Tournament poker

[Cbroods]

Hello guys, I am in need of some help and am hoping you guys can offer. I started playing poker almost a year ago and in that time have improved greatly but I still have a significant problem. I suck at tournies. Whenever I'm in a ring game, I feel comfortable and play very well, and always seem to do well. Yet when I get into a tourny I always seem to make bad mistakes. Raise at the wrong time, make the wrong reads, or calls. I just don't get it. I was wondering if you guys could offer the biggest differences between ring games and tourny games and what I could do to improve my tourny play.

[j0sh]

The most basic advice I can give you on tournament poker ( at least for No limit ) is play really tight for the first while. The blinds are too small to bother stealing, once they start to rise you can think about stealing them.

In UB multitable tournaments you can play tight and outlast usually 1/3rd or half the field just by being patient.

[BeerWench13]

Whenever I'm in a ring game, I feel comfortable and play very well, and always seem to do well. Yet when I get into a tourny I always seem to make bad mistakes.

I used to have the same problem. I don't like pressure. I'm a relaxed individual and I like to do things in a timely manner, but not to be pressured to do so. In a tourney I think that the knowledge that the blinds are going to go up and continue to do so puts the pressure on you to play hands that you probably wouldn't play in ring play. Of course, when the field is thinned and you're playing short-handed, you have to loosen up a bit or you'll get blinded to death, but I think that you're possibly feeling the pressure that the blinds are going to go up and therefore feel rushed to play more hands and win more pots early in the tournament. Just play tight in the beginning and wait for the cards or for your opponents to show weakness. Just my humble opinion of course.

[mattsweet]

actually at the beginning of the tournament you want to play more hands since the blinds are small... make sure you play them in the propper positions and not to big raises... hes right in that you dont want to steal blinds... as the tournament moves along a concept called the gap concept becomes more and more significant... when a solid player calls or raises into you with a hand you would typically just call with or make a position raise with ex(qj off) you should fold... pick and choose your battles wisely ... dont assume cause your short stacked you need your ALL IN hand... measure your stack against the blinds and the time before the blinds move up....

[BeerWench13]

Excellent advice. Basically, don't let the blind raise take you off of your game. Just play like you normally would just make sure you win some hands to cover your blinds. I usually just play tight at the beginning to thin the field a bit, then I play more aggressively.

[Cbroods]

Thanks for the advice, I'm going to examine my ring play a bit more, as well as try some of the suggestions you guys gave and see how things turn out.

Thanks again!