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To be successful at the poker tables in tournament play you need to develop patience and discipline. Too many bad players get all over enthusiastic and think that they must play each hand they are dealt right through. That is not a good idea and they will lose more often than not. If you don’t want that to be you then you simply must have the patience to know what hands to play and which to fold without wasting your chips and progress through the tournament. In tournament poker play your object is to stay in the tournament for as long as you can, ultimately to win it if possible though at minimum make a money finish to put you in profit. Throwing your chips in on each and every hand will get you an adrenaline rush, sure, though it’ll see you knocked out early as players with better hands take your chips off you. So patience an essential skill for you to develop. If you get bad hole cards, fold. If you think you are beaten, fold. Wait for the better hands to come your way and play them accordingly. This is of particular relevance in the early stages when the blinds are low. There’s no need to get involved in the early skirmishing and jeopardise your chances at this point unless you’re sure you have “the nuts” (best hand). Have the patience to let the others ruin their chances and let a few fall by the wayside. Hang in there, protect your chip stack and see yourself through to the later stages. As the blinds increase and the number of opponent left in falls you may have to open up a bit and play more hands though by being patient in the earlier stages and only playing premium hands you have kept your chances of a money finish alive, got a read on your opponents and can now open your shoulders. By playing tight early you have built yourself a stable image in the minds of your opponents of a strong player who plays good hands only and plays them with aggression to force out those with poorer hands. You must do this not to get caught by someone hanging in there hopping for a miracle as when that miracle comes it will hurt you. Another by-product of your patience and strong play is that it can help set you up for successful bluffing when the time comes for that as it often can do in tournament poker. For example it’s the late stages with say four people left. You have not great hole cards though are last to act and your opponents have bet the minimum or folded to you possibly indicating they have nothing also. A good, strong bet from you at this point could cause them all to fold and win you the pot as you have conditioned them that you only get involved when you have a good hand. I hope you found this article informative. To help with your tournament poker strategy and skills you may find this ebook useful. It's available for free from http://www.freepokerebook.co.uk and packed full of hints and tips to improve your poker. Please click here for your copy.
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