While poker may not be getting as much mainstream media attention as it did a decade ago, when you couldn’t turn the channel without running into some form of televised poker action, the game continues to attract players from all over the world in droves.
Whether you are playing in prestigious events like the WPT Championship, or if you are a home-game hero that plays small daily tournaments at online poker sites, Texas Holdem tournaments can be a lot of fun!
If you know what you are doing, you can make a ton of cash, as millions of dollars change hands every day across the green felt of a poker table.
There are nearly endless resources available out there to help you play Texas Holdem tournaments at a high level, but in my opinion, they all focus far too much on how to play specific hands, rather than focusing enough on how to actually play a Texas Holdem tournament.
Don’t get me wrong, knowing how to play situational poker by using advanced strategy is great. But you also have to understand some higher-level concepts surrounding Texas Holdem tournaments if you want to walk away a winner.
In this article, we aren’t going to talk about how to play ace/king under the gun or what to do with pocket jacks when facing a 3-bet from an early position raiser. Instead, we are going to highlight some of those high-level concepts that all winning poker players are aware of, that tend to get ignored by many of the so-called “poker experts” out there.
These Texas Holdem tournament tips are going to be especially impactful for those of you out there that are new to Texas Holdem tournaments. That being said, I am sure that even the most seasoned pros will find a couple of nuggets of wisdom here as well.
Tips For Playing in Texas Hold’em Tournaments
As TheSportsGeek’s resident poker guru, I am sharing with you my personal tips for playing in Texas Holdem tournaments. These tips are the result of cutting my teeth in many of the world’s biggest poker tournaments in Las Vegas. Hopefully, they will bring you success at the poker tables like they have for me.
Only Enter Tournaments That Support Your Bankroll
Bankroll management should be at the top of every bit of advice for playing poker. It is especially true for entering a Texas Holdem tournament.
Keep in mind that variance is incredibly high in poker tournaments. You can go weeks and through multiple tournaments without cashing.
If you get stuck into the mindset of chasing high-stakes games when you don’t have the right bankroll, it is going to be a miserable experience.
Before doing anything else in your tournament prep, you should assess what the buy-in is for the tournament. For instance, let’s assume a player has $15,000 to their name and wants to play in the Main Event at the WSOP.
The buy-in fee for the Main Event is $10,000. This is not a good idea. With $15,000 in your bank account, it means that your actual poker bankroll is going to be far less. Failing to cash in a $10,000 buy-in tournament could put you on the street in short order.
Always try and have at least six months of expenses saved and put away. Do not touch this money to play in a Texas Holdem tournament. Mixing your life bankroll and poker bankroll is not ideal.
After you’ve established a fund for living expenses, then you can start to assess the stakes you should be playing at in poker tournaments. As an example, let’s suppose you deposit $1,000 to online casinos for tournaments.
Grinding $10 to $20 buy-in tournaments is where you should be looking. It doesn’t sound like much. However, as your bankroll grows, you can inch up in stakes.
Show Up on Time
Many of the top poker pros show up late to Texas Holdem tournaments. The prevailing wisdom seems to be that you can’t win a poker tournament in level 1, but you can get knocked out, so many of the game’s best players show up fashionably late. While that works for poker’s elite, it likely won’t work out very well for you.
The reason that poker pros can show up late is because they have to play poker like they would run a business, because, at the end of the day, poker is their business. That means that if they can get away with skipping a couple of hours earlier in an event and fill that time playing cash games or satellites, their hourly rate of return will increase.
Pro players understand that missing these hours will absolutely decrease their chances of adding to their stack early in a Texas Holdem tournament, but they balance that out with the fact that their time could be more profitable elsewhere.
As a player new to Texas Holdem tournaments, you don’t have that same skill level, and you don’t have to worry about keeping your lights turned on with your poker profits.
That means that you should do everything that you can to maximize your time at the table to gain invaluable experience, as well as give yourself the best chance to win that you can.
Bad players tend to bust out of Texas Holdem tournaments early, and if you show up late, statistically, that means that you are going to be playing against better players, which is never a great outcome.
Play Aggressively
Conservative players that don’t take chances will not have much success in tournaments. You can get by in cash games by being conservative. However, the blinds will eventually catch up if you are too conservative in a Texas Holdem tournament.
This does not mean to play recklessly. There is a difference between being reckless and playing aggressive. Sometimes it is a fine line, but we do not advise blindly going all-in and making tournaments a pure gamble. Chip management is important in tournaments.
Improving your bluffing skills and recognizing poker tells is imperative to being a better tournament player. Conservative players generally do not bother with the human psychology of poker. They will only jump into pots when they have a top end hand.
Well, this isn’t going to work in a Texas Holdem tournament. If you have no desire to change your style and get aggressive, then tournaments are not a good option for you. Just understand that cash games and tournaments will require a different approach.
