High stakes poker

Pointers for Playing Poker Tournaments

Almost everyone has that dream of turning pro and joining prestigious poker tournaments. If you are tired of throwing away money at the casinos, why not join poker tournaments and get into the action and excitement?

But before you join the next poker tournament with visions of money inside your head, you need to remember a few things to maximize your chances of winning and get the best entertainment value for your money. This is certainly better than joining poker tournaments left and right without any previous preparation, which can lead to losses and frustration.

Make it a point to choose your hands carefully. Take the time to discard the cards that can't make you win. If the cards are bad, simply turn over all of them. Many poker tournament players make this habit and this can pay off in the end.

Avoid sitting to the dealer's left. The best table position you can get is two players to the left of the dealer. This ensures that you have a vantage point where the two players to the left of the dealer places the ante.

Poker tournaments usually have ten players in each table, so the farther you are from the dealer, the better your position. If you fold a hand, you will only lose half of the lower limit, which means about three dollars in a four-dollar poker tournament.

If you do participate in a live poker tournament, bring along extra money to pay for food and drinks. But stay away from alcoholic drinks as these can impair your judgment. In any case, some poker tournaments allow you to spend more money than you have. A $100 sit-in poker tournament, for example, may give you $500 worth of chips to bet.

If you happen to win, make it a good habit to tip the dealer. A good tip is about 3-5% of the money you've won. Who knows, you might earn the good will of the dealer if you tip him generously.

Intimidated by the fierce competition? You can join late night satellite poker tournaments as they have fewer participants than regular tournaments. These poker tournaments usually start after midnight and you have a better chance of winning because of the weaker competition.

Playing in poker tournaments require preparation, discipline and skill. You just can't rely on luck like you do in home games and in casinos. Once you know what to do during poker tournaments, you stand a better chance of bringing home the pot.