Setting a Number of Rebuys

This is far more important than you probably realize that it is.  If you don’t set a number of max rebuy’s that you are willing to do, then you could potentially put far too much money into one.  Say that it is a $10 rebuy tournament with unlimited rebuy’s.  If you buy-in six times and also do an add-on, that means that you are in for $70.  If the min cash is only $40 then you could essentially find yourself needing to make a pretty deep run in order to pull any type of profit!  The best way to do things is to set a max number of rebuy’s that you are willing to do and to stick with it.  If you do not hit anything during that time then you should just not rebuy and take your action to another tournament.

Playing Near the Add-On Period

When you get near the add-on period, you’ll find that many players will start to play a bit crazy just looking to either double up their chip stack or rebuy in once again.  With that being said, that doesn’t mean that YOU need to get crazy with your stack.  Obviously this is a great spot to be able to pick off some players who are pushing with a wide range of hands, but you shouldn’t start making calls with lame hands or pushing all-in with lame hands just to gamble and potentially see if you are in a coin flip.  This will turn out to be a waste of money and is going to cost you a good bit as well throughout the time before you hit that add-on period.  Just continue to play your game and slowly build your stack.  When you get to the add-on then take the extra chips and you’ll be sitting pretty going into the later part of the tournament!

So you are dealt your first hand, and as soon as you decide that you don’t want to fold it you can instant fold (pre-flop).  Instant folding means that your hand is gone and you are automatically moved to a new table with a new hand, so you don’t have to wait for the action to come around to you.  As you can tell, this means that you are going to see a ton of hands and not have the long wait time.  There is a good bit of strategy behind this, but the most important thing is that it allows players to avoid playing those hands that they really shouldn’t be playing, and also keeps us from playing hands out of position as well.

So what are a few things that you should look for when playing fast poker?  One of the key things is to look for spots where you can take down the blinds, or steal an opponents raise with a three-bet pre-flop.  If you look for these spots then it can go a long way towards helping you build up your stack, and actually make it so that you don’t only have to look for those huge hands.  Remember, if you three-bet an opponent’s original raise, there is a good chance they are going to lay down their hand because they will be dealt into another hand just seconds later!

Players will typically only play prime hands in fast poker, which leaves you the chance to take down the blinds when players quick fold, and also allows you to play in position very often and take advantage of many great spots as well.  Overall, fast poker is a knockout in the world of online poker, but it is also a fan favorite.

Aggressive Players

Aggressive players are fairly easy to read because they’ll be the ones constantly putting out bets, raising, re-raising, three-betting, and simply just playing a wide range of hands.  Against these players it’s all about picking up a big hand and then capitalizing on it.  It may take some time to pick up that hand or flop the hand that will be able to double you up, or at least you get a lot of chips, but it’ll be worth the wait when it does happen.  You have the patient against this type of player because if not then you’ll find yourself losing quite a few chips for being impatient!  Don’t try to outdo this player either, so just wait until you get that big hand, whether it is a big pocket pair, a board that gives you a straight or flush, or a set.

Passive Players

When you are up against a passive player you are going to want to attempt to take their blinds first off if you have a hand that is playable and you are in a good position.  These players are much more likely to fold their blinds than an aggressive player is, but the thing that you have to watch for is when a passive player does decide to play a hand.  If a passive player decides they want to mix it up, then they probably are pretty strong, because they simply wait to get into spots where they feel that they have the highest chance to be able to win some chips.  Just keep an eye out for this player and avoid big pots unless you have a monster!

If you are one of the short stacks and look poised to be one of the players who will not make it past the bubble without picking up chips, then that’s what you need to do.  Regardless of if you will be able to pick up blinds in order to build up your stack enough in order to get into the money, or if you have to go all in and get a double up, just know what you are looking for.  If you have enough chips, then attempt to take down some blinds in good spots.  On the other side of things though, if you are too short and have to double up, just be patient and find a spot to get it all in ahead, and hope that you pick up a big hand!

