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 My Texas Holdem Tourney Strategy
I am going to start off by saying Texas Hold'em is my favorite type of poker and really the only version I play. Not only am I semi-addicted to the gambling side of poker, the psychoanalytical aspect of the game is by far the most intriguing part. There are so many ways you can interpret how the game should be played, and if anyone has spent any time at a table you will find that everyone has "the" way. I want to emphasize "THE" way. No matter what, there will always be someone there chomping at the bit to criticize your play. It doesn't matter that they have made questionable moves themselves, you will always be a donkey in their eyes. It took me awhile to find humility at the poker table, but when I did I won more often. The hardest thing I have found is to check my ego. I am willing to admit that I might have a small chip on my shoulder. A small one. Especially at the poker table. Being a young female this has worked for and against me pretty equally as far as I can tell. Some like to think that there is a distinct difference between men and women at the poker table. Personally, I don't think there is much difference except in the mind of the opponent.
Besides swallowing my pride at the table, patience has been key. I am a very impatient person in my regular life, but I am also very competitive. I mean very competitive. In poker, I am the more than likely the most patient person at the table because I know I have to be in order to win. I see those guys that play hard right in the beginning and they always crap out before the payout. Occasionally one will linger around, and if the bubble doesn't get him, those of us that have been waiting patiently to unleash the beast will. Yes, patience is key.
About 99% of the time I am playing tournaments. Usually micro limits, but I'll throw a little more down every now and then. There is a definite difference between players at varied limits. Although, just because it's a higher limit, that does not mean that the players are better. Maybe they are having a bad run, but I've ran into some people where I really question whether or not they understand the game at all. Sometimes I wonder that about myself, so it could go either way.
I've learned a basic tournament strategy playing smaller tourney's and have had it translate equally into larger tourneys as well. I play pretty tight-aggressive on a normal basis and I slow play (but not too slow) and set traps often. Other than that, I mentally set up a "target list". This is a list of people that I know I am going to battle at the final table, or at the bubble on a single table tourney. In the beginning I like to sit back, gather data and try to pin point those that I know will end up digging their own grave. I immediately discount those people from my "target list". One might happen to fall into the final slots, but they are already marked as weak and should be able to be beaten with a consistent, patient and well-timed aggressive approach. The players on the target list need to be focused on the most.
My second approach is to figure out who I am at the table. If you haven't already noticed you change as a player with your surroundings. This is happening constantly also, but just figuring out the general idea is an important step to beating these guys. I try and figure out who I think I am at the table, who my opponents think I am, and where I rank as the most intimidating and respected at the table. With that I can find my strengths and weaknesses and try and play off that. If I am dominating the table, I will tighten up the reins and only play monsters. Keeping up the chip stack, but letting these kids sink each other. If I am just getting garbage, out kickered, and drawing dead left and right, then it's time to assess the situation. Either I am playing way too loose, holding a grudge, misreading opponents, or maybe just on a bad run. But it's definitely time to switch up the game plan and find out where I need to adjust. If I don't find myself at either end of those extremes, which is where I will usually be, I use both strategies equally as the mood of the table changes. When the table gets real tight, it's time to bully out some blinds. Go easy though, people will catch on real fast. This is a good time to just let that guy think he's bullying you and let him dig his own grave. This takes extreme patience and a real check to that ego. Yes, I know what he's doing. He's bullying blinds, but if I do it right I am making it that much easier for him to shoot himself in the foot. A loose table can be sketchy. It's a moneymaker, but also a money drainer. Play smart, not necessarily tight, but smart. This is the time to be apart of a lot of hands for a little bit of money. You can catch some real killers like this, no one sees that deuce as completing a set. Or those low straights and other sneak-attack hands, but those can also kill you. So watch out. The table will tighten up again soon so this is when I try to make a little bit of money to support me through it. With the bigger tourneys I try to get as close to doubling up once every hour as I can. Just wait it out and play smart and you will most likely get at least ONE good hand per hour. Essentially thats all you need to stay strong in the game.
The fact that the mood of the players, and arguably the cards, are constantly changing it is important that you don't try and create a formula for winning at poker. Reading books, and studying up on pot odds and such can be helpful, but nothing is going to teach you how to be in-tune with the situation you are currently in. That is the most important skill that every player needs to master. After many post-tourney debates on poker strategy with other players I started to get a hatred for those players that love to recite things they read in books or rattle off odds and statistics to me intending to prove why they are a better player. According to their theory, they are and that's fine. But according to mine, you are only telling me this because I beat you. Therefore my empirical data tells me your theory is flawed. I'm better. I've learned to avoid the debate. There is no way that I will ever be able to convince anyone that my way is more effective. Nor would I want to. It's like trying to convince someone they should live their life the exact same way I do. It's just ridiculous. Especially to those people that study the game religiously. Why waste my time? I have definitely put in some research hours of my own. I am not saying that its not useful, but it's not key.
I finally heard the most genius advice for any poker player and that was to not play poker like you see the pros do on TV. The moves they are making are purely situational and not to be assumed as the correct move to make at any time. Ahhhh! What a breath of fresh air! I couldn't emphasize that more. I feel like the thing that ends up beating people in the end is their own inability to adapt to the game. They try and stick to odds and some pros strategy they read. It will help, but it's only a component. Use the tools and skills that you have acquired through your research and assess the situation constantly and adjust accordingly. On a final thought, do you really think that these pros are going to spill all their secrets to general public? Their opponents? Would you?
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