To survive in Texas Holdem tournaments, you will have to remain active. Scared money will not win tournaments. Do not stiffen and tighten up too much in tournaments. Other players at the table will feed off your fear and watch as you bleed out of the tournament due to blinds.
Chip Up on the Bubble
One thing that basically every pro poker player does, that the casual players don’t, is that they always look for ways to chip up on the bubble. Being able to add to your stack right before the tourney hits the money is key to making a deep run, and the pros are great at it.
What is the Bubble?
The bubble is the part of the tournament, where you are very close to cashing, but not in the money yet. Most novice poker players are willing to fold strong hands on the bubble, as they don’t want to risk going broke and not getting paid. This dynamic causes the action to tighten up significantly until the money bubble bursts.
With many players tightening up to sneak into the money, there are going to be a lot of pots that are up for grabs. While it can certainly be painful to play for hours, or days even, depending on the event, and not cash, you don’t want to waste this opportunity to snag a boatload of chips that will help you run deep into the tournament.
A good rule of thumb when playing a Texas Holdem tournament is to tighten up when the rest of the table is loose and loosen up when the rest of the table is tight. There won’t be a better time to exploit a tight table than right before the money bubble bursts, and you must take advantage of it if you want to be a winning player.
Sleep and Eat Well Before Tournaments
This is a common-sense poker tournament tip, but common sense is lost on some people. The night before you are scheduled to play in a tournament, make sure that you get to bed early and sleep well. If you have to get in a nap before the tournament, then feel free, just set your alarm.
Additionally, you should get a good meal before sitting down for the start of the tournament. Texas Holdem tournaments are a marathon and not a sprint. There are scheduled breaks in tournaments.
However, a nutritious, healthy meal will help you stay focused and energized for what is hopefully a long marathon down to the final table. We recommend avoiding fatty and greasy foods before playing tournaments.
This includes when you are on break. Stay away from foods that will make you feel bloated and uncomfortable. Fruit, oatmeal, and vegetables are a good option for the morning and brunch time.
Making up for a lack of sleep and healthy eating with energy drinks is not a shortcut, either. Of course, staying hydrated is just as important. And, with that in mind, avoid alcoholic beverages until the tournament is completed or you are out.
Play Free Online Texas Holdem Tournaments
Before entering a real money Texas Holdem tournament, you should consider playing in a free Texas Holdem tournament. Also known as a freeroll, these tournaments do not include a buy-in.
There is no catch to these tournaments. They do offer real cash prizes in exchange for a free entry fee into the event. Our best tip is to only play at the safest online poker sites.
If you want to make sure that the site is actually going to pay out freerolls, only trust the best poker rooms online. There are some less than desirable and shady online poker sites that should be avoided.
Free online Texas Holdem tournaments are not intended to be a means to get rich. The primary function of freeroll poker tournaments is to practice and work on your strategy. Similar to tournaments with a buy-in, you should track your results in freerolls.
Free online Texas Holdem tournaments provide a good opportunity to improve your craft while not risking anything. You might actually come out of it with a nice cash prize.
Track your Results
This final Texas Holdem tournament tip is one that is essential for success. You must keep detailed records of your play. Even if you are happy being a recreational player, you have to know exactly how much you are winning or losing, if you want to improve your results.
Poker players tend to be strange creatures that have a great memory at the table, but a terrible memory when it comes to how much they are winning or losing in the long run.
Don’t believe me? Ask any poker player you know how often they cash in poker tournaments or if they are up or down in their lifetime playing Texas Holdem tournaments.
I am guessing every player you ask will tell you that they are up, as it is easy to remember your big wins, and even easier to forget your early losses and quick exits. But I can promise you that most players are down, not up, and you won’t be able to accurately adjust your play if you don’t know if it is helping or hurting.
At the absolute minimum, you need to track all of your buy-ins and winnings. I would also suggest tracking additional details, including any big pots won or lost (with hand histories), chip stacks after each level, field size, buy-ins and rebuys, location of the event, and hours played to calculate your hourly win/loss rate.
You can never improve if you don’t know how you are performing, so make sure that you always keep detailed records of your play.
What Is The Best Online Poker Room for Tournaments?
There are several options for online poker players online. We are a long time removed from the Black Friday of poker in 2011. The poker community will remember this day forever.
Fortunately, there are online poker sites that Americans can play at now. Our top pick for online poker is Ignition Casino.
With years of experience providing the best in online poker, Ignition Casino has a premier experience for online Texas Holdem tournament players. The poker room at Ignition Casino offers an extensive list of poker tournaments with various buy-ins.
Getting started at Ignition Casino is one of the simplest experiences online. With a variety of deposit and withdrawal methods, including cryptocurrency, the cashier situation is made hassle free at Ignition Casino.
For new deposits at Ignition Casino, poker players are eligible for a 150% welcome bonus of up to $1,500. Ignition Casino isn’t just an online poker room. An additional 150% welcome bonus of up to $1,500 is available for use in the online casino.