While we’ve knocked out the painful part of being on the bubble, what about if you are one of the deeper stacks as you near the bubble?  The best thing to do here is to attack.  That means that you want to keep building that stack and get as many chips as you possibly can before that bubble hits, because you will then be poised to make a nice deep run when the money bubble does burst.  If you have that stack then continue to use it to bully the table, but make sure that you are avoiding getting into a big betting match with another big stack at the table unless you are holding a monster.  The worst thing that can happen here is for you to lose a huge pot and find yourself in need of a double up to make it past the bubble at all!

Looking at the Size of the Pot

The size of the pot is very important, and you should base your bet sizing off of this more often than not, especially if it is a heads up pot.  If it is you and one other player and the pot has 300 chips in it, betting half of the pot if you have a strong hand is a good play, or even betting something like 125.  Just make sure that you are raising your original bet up some, and that you are making your opponent actually pay to see the turn, but not making them OVERPAY to see it (if your hand is strong).  On the other side of things, if you are bluffing then you may want to raise that bet up a little bit in an attempt to get your opponent to not want to pay the higher price to see the next card.

Thinking About What Opponents Will Call

Put yourself in your opponents shoes for a minute.  The first thing you should do is put them on a range.  If you have a very strong hand and are trying to get chips from your opponent, think about what they could have called your original bet with.  After that, think about what size bet that they would call after the flop.  This is a good thing to base it off of because if you have a big hand you want to keep that opponent in the game for as long as possible so that you can keep making that pot larger and larger.

Buy-in’s on Bankroll Size

If you are sitting with a $100 bankroll, you definitely do not want to be playing $20-$50 tournaments, because that is an awful way to just burn through your bankroll.  The variance in poker tournaments is very high, and you could definitely go quite a while without pulling out a big time cash as well.  This is why you should stick with playing a small percentage of your bankroll and continuing to build that bankroll until you can play at the higher limits.  With a $100 bankroll for example you would probably want to stick with something like $1 to $5 tournaments.

Game Options

Many poker players will play different games and have a wide range of talents at the poker table as well.  This doesn’t mean that you don’t have a game that you are best at, and while you should always play to your strengths, many players will play different games throughout the day.  You should definitely base the size of the tournament that you are playing on how confident you feel in the game that you are playing as well.  For example you may play $10 or $20 tournaments in a No Limit Hold’em format, but you are less comfortable in a game like Pot Limit Omaha so you’d go between $1 and $5 tournaments for this game.

How You’re Running

Confidence is key in poker, and if you are running good and have been hitting solid, then you can play those tournaments with the larger buy-in’s (if your bankroll allows it).  Don’t go too over the top and don’t burn through your bankroll, but if you are feeling confident and playing well, then bump up the stakes a bit if you’ve been winning money.  There’s nothing wrong with taking advantage of a good run, but you have to know when that run comes to an end that you need to stick with your standard tournament sizing!  Getting greedy is an awful thing to do in poker, so avoid it at all costs!

Say for example that you make a big bluff at a player who ends up folding their hand, and then you show the bluff.  This is a great way to put an opponent on tilt, and the next time that you pick up a big hand you may be able to attack them and build up your stack even more thanks to that player.  Another way that players go on tilt is by getting sucked out on (which you probably shouldn’t specifically try for).  The idea behind this strategy is one that many players often use when playing in poker tournaments or cash games, and some of the pros use it quite often as well.

Some of the best players in poker are either the ones who can sit there quietly and just ignore everything going on around them, or the ones who like to talk it up and get inside of other players’ heads.  If a player talks and can get inside of their opponents head, then they could be poised to take advantage of that player going on tilt within a few hands of the time that the action happens.  These professional poker players really do everything for a reason, and trying to put players on tilt is something that they absolutely do.

Now, if a player goes on tilt, you simply have to look for the signs.  They will probably make some big bets over the next few hands, and if you are able to pick up a big hand then obviously you want to be a part of those big hands, so just keep your eyes peeled and hope that you can pick up some strong cards before the tilt begins to wear off!  This isn’t incredibly tough, but it is important to make sure that you aren’t just getting involved with the player because you think they are on tilt, if you aren’t holding anything strong yourself!

