Oh, the rush of excitement that comes when the last card of the last hand of a poker tournament hits the board and you are the last man or woman standing! There are few things in life as exhilarating as winning a tournament, even a small one. The sense of accomplishment that accompanies the victory, along with a nice cash reward provides a sense of great satisfaction.
But as anyone who’s ever played in one knows, winning them isn’t easy. WPT tournaments are a fantastic option for people looking to improve their skills while also having a large selection of buy-in stakes, game styles, and player fields. But for those who may be just starting out, here are some tips to help elevate your tourney game to the next level:
- It Is Not a Cash Game
Although this might seem like a no-brainer, the truth is the vast majority of poker players not only don’t understand the subtle nuances between the two games, but many of them don’t even understand some of the major ones. Learning the proper strategy for tournament play is step one.
- A Wide Style of Play
Because there is so much turnover at the tables during tournaments, you will end up playing just about every style there is. With late entrants coming in, players busting out, and tables breaking, you never know what kind of player is going to show up at your table at any time, nor how it will affect the way your table is playing. Be aware and prepared for the shifts in action.
- Picking the Right Spots
In every WPT tournament you play, as well as any live-action one, there will come times when you will be forced to make a move or even stone-cold bluff. That’s because the underlying strategy in all tourneys is to accumulate as many chips as possible, as fast as possible.
Unlike cash, where you can be patient and wait for hours, the blinds are constantly going up in tournaments, meaning you can’t timidly check down and lose pots that you could win with a bet.
- Pot Control/Isolation vs. Action Pots
Something else you need to learn to do is create the kind of pots you want to play in. There are times when playing a big pot with multiple players is the right move, while other times the proper course of action might be to play aggressively and force opponents out of the hand on earlier streets.
- How to Cope with Tilt
Maybe the most important thing of all for getting deep in and winning tournaments is learning how to identify and deal with tilt. Another difference in cash is that you can get up and take a break to clear your head, or even cash out if need be. In tournaments, the blinds are going up and you are blinding/anteing off every hand whether you’re there or not.
Why WPT Tournaments Are the Best
Several factors go into offering quality online tourneys. It’s a combination of having plenty of popular games and formats, different-sized player fields, juicy payouts, loose players/action, and micro stakes all the way up to high roller. WPT offers all this and more.