Winning Online Poker Strategy: Improving Your Tournament Play

Online poker tournament play can be a daunting experience foreven the most seasoned veteran so when you are ready to getstarted in tournament play it is best to have a solid strategyand that you have taken the time to get comfortable withtournament play.

There is a philosophy used by many musicians that can be appliedto preparing for tournament play. Musicians may spend hours intheir rehearsal space pretending they are on stage at MadisonSquare Garden or Carnegie Hall, preparing themselves for theexperience by imaging themselves in it. The same philosophy canbe used in preparing for tournament play. Start with singletable tournaments and pretend you are at the final table at theWorld Championship. Every chip is precious as is ever move youmake, apply this simple philosophy to your early single tabletournament play and it will help you develop the skills neededlater on when you make the move to multi table tournaments.

A smart strategy to use when beginning at single tabletournaments is to play only premium hands in the first threerounds. Slowly open up and play more hands and get moreaggressive as the tournaments continues and as shorter handedthe tournament becomes.

By slowly building your bankroll and getting within one or twospots from the money it is easier to rob the more desperateplayers trying to make their money back. Play aggressive at thisstage and jump on the chance at taking more of their chips!

As with your standard online poker play, you should always stickto your strategy. Fold often, use you bluff sparingly and alwaysbe aware of the habits and tells of the other players involvedin your game. Be prepared and aware of what types of players areplaying at your table and use their habits against them.Studying the other players early in the game will arm you withvaluable information that will help you deep into the game.Playing a few early bluffs may be an effective tool in yourstrategy as can early folds. Your aggressive play shouldincrease deeper into the game but, at the same time, you shouldbe playing a smart disciplined game. It is easier to getaggressive when you feel in control of the game, so study,study, study!

Finally, never get yourself into a tournament you are notprepared for! Build your skills and get comfortable with theexperience before jumping in.