So you want to win a poker tournament, do you? Step No. 1, don’t sit down in a tournament with me because that’s a clear ticket to second place at best. But seriously here’s a quick and fast rundown of how to play each level of a tourney to maximize your chances of at least making the money.

Early tournament strategy:

You’ll want to play tight when the tourney has just begun. This is when the crazies will be out making overly aggressive bets. Since you don’t know if they’re bluffing or have A-A tucked away, avoid any confrontations that will be too expensive. In the early rounds you’ll want to avoid going all-in pre-flop. Even if you have plucked A-A, your tournament could be over in a flash if you get cracked by an unlucky flop. Your main focus in the early rounds should be to hang around, while building your stack up as much as you can without taking any ill-advised risks.

Middle tournament strategy:

Ok, so you’ve outlasted most of the wackos and the fish, so the level of play should have increased. Now it’s time to play some real poker. Don’t get too over-confident or scared by the size of your stack compared to the rest of the table. With the blinds growing, the size of your stack and your opponents’ stacks can go from top of the table to the dregs in one hand. Since that’s the case, only call another player’s bet when you have good cards. Make sure you use your position against other players when you have it. If the flop doesn’t help your hand, it’s usually best to fold. Only stay in the hand if you think the flop also did absolutely nothing for your opponents’ hands. To figure this out, keep track of betting patterns.

The final table:

So you’ve avoided falling into any big traps while setting a few of your own along the way, and it’s been enough to get you to the final table. In most big tourneys you’ve cracked the money, but you still need to finish off well to win the big cash. If you have good cards you must make a play for the blinds with a raise. Be the aggressor and try to own the table. If you’re one of the shorter stacks it may be a good idea to go all-in pre-flop with premium cards. Anything like a high pair or A-K-A-J is worth an all-in. You’ll either steal the blinds or hopefully be in a good position to double-up. If you’re one of the bigger stacks, beware going up against the short stacks because if they put all their chips in the middle they’ve got a hand. Don’t get them back in the game and cripple yourself by calling an all-in with mediocre cards.

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