If you have always played from behind your screen, settling at sites such as the Slots of Fortune Casino, then it will no doubt seem very daunting to indeed to try the idea of going for a live poker tournament. Particularly if this is a big event or one that is part of one of the international circuits such as the World Series of Poker or the World Poker Tour, the pressure will be on, and you may not know how to adjust just to play in order to benefit you the most. A professional poker player has recently released a list of his top tips for playing in live tournaments, which might just help you out if you find yourself in that kind of situation.
The first piece of advice that he gives is one that will cause many people to roll their eyes and skip to the next point, but the fact is that it is one that bears repeating because it is very true: he advises players to have fun and enjoy the experience, and if you are not relaxed and having a good time then frankly there may not be any point in entering at all. You may argue that winning cash is the point of entering, but then if you wanted to earn easy money you could just go to work – without having to risk losing. Enjoy yourself, and you will appreciate the experience all the more for it. His second piece of advice is that no matter how great you play a hand, you simply will not be able to win a tournament on day one, so it is all about consistent play rather than going for those big showy moves right from the very beginning. His third piece of advice is that there is absolutely nothing wrong with folding, so do not try to stay the game just because you have a large amount of chips already riding in it all because you do not want to lose face with the other players.
Another thing that you have to be mindful of is your table image. If you stick to the same strategy on every single hand then your opponents will start to take moves to defend against you, and this will hurt you in the long run. Always try to keep them guessing, and even try to cultivate a table image which is the opposite of the way in which you really play. Another thing to bear in mind is that if you have been beaten after the flop while you are waiting for a premium hand pre-flop, you have to admit it and move on – even if it might be a bit of a blow to your pride, you will at least save yourself some money. Don’t be too cautious when you are playing, as it could actually cause you to lose more hands overall. Also, do not give away free information by showing how great your fold was when you know you have been beaten.