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Started By
Message
re: Playing in my first casino poker tournament -- Looking for Strategy Tips!
Posted on 6/4/15 at 7:05 am to TheOcean
Posted on 6/4/15 at 7:05 am to TheOcean
quote:
by TheOcean
quote:
First off if you are only getting 5k in starting chips y'all are getting ripped off for a $200 buy in. Our weekly $60 buy ins have starting stacks of 8k up to 12k at the horseshoe in tunica
What?
Here's some real advice. Download a program called pokerstove and start fooling around with hand ranks. Once you get a decent feel for some basic hand ranks, then just try and play somewhat tight from early percentage (i.e. only raise ~top 15% hands -- just tossing that # out there), and loosen up when you get to late position.
Always count your big blinds. When you get to around ~10 BB, you're only playing push/fold poker. Raise 3x the BB pre flop in the early stages of the tournament. If you get deep, just 2xing the BB is completely fine. Read a little bit about continuation betting if you like to raise a lot of hands pre flop. If you actually do read a little about continuation betting -- focus on wet and dry flops. And c-betting half pot is more than enough in a tournament.
You want to focus on playing a better hand range than your opponents pre-flop, value betting your better hands post flop (value betting = when you perceive yourself as having the best hand), and knowing when to push/fold when you get to around ~10BBs.
good stuff. I'll check out that program as well and get some practice in. 
2
Posted on 6/4/15 at 7:08 am to TigerPride10
Meant early position in the first paragraph***
Posted on 6/4/15 at 7:10 am to bawbarn
Position is everything. Play tight in early position and loosen up in late position. Also, don't get too involved early when the blinds are small.
Posted on 6/4/15 at 7:15 am to kevg33
quote:
Also, don't get too involved early when the blinds are small.
Not solid advice if you have an edge on your table
Posted on 6/4/15 at 7:45 am to TigerPride10
In my first casino tournament, I was doing OK until the antes started... I wasn't used to them, and how quickly they ate into my stack. Should have got more aggro sooner than I did. Dumb, I know, I could have done the math...
Posted on 6/4/15 at 7:48 am to TigerPride10
Bet it all on black.
Posted on 6/4/15 at 8:19 am to TigerPride10
First of all it's about the cards.
Be patient initially and wait for a premium hand. While you are doing this carefully study the players especially those to your immediate left.
Watch what people are doing. If a guy is raising pre flop three or four times a circuit he's probably raising light. If someone sits there patiently and finally raises preflop, he probably has a good hand.
Play your position, you might call a preflop raise if you are in position, but fold if you are out of position depending on how strong your hand is and who raises.
You might be at a table with a lot of limpers. If that's the case you might call light in position, and you'd likely want to make a big reraise in position with a strong preflop hand.
You didn't say what the initial blinds were to be, but if they go up every 20 minutes, you can be patient only so long. That's where your study of your opponents really helps you. You may need to make a move with a less than premium hand so you need to know who you would most want to go heads up against. Don't challenge a big stack, go against a medium stack if that's the case.
You may have to bluff if the cards are running real bad or you had a bad beat say Queens losing to Kings, etc. Pick someone who will fold and not a calling station. don't pick a big stack who has little to lose. Pick someone who is conservative and doesn't have a lot of chips. Shove if you have to and try and be the first one in the pot.
After the blinds get high and the field dwindles down, if you have chips try to pick off the guys with small stacks and go against them. Use your stack to muscle people out of hands. Remember, it's getting late and the blinds are high. People will push with less than premium hands because you can't sit there waiting on Aces or Kings. They might push with A-10, KJ, Q-10 or even less. Watch for someone repeatedly pushing like this. Remember it's hard to get big hands once in a while, people very seldom get premium hands three or four times in two circuits.
Patience, reading people, a basic knowledge of the game, and luck are what you need. Your AK can lose to the other guys 87 suited. His pocket 5s can beat your pocket Aces. It happens.
Be patient initially and wait for a premium hand. While you are doing this carefully study the players especially those to your immediate left.
Watch what people are doing. If a guy is raising pre flop three or four times a circuit he's probably raising light. If someone sits there patiently and finally raises preflop, he probably has a good hand.
Play your position, you might call a preflop raise if you are in position, but fold if you are out of position depending on how strong your hand is and who raises.
You might be at a table with a lot of limpers. If that's the case you might call light in position, and you'd likely want to make a big reraise in position with a strong preflop hand.
You didn't say what the initial blinds were to be, but if they go up every 20 minutes, you can be patient only so long. That's where your study of your opponents really helps you. You may need to make a move with a less than premium hand so you need to know who you would most want to go heads up against. Don't challenge a big stack, go against a medium stack if that's the case.
You may have to bluff if the cards are running real bad or you had a bad beat say Queens losing to Kings, etc. Pick someone who will fold and not a calling station. don't pick a big stack who has little to lose. Pick someone who is conservative and doesn't have a lot of chips. Shove if you have to and try and be the first one in the pot.
After the blinds get high and the field dwindles down, if you have chips try to pick off the guys with small stacks and go against them. Use your stack to muscle people out of hands. Remember, it's getting late and the blinds are high. People will push with less than premium hands because you can't sit there waiting on Aces or Kings. They might push with A-10, KJ, Q-10 or even less. Watch for someone repeatedly pushing like this. Remember it's hard to get big hands once in a while, people very seldom get premium hands three or four times in two circuits.
