Poker is proving extremely popular with TV viewers and there are a wide variety of shows currently being aired; this is how I personally first became enthralled with the game. The first program that really grabbed my attention was the World Poker Tour (WPT). The WPT TV shows place a lot of emphases on fast paced play with lots of action and fancy moves being executed by some of the games top players. The blinds are usually very high and obviously this makes for lots of action and the excitement results in good viewing figures.
After watching this kind of show, one big mistake “fish” (new players) make is assuming that EVERY hand is going to be full of action. However, we should never assume, because, as the old saying goes, this will make an "ass" out of "u" and "me." What the viewer doesn't see is the tight style of play the finalists have had to utilize for lengthy periods to enable them to reach the final table and be able to get away with outrageous bluffs or semi-bluffs*. The show concentrates a lot on the hole cards players are dealt pre-flop, showing the percentage chances of winning for each hand. Personally, I like to play the hands that give me the highest percentage chances of winning the pot pre-flop.
To pull of bluffs and big moves you need the right image so early on “tighten up” or cut down the number of hands you actually play. We all know there are marginal hands that we play when we know we shouldn't, but we sometimes play them anyway just because the blinds are low, Well start to throw them away! Even though the blinds are low, you are still throwing away unnecessary chips and often if you are calling the blind you will have many difficult and costly decisions to make latter in the hand.
So I would suggest as new players playing tight early on in the tourney. I'm not going to list the exact hands, but certainly see the flop with suited aces, suited connectors and pocket pairs (beware of over cards) when the price is right. Pocket aces and other high pocket pairs are great hand’s pre-flop, but if a flush or a straight comes on the flop, you have too be able too walk away from these big pairs if the action dictates so. One question I suggest you keep in mind at all times in a tourney is "do I want to risk my tournament life on this hand?" Even if you fold one hand which you would have won the pot with, I bet there will be many more you folded when you were behind.
Different online poker rooms have different tournament structures. You will find many differing structures within the same site such as Turbo or Speed. Generally the starting stack ranges from 1000-1500, with blinds around 10 or 20 to start. Look for a starting stack of between 80-100 times the big blind and a reasonable clock; about 10+ minutes per level should leave room for plenty of play. I personally try to set myself a goal so for the first few levels I would like to have increased my stack by 10 -20%, and this can generally be done with one good hand.
The first two levels will encompass some 10-20 minutes of play and generally you are likely to be dealt at least one good hand. However, the main thing to remember is that this is a GOAL not a NEED. Even if you fall short of gaining your chip target blinds are still pretty low with plenty of play left. To be comfortable I like to be on or above the average stack, in larger MTT you have too keep watching this because it can accelerate quickly and leave you trailing behind. When I am below average stack, I like to loosen up a little to try to catch up on lost ground. Although if you loosen up, ask yourself "Do I want to lose my tournament life on this hand?" As long as you keep your wits about you and don't play silly cards like 72 off-suit, you should be on the right track.
There is a great technique for avoiding being knocked out of a tournament, that’s is to be selective about who you pick your fights with. One simple way of saying this is to attack the smaller stacks, it's great, they don't have enough chips too knock you out, but if you knock them out, you have added to your stack and increased your chances of winning. Try to avoid confrontations with big stacks they have more than enough chips to knock you out, so unless you have a premium hand folding might be the best course of action.
You should always show respect to other player’s ability unless or until they show you otherwise. For instance if a player raises in early position, give him credit for a hand and muck all but premium hands. One thing to remember here is the gap concept which means "You need a stronger hand to call a raise than to initiate one." Also I would stay away from pots with more than one re-raise, even if you have a good hand, the other hands could be canceling yours out!
*At first I never knew the difference between a bluff and semi-bluff, so here it is. A bluff is when you bet when you have nothing. Semi-bluff is when you have nothing but there are still cards too come that will improve your hand.
Chris Hutcheson is a regular on UKPOKERINFO
