Even if you normally focus on Free Scratch Cards, you should know that tournament poker is the holy grail of poker. So many
starters, so much cash on the table, anyone can win. It’s an exciting form of the game no doubt about it. To tell you the truth though, in a tournament with a significant
number of starters, luck will play a bigger part in winning than skill. It’s sad but true.
In rebuy and addon tournaments, be prepared to lose some money in the first hour. This is the manic period where everyone can rebuy at will, play is loose and aggressive,
and chips fly around faster than Usain Bolt in an F16. If you are playing a $10 R/A tourney, make sure you can afford at least $50 to invest if need be. When you start,
immediately rebuy so you begin the game with a double-stack; that is crucial. In freeze-out tournaments you can play solid poker from the start.
You will hear lots of clichés and irrelevant comments (like ‘play the cards as they come’) investigating tournament strategy. This is because everyone has their own
personal style. From experience I can say for sure that in order to win a big tournament you must be aggressive, you must impose your style of play on the table and
you must hit monster after monster. It is fantastic when it works, but all the tournament strategy in the world won’t save you from the randomness that is your average
tournament player. If you win, congratulations. But don’t let it go to your head. Tomorrow is waiting round the corner, ready to fleece you for everything you’ve got.
