Tournaments are the softest format in Indian poker offered online and always will be. Anyone can play online poker tournaments with nothing but a basic understanding of poker and end up winning a massive 200x payout, which will lead to them mistaking their hot luck for skill.
Tournaments are the perfect representation of the quintessential poker dream. While you need a bankroll to grind tournaments as a pro, as a new player wet behind the ears or a rising star looking for glory along with the gold, winning a big tournament like the W.S.O.P is the kind of dream that keeps you awake at night, Imagining things.
Because of this online Indian poker tournaments will forever have a space for pros to crush, they are by their very nature a high variance format but they also some of the largest skill edges for good players as the average quality of play is abysmal Today, we will learn 4 simple hacks to make getting that deep finish and that chicken dinner easier. Also make sure you get insane rakeback online for your poker tournaments from Poker Launcher.
- Practice disciplined bankroll management consistently- It’s not just enough to have a rough idea of what bankroll management is, it is just as important to follow bankroll management diligently and consistently. For tournaments you should have a bankroll of at least 100 buy-ins for every entry that you make. So if you usually fire 3-4 bullets in a tournament your bankroll requirement is not just going to be 100x. It will become 400 buying as 4 bullets basically means four tournaments. On the flipside if your edge is massive against a field. You can work with much less than that as well since your average probability of running deep is higher. Bankroll management is also important from a point of preserving the capital that is generating returns for you. With proper bankroll management you can mitigate the dreaded “risk of ruin” or the chance that you may end up going broke as it gives you a comfortable cushion to play with while alleviating the stress of a loss from your mind. You can lose all your money as one of the best players in the world if you have only 20 buy-ins while bankroll management says you should have at least a 100. Please take B.R.M as seriously as it should be taken.
- Bluffing is not illegal!- Bluffing is a NECESSARY part of Texas no-limit hold’em.It is not some act of dishonor. You should include the right amount of bluffing in your ranges and always bet your good semi bluffs for a start. Poker is far more complicated than the hole cards you have, you can get folds with two paper napkins in some spots and get a fold with nothing in some. So choose your spots wisely, bluff all your monster draws and you will yourself getting paid when you have good hands as you have incentivized your opponents to call (Which is the entire point of bluffing!)
- Don’t bluff calling stations- On the contrary. There are players who hate folding to bets but love calling lethally. They are known as calling stations. Usually quite easy to exploit as all you need is value town them with multiple bets whenever you have a decent hand as these guys are not folding anything. However bluffing them will not only mean you lose to a weak imbalanced player. It also means you do not understand the basics of poker. Don’t bluff someone incapable of folding. If they will pay off every good hand you have and never put you in tough spots by raising without a monster, why do you need to bluff?
- Don’t play scared money- The old adage scared money is dead money is just as true align tournaments. You cannot be scared and try to control variance. Avoid flips and marginal spots. Literally play for just cashing instead of winning and wonder why you don’t have any big wins l. In tournaments usually 40%+ of the prize pool is divided amongst top three. Which means it is absolutely critical that you play to win. Don’t be scared. Embrace the variance. Make the right move. If you play like you are supposed to. Yes you will not magically end up winning the hand every time. But you will also consistently put yourself in spots to run deep and win a lion’s share of the prize pool. Don’t keep waiting for better spots. They will never come. Take the one you are getting right now and then you can also take the “better spot” when it comes. Sometimes you need to take a leap of faith. Tournaments cannot be won by people looking to win money. They can only be won by people looking to win tournaments by getting first.
Tournaments require a strong mental game more than any other format as the variance will be turbulent. The upswings unbelievable uplifting and the downswings downright depressing. You have to keep a clear head and keep playing to the best of your abilities without letting emotion or ego get in the way, I hope you have success with these four tips on the felts today. See you in the next one!