The question was answered quickly at last year’s World Series when a large number of the tournaments actually broke World Series of Poker records, leaving people stunned.  In a time when tons of online poker players had their money online with different sites, there were still incredible turnouts at all of the events, proving that this massive series is going nowhere anytime soon.

Possibly even better news is that if you’ve never actually played in the World Series of Poker before, many online poker sites, and even live casinos are making it easier than ever for you to have a shot to through their many different satellites.  Regardless of if you play online or live poker, there are satellites running to get into the World Series at all different locations, especially out in Las Vegas where the WSOP is actually played at.

Qualifiers for online poker players are popping up more and more often, meaning that players have even better ways to get in, which will only help build the fields even more!  On top of that though, with the large numbers of live satellites that are ran out in Las Vegas before and during the World Series the numbers get huge boosts each day, so in general you’ll find that the World Series of Poker not only knows what they are doing, but knows that they are doing it incredibly well also.

The numbers will only continue to grow in the upcoming years, meaning that the payouts for making a deep run in these events will only get larger as well.  If you’ve ever wanted to play in a World Series of Poker event then there’s never been a better time, get prepared for June because it’s just around the corner and Las Vegas is just one flight away!

After you’ve built up that chip stack and are sitting pretty with people thinking that you will play anything and everything from anywhere on the table, just make sure that the next hand that you find yourself playing is a big one.  Whether you pick up a monster, or you flop a huge hand, just let your opponents think that you are crazy, or that you are bluffing, or whatever they want to think!

Having opponents formulate an opinion of you isn’t necessarily a bad thing, because it can be a great way to be able to use it against your opponent and win some serious money.  Now, it’s important to remember that not every player will adjust their playing style to how you play, so you may not get the constant action that you are looking for when you pick up a big hand.  This could mean that you may end up wanting to let your opponent bet into you and consistently change up that style to confuse your opponents.

Leaving opponents on their heels at all times is great as well, especially when you are labeled as the crazy player at the table!  No matter what the situation though, confidence is key and remaining confident in every call, bet, and fold that you make will go a long way at the tables.  So the next time that someone calls you the crazy player at the table and talks about how many hands you’re playing or how “lucky” that you’re getting, just laugh right along with them and continue to play your game.  You’ll definitely find yourself laughing after you build up your chip stack and your opponent is STILL losing pots to you left and right.

While confidence IS key though, remember not to get too cocky with your play though!  If you are bluffing too often or calling too many bets with below average hands, just take a step back and relax for a bit at the table.

Today we are going to give some tips and look at the strategy behind handling business with 50+ big blinds when you are down to the final nine, and hopefully get you all the way to the promised land and have you end up as the winner when all is said and done for this tournament.

Don’t Call All the Shoves

Believe me, I know how tempting it can be to call down the all-in because of how many chips you have an how little of an affect that it will have on your stack.  Unfortunately though, it has more of an affect than you actually realize.  Sure, you have 50+ big blinds for now, but if you take one or two of those hits and then lose a raise or two to a re-raise, you are sitting as one of the middle stacks.  The entire idea calling opponents’ all in’s is to either get it in ahead or leave yourself with a wide range of outs to better your hand.

Using Position to Your Advantage

You have that big stack, and you have position too.  This means that it’s time to attempt to pick up some blinds, or even re-raise the original raiser.  The best way to build your stack is to never have to get to a show down, and if you can continuation bet your way into a nice pot, or simply take the blinds a few times then you could be well on your way to an even nicer stack than you already have!  Position is crucial in poker no matter what, but it’s also important that you take advantage of it with that massive stack (especially if you are the chip leader).

Simply remember never to risk a large chunk of your stack if you can, because it’s about grinding out results.  Easy does it so, and just keep in mind that any pot that you win is a good pot!