Playing No-Limit
Hold'em For Hours On A Minimum Deposit
So you've been playing and winning some on the free
tables and are ready to make a deposit and try some
no-limit real money poker games. Great - here's a tip
for how to get hours of play - win or lose - on just
a small deposit. The online poker tournaments!
When I finally got comfortable enough beating the newbies
at the free tables - I made my deposit (I deposited
$100) and headed for the reasonable buy-in no-limit
tables. Within an hour I was down about $60 and sort
of scratching my head. I thought I'd try my luck at
a Texas Hold'em tournament - so went ahead and spent
$30 of my last $40 to enter to PartyPoker Million qualifying
tournament. Unfortunately I only got 4th place in that
- not good enough to qualify - but, I played for about
2 hours and really had a great time. That was the first
Poker tournament I had ever played, now Texas Hold'em
tournaments are one of my favorite things to play.
Licking my wounds, I deposited another $100 but this
time headed for the low limit tournament tables. I started
playing the $5/$1 and the $10/$2 tournaments. Basically
you buy in for $6 (if the $5/$1) and get $800 worth
of chips. From there it's pretty much like any other
Texas Hold'em game with some small exceptions.
For starters, rather than really win the pots, the
tournaments generally pay the top 3 places (the single
table tournaments at least). The $5/$1 tournaments on
PartyPoker pay $25 to 1st, $15 to 2nd and $10 to 3rd.
Secondly, the blinds increase as more hands are dealt.
For example, blinds may be $10 / $15 at the start, but
before it's over will be $100 / $50. This will eventually
squeeze a really tight player out if he's not careful.
So - here's how I can generally place in the top 3
more often than not...
Just like playing the free tables, playing most low
limit tables you will be playing against more average
players than really good players. Don't under estimate
them - but don't be intimated either.
I start most tournaments playing pretty tight and
it always seems that of the starting 10 players, at
least 2 or 3 are really loose. Just sit back and study
- take note of what hands players are considering bet-worthy
hands and within the first 10 hands you should know
who's loose and who's not. Look to catch one of these
loose players holding a bad hand - it's an easy mark
which will result in a solid chip lead. Don't force
it - don't chase cards - be patient and wait for the
right hand. When you do have the right hand, bet humbly.
You've been shy so far, and your fish has been aggressive.
Chances are he'll try to push you around a bit - ponder
his calls - and humbly call. Just call his raises -
if you are absolutely sure you have the hand - re-raise
on 5th street - but again, I personally don't believe
in being overly aggressive at this stage. Once you catch
your fish - you should have a comfortable stack of chips
and can move to phase II.
Even though I've got a decent stack of chips at this
stage, I still play fairly tight. I may chase some hands,
but I never bluff and try my best not to go on tilt
and make wild bets. Remember, in a tournament you need
to be thinking survival as well as conquer. If you've
got 2 or more players betting really aggressively on
a hand - and you are not totally confident - fold and
let them duke it out. Even though you did not win anything
on that hand - if a player gets knocked out and it's
not you - then you are one step closer to finishing
in the money.
As players get knocked out - your blinds will also
be raised, which means you do have to winning some pots
or you will eventually go broke on blinds. Even still
- don't rush. Wait for good cards and spend your folded
time studying how the remaining opponents are adjusting.
Some get looser, some get tighter. If you have remaining
players with small stacks of chips, bully them a bit.
A chip lead is a huge advantage in poker tournaments
so use it. Don't get wreck less - but put some betting
pressure on them. Don't do stupid things like throw
more into a pot than they could even match - if a player
has $168 in chips - bet $168. Don't waste money.
Once you are down to your last 4 or 5 players you need
to start getting a bit more aggressive. Fewer hands
are being dealt, so fewer great hands are going to be
showing up. You can start playing things like semi-solid
pairs with a bit more confidence. Even still - don't
always look for the 1 punch knockouts. At the pot levels
in this stage of the tournament, most any hand that's
not totally folded is going to really help one and hurt
another. This is really the only stage of the tournament
that I do much bluffing either - but stealing pots and
blinds is critical.
Be wise - remember, its survive as much as it's conquer.
While another player cannot win chips for you - he or
she certainly can eliminate other players for you -
which is what the goal is. By this time you have muscled
your way into the top 3 - which puts you in the money.
Go for the Win - play your heart out - but at this stage,
win or lose your real money deposit account has grown
- not shrunk, and you've had a good hour or two of hard
nosed texas hold'em.
I like to take winnings and invest them in entry fees
into the larger tournaments like the PartyPoker million
- but dammit I still have not placed better than 4th!
Good news for you though... follow
this link to create your account at PartyPoker and
you will get an free
entry into the PartyPoker Million.
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