Getting in the money in any poker tournament is only half the battle. Ultimately, you are playing to win the tournament! So how do you position yourself to win a No Limit poker tournament?

You have to get in the money first. Usually, this means solid patient play early in the tournament mixed in with a bit of aggression in the middle stages to accumulate chips. Once you have built up a stack then you can begin playing even more speculative hands. However, we are speaking in very general terms. So, I am going to break it down just a little further so you can see the mechanics more clearly.

Protect Your Stack!

Now that you have accumulated chips you need to protect your stack while continuing to build it simultaneously. If that sounds a little confusing then consider this. Let’s assume that you have an above average stack but have not yet reached that monster stack status just yet. You do not want to get involved in big pots that are coin flips. On the other hand you are going to make calls against players with smaller stacks that can do no major harm to your stack. Play smart and recognize those that are squeezing and those that are desperate and exploit them accordingly. Any time you see a player that is playing scared you need to by hyper-aware of that player and target them accordingly when the time is right. Don’t disregard the blinds either. When you have the opportunity to pick up easy chips from weak or scared players you need to do it as often as they will allow you to. Remember, the blinds add up and they also add valuable chips as the tournament moves forward.

Be Prepared to Gamble

You must develop your sense of timing as it relates to taking risks in poker tournaments. So when is the correct time to gamble? The bottom line is that you need chips to be competitive at the Final Table and unless you have a monster stack you are not going to be able to simply coast in when there are three or more tables left. What does this mean to you? It means you are going to have to gamble on a flush draw or even open ended straight draw at some point or a combination thereof to accumulate a massive stack. Some would argue that an average stack is fine for the Final Table. On the other hand there are no guarantees that the average stack with twenty-seven players left will still be formidable when you arrive at the final table. Chances are that it won’t.

Chips are power and if you are just OK with cashing then you can stop reading now. However, if you are playing optimal poker tournament strategy then you are playing to win the tournament and that means taking calculated risks at certain points in the poker tournament.

Pick Your Spots

Remember, you do not need to knock every player out of the tournament prior to getting to the Final Table. Let other players knock each other out. It’s a lot less work for you and it keeps you from getting overly involved when you don’t have to. Unless your short stacked try to stay away from coin flips with stacks equal in size. There is absolutely nothing wrong with waiting for a better spot. Why take a flip against a player that you can clearly out play with a little patience? Poker tournaments are not easy to win. The best players in the world are only going to win 1 out of every 30 poker tournaments they buy into.

Winning a tournament may appear to be a daunting task because it is. Today players are much more savvy and have had the opportunity to benefit from numerous books and sites like these to learn various poker strategy and everything about the game of No Limit Texas Hold’em. Sure, we all need to get lucky to take one down but you also need to be good and smart when things are going your way. Play smart and assess risk as you move forward in the tournament. If the deck breaks even you will be right in the thick of it with a shot at winning it all.

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Curtis Mayfield III