Online Poker Tournament Strategy
Making The Big Laydown and Not So Big Fold
A solid player is often bleeding of chips here and there because he has to pay off small bets with fairly strong hands. When his jack-high flush comes in on the river and his bet is raised, he feels the need to call because he has a strong hand and it doesn't cost that much to call. A great player will know his opponent and the situation he is in well enough to make a fold and save himself some precious chips.
If you save 300 chips early in the tournament, and double up four times on your way to making the money, you would have added 4,800 chips to your stack, which just might be the difference between surviving that bad beat and being knocked out on the bubble. Learn to make those folds when you know you are beat and trust your instincts. It will add up a lot faster than you would think.
This skill is really all about the story you get from your opponent. Given what you know about this opponent, is there a reasonable chance that your hand is a winner when you get raised on the turn? Would this guy really raise on a draw? Why would he bet so much? Ask yourself these questions and trust your gut.
If you know you are beat and you still can't fold, then you have some work to do. Once you can make that big fold, or even that wild call that most people can't make, you are on your way.
Respect and Recognize The Other Quality Players
Recognize the other great players and give them just the right amount of respect. If a great player raises to four times the big blind and another great player re-raises him the minimum, the first player will often fold a hand like Q-Q or A-K because he knows what that minimum re-raise means. Against a weaker player he might call, but because he knows this opponent well, he can throw away a fairly big hand. It sounds like a head game, and it can be, but do you think that monster player wanted to open himself up to a re-raise with a weak hand or give you the chance to see a flop cheaply with A-Q or 9-9? Not a chance.
The same goes for a strong player putting in enough chips to make you think twice about calling. If they know you are a solid player and they are pushing you hard preflop, it's either rags or a monster. Do you think they want to commit a bunch of chips with J-J and have to call a re-raise? Nope. Would the great players give you the chance to decide to put them all-in when they are sitting on A-J? No way. So give them the respect they are due. Once you are one of them you will realize that your money doesn't come from them, it comes from Mr. Solid, I'm sure you remember him, he's the guy you used to be.
Of course, to play against these other great players correctly you must recognize them. If you play in the same tournaments regularly make certain to keep track of the big stacks from time to time, take notes on your opponents, and check the leaderboard for the site you play on. If you see a player at your table that is on the leaderboard, make sure to put that in your notes on him. It also helps to check tournament database sites and rankings sites for your opponents' screen name.