Patience, reading people, a basic knowledge of the game, and luck are what you need. Your AK can lose to the other guys 87 suited. His pocket 5s can beat your pocket Aces. It happens.
Posted on 6/4/15 at 8:22 am to doubleb
Don't mess with Big Jon.
This post was edited on 6/4/15 at 8:24 am
Posted on 6/4/15 at 8:45 am to Kingpenm3
Get ready for a shove fest. Be smart about the battles u pick. Use your stack and position wisely.
Posted on 6/4/15 at 8:47 am to TheOcean
Ocean's advice is probably about as good as any if you're just getting started in casino play.
If you decide to get more serious I suggest Dan Harrington's book on Tournament NLH, it's an eye-opener into not only how to play well but why. It won't make you an expert but is mandatory study for the serious player IMHO.
If you decide to get more serious I suggest Dan Harrington's book on Tournament NLH, it's an eye-opener into not only how to play well but why. It won't make you an expert but is mandatory study for the serious player IMHO.
Posted on 6/4/15 at 8:53 am to TigerPride10
Also, OP...tournaments = probably the highest form of variance in poker. A top tournament player probably is ITM (in the $) somewhere between 10 and 20%.
Here's a vid on c-betting (pretty advanced; just take away some basic concepts). LINK
Good luck, and ask away if you have any questions.
Here's a vid on c-betting (pretty advanced; just take away some basic concepts). LINK
Good luck, and ask away if you have any questions.
This post was edited on 6/4/15 at 8:56 am
Posted on 6/4/15 at 9:18 am to DumbCollegeKid
quote:
$200 buy-in (1 rebuy)
Starting Chips: 5,000
Blind Structure: 20 minutes
Players: Minimum 30, Max 50
quote:
Patience. Patience. Patience.
quote:
Dan Harrington's book on Tournament NLH
Outdated and useless for small buy in casino tourneys.
This post was edited on 6/4/15 at 9:22 am
Posted on 6/4/15 at 9:23 am to illuminatic
quote:
Outdated and useless for small buy in casino tourneys.
While I'm not a fan of reading poker books, for someone pretty new to the game, there's no way reading that book would be bad. Obviously it's just a way for the OP to learn about some tournament concepts
This post was edited on 6/4/15 at 9:24 am
Posted on 6/4/15 at 9:29 am to TheOcean
If he's just dicking around I can agree with you. If his intention is to actually have a decent ROI in these daily tourneys then it's doing more harm than good.
My real advice would be don't play in it. If you want to play poker in a casino setting, play cash games. It's pretty fricking hard to have a legit edge in these short stacked casino tournaments.
My real advice would be don't play in it. If you want to play poker in a casino setting, play cash games. It's pretty fricking hard to have a legit edge in these short stacked casino tournaments.
This post was edited on 6/4/15 at 9:30 am
Posted on 6/4/15 at 9:29 am to illuminatic
quote:
Outdated and useless for small buy in casino tourneys.
I wasn't suggesting it as a way to be a consistent winner, I was suggesting it to start learning some important concepts that anyone should know. Baby steps first.
Posted on 6/4/15 at 9:32 am to illuminatic
quote:
It's pretty fricking hard to have a legit edge in these short stacked casino tournaments.
Short stacked? We don't even know what the starting blinds are. And you're definitely wrong on someone not having an edge. A decent, competent player would have a pretty big edge in some $200 30-50 man casino tournament.
This post was edited on 6/4/15 at 9:33 am
Posted on 6/4/15 at 9:32 am to TheOcean
Ocean it is solid advice if its your first live tourney like he just said it was.
Posted on 6/4/15 at 9:34 am to kevg33
I don't play live, so I can only go by what I hear on poker forums. I hear live play is fricking awful. If OP takes like 2-3 hours to study some basic concepts, I bet he would have an edge on a random sample of casino players playing in that tourney.
Posted on 6/4/15 at 9:35 am to TheOcean
quote:
Short stacked? We don't even know what the starting blinds are. And you're definitely wrong on someone not having an edge. A decent, competent player would have a pretty big edge in some $200 30-50 man casino tournament.
It's a daily/weekly casino tournament. Of course it's short stacked. Have you ever played in one that wasn't?
quote:
I don't play live, so I can only go by what I hear on poker forums. I hear live play is fricking awful. If OP takes like 2-3 hours to study some basic concepts, I bet he would have an edge on a random sample of casino players playing in that tourney.
That whole live vs online thing doesn't apply since Black Friday. Also, your third sentence was true in 2006.
Having an edge on the players isn't the issue. It's the variance involved in these things. It's like a 90 man SNG.
This post was edited on 6/4/15 at 9:39 am
Posted on 6/4/15 at 9:38 am to TigerPride10
No no no take my advice and mine only
1. Tell everyone your bad beat stories so they know you play good cards
2. Repeatedly ask the dealer "who's it on" so you are sure it's your turn
3. Also repeatedly ask dealer "how much is it" when facing a bet
4. After winning a hand always explain why you did what on each street
5. If you call a river bet and lose say "yea that's what I thought you had" so they know you can read hands well
If you need more pro tips let me know
1. Tell everyone your bad beat stories so they know you play good cards
2. Repeatedly ask the dealer "who's it on" so you are sure it's your turn
3. Also repeatedly ask dealer "how much is it" when facing a bet
4. After winning a hand always explain why you did what on each street
5. If you call a river bet and lose say "yea that's what I thought you had" so they know you can read hands well
If you need more pro tips let me know
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