Texas Hold Em Tournament Strategy

When playing in Texas holdem tournaments it is important to remember a few key elements of a winning strategy. First you should realize that it is not a cash game. Once you get knocked out you are finished (unless it is a rebuy tournament). Another important aspect is the number of players playing in the tournament. The more players in the tournament the hard it will be to avoid bad play. Lastly there is the strategy of playing aggressively as the pay line approaches. This can be a good way to pick up some pots.

Adjusting

The hardest adjustment to make towards Texas hold em tournament play is that you start with only a certain number of chips. This amount is the same for everybody. The only way to gain an advantage over somebody (chip wise) is to earn it. Some people find it hard to grasp that they have to win every single chip in the tournament in order to place first.

Many experienced hold em players choose to play tight throughout the beginning of the tournament. This strategy is based on the theory that most bad players (and bad play) will be eliminated as the tournament progresses and then it will be safe to play aggressively.

Make Progress

One of the easiest ways to gain some ground on your opponents is to play hard as the next pay scale approaches. Timid hold em players tighten up their game and try to wait until someone else gets knocked out so that they clear a certain payout. This is a pretty weak strategy because these players are just giving up their blinds and hoping that someone gets knocked out. Preying on these suddenly timid players is crucial to making the final table.

Make large bets if not a few all in bets to scare the timid players away. Steal as many blinds as possible and build up your stack for the final table.

Simple Guidelines

There are a few different approaches you could take when playing texas hold em tournaments, but many players find the one described above the most effective. It is a fairly simple strategy to follow…

• Adjust to the tournament style of play
• Play tight until bad players are eliminated
• Steal blind as the cut off approaches.

If you combine this tournament strategy with some solid play you should have little problem placing high in every hold em tournament you enter. Hehe, if only it were that easy