to a steal attempt.

Playing the Average Stack at the Final Table

Average stacks have more freedom to operate than short stacks, because they aren't quite in 'all-in or fold' mode. We consider any stack between 15 and 40 big blinds to be an average stack. Even though these players aren't short stacked, they still have to be aggressive to combat the ever-increasing blinds and antes.

At this point, you can use some of the plays discussed above (stealing) along with a few other strategies (squeezing, calling bluffs, and re-stealing) to build your stack and advance in the tournament.

To make a squeeze play, wait until you are in late position and an early position player has made a raise. If a few other players smooth call the raise, go ahead and put in a large re-raise with any decent hand. Since the early position player made an average raise, and the other players simply smooth called, it is likely that everyone has a marginal hand such as KQ suited or pocket fours. Your re-raise should take the pot (which will be pretty big because of the blinds, antes, and the raise/smooth calls).

If you suspect that a short stack has pushed all-in with a less than spectacular hand, go ahead and call him down with a better hand. If a short stack goes all-in in front of me, I would call with any medium-big pocket pair, AK, AQ, AJ, KQ, or even QJ if I thought they were really desperate. Busting short stacks is a great way to pad your stack.

Also, if another player continually steals your blinds, go ahead and put in a re-raise every once in a while to keep him honest. This is called 're-stealing'.

Playing the Big Stack at the Final Table

Big stacks should follow the advice listed above, but should take everything to a higher level. Big stacks should play very aggressively to knock other players out and win more and more chips. If you can amass an enormous chip lead by the time you reach four- or five-handed, you will be a huge favorite to win the tournament.

Note that this aggressive strategy is best for players who want to win the tournament, and are ok with a lower finish if things don't go their way. If you absolutely need to guarantee a top three finish, go ahead and play more conservatively while the short stacks knock each other out. You will have less of a chance of winning the whole thing, but you should be able to safely reach the top three prize bracket.

More General Poker Tournament Strategy:

Since the World Series of Poker is taking place now, I thought a column about poker tourney strategy was in order. Enjoy!

It seems that everybody plays in no-limit Texas holdem tournaments. Of course the exploding television coverage brings new players into the no limit texas holdem game daily, which leads to better ratings and even more poker tournaments on television. When will it end? Not anytime soon. With all these new players, I am often asked about how to play tournaments correctly.

Texas Holdem Tournaments

To determine correct Texas holdem tournament strategy you need to start with some self-analysis. You have to ask yourself these questions:

• What is my ultimate goal in the poker tournament?
• Will I be satisfied if I place in the money, make the final table or do I have to win to be happy?
• Am I willing to take the chances of exiting early to put me in a winning position by going all-in?

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If you have just gotten started playing tournaments, you should aim to place in the money. Obviously, all of us always want to win, but a Texas holdem strategy designed to win in any case means you have to take many calculated risks with little or no advantage. You need to gather up a large chip stack in order to place high in a tournament.

If your goal is to place as high as you can, hopefully in the money, then you ought to play extremely tight, especially earlyon in the tourney. Just do not enter any pots if you aren’t certain you have the winning hand. Most tournaments structure the blinds so you can go a long time early without playing a hand until the blinds get too big.

The largest difference between a normal ring game and a poker tournament is that once your chips are gone, you are out of the tourney. In a regular ring game you can buy more chips whenever you like. That is what makes tournament strategy different. Some people simply want to place in the money while others play to win. That begs the question: Why doesn’t everyone play to win? Well, it has to do with the variance associated with two different playing styles.

Often players who are playing to win will get their money in with even the slightest advantage, sometimes even though they have only a 52% or 53% chance to win any given hand. If they are lucky, they can accumulate a big stack of chips, which they need in order to win. If you get all of your money in the pot in such marginal situations you run the great risk of busting out of a tourney early.

If you just want to get into the money you need to play much tighter. You need to try to get better odds before you get your money in the pot, many times as high as 80% or 85%. This approach has the problem that the blinds generally eat a large part of your stack between these opportunities.

Texas Holdem Tournament Strategy

The proper strategy to being a successful tournament player likely lies somewhere in between these two styles. As usual, you should try to bet when you are a favorite to win (have the best poker hand), but in tight situations in a tournament it may be better to hold back unless you are getting short stacked. If your stack gets too short you will have to pick a good starting hand and bet all of your chips and hope that nobody else has a better hand.

Texas Holdem Tournament Videos

Early on, before the blinds get too high, I recommend playing very tightly and only entering the pot with your very best poker hands. Should you have the opportunity to get all of your money in with at least one other person, and you have AA, KK or even QQ, - take it! If you can double-up early on in a poker tournament, that not only gives you extra chips, it also can be a tremendous psychological advantage. If you have a tall stack it works for you on a psychological level! As you continue into the tournament, the bigger your stack, the easier you may be able to force your opponents with fewer chips to fold their hands instead of taking a risk with all their chips.

Usually you find no-limit Hold'em poker tournaments to move along pretty fast. We should discuss a few important points here. If you make just one mistake, it can end your tournament. At any time all of your chips can end up in the pot. Therefore it is important to always play just as well as you can.

Winning At Texas Holdem Poker

You have to learn as much about your opponents play as you possibly can. Take your time if you have to and always pay attention. Do your very best not to lose concentration, even for a second.

Winning Texas Holdem Strategy

Good luck in your Texas Hold'em tournament adventures.