Winning Pokie Tournament Strategies

Differences Between Tournaments And Regular Games

Tournament play is different from regular play in that it blinds that increase on a set schedule. This is a very different style of play from cash games where the blinds stay the same. This difference is significant because it will allow players to set their own pace of play. Another big difference between tournaments and cash games is the size of the stack. In a cash game, the stack sizes are usually nearer to one another than in a tournament setting. In a tournament setting, some of the players will be able to have a stack many times the size of the average, while other players will be much lower. The key to being a successful tournament player revolves around know how to play with stacks of all sizes.

Stack Sizes

The quality of your play in a tournament will depend largely on two factors: the size of your stack and the stage of the tournament. There are two different ways to measure the size of your stack: in comparison to the average stack size, and in relation to the blinds. The reasoning behind this is that the more chips a player has, the greater the risk they’re able to deal with. To put it another way, a player can make plays which risk 1,000 chips if they have 10,000. However, this same play would be a terrible mistake if the player only held 4,000. One of the most crucial things to keep in mind in a tournament is that a player’s chips are what keep them alive in a tournament. When a player runs out of chips, their tournament is over. Everything a player does in a tournament needs to be done with this concept in mind.

Stages of a Tournament

There are three basic tournament stages: early, middle and late. Each one of them requires a different strategy in order to be successful.

Early Stage

Because all players get to play in the beginning of every tournament, this is the area where all players possess the most knowledge and feel the most at ease. Every player has an equal chance and it’s difficult to find anyone looking to take a chance. Players in this stage of the game are rarely willing to go all in with anything except the absolute best hands. If by chance you happen to find another player that is risking a large pot, assume that either they have a loaded hand or are trying to build an early lead by aggression. The majority of the time, though, these players aren’t bluffing. The usual method to winning in this stage is to play very conservatively, aggressive play is usually a quick way to lose everything. At this point it makes little sense to be aggressive with the intent of stealing the blinds, because the blinds are worth comparatively little in contrast to the size of a player’s stack. The player’s main goal should be to make it through the early stage without losing anything, any winnings are simply a bonus at this point.

Middle Stage

In this point in the game, chips are becoming increasingly valuable. Each round has the potential to bring a player one step closer to being eliminated. This is the point where players can stop playing conservatively and start taking gambles on less than ideal hands. It will be necessary to steal blinds and defend your own chips to prevent opponents from gaining an advantage. If a player’s stack gets too low at this point, they run the risk of being forced into an unfavourable all-in scenario.

Late Stage

The later stages of a tournament will be characterised by lots of players with a small amount of chips and a small amount of players with a lot of chips. At this point in the tournament everyone’s willing to task risks.
Once a player gets a huge stack advantage, his opponents stop concerning themselves with going bust and are just aiming to win the game. It will be necessary to play very aggressively at this stage, keep mistakes to a minimum, and with a little bit of luck you should emerge victorious. Although skilful playing is important, luck will always be a factor in pokie. However, in tournament play luck becomes a much bigger factor in the later stages.