The Tournament Structure
You are playing a no-limit holdem tournament. Each player starts with $1,000 in tournament chips. Each round lasts 30 minutes. The blinds in Round One are $10-$15. They increase to $10- $25 in Round Two and then go up to $25 - $50 in Round Three. In Round Four the blinds increase to $50-$100. Round Five blinds are $ 75- $150. In Round Six they increase to $100-$200 and continue to increase in each round through poker the end of the tournament.
Your Tournament Strategy
You have decided to play conservatively in the early rounds of the tournament, being careful to select only premium hands to play. You will raise three to four times the size of the bigs blinds when you play a hand and are the first player to enter the pot limit holdem. If you decide to reraise, you will base the amount of chips you reraise on the situation. Your criteria for reraising include the type of player who raised in front of you, what other players have done in answer to his initial raise, the types of players who can act after you, and the amount of chips you have in front of you.
You have prepared yourself for battle both mentally and emotionally. You intend to remain alert and observant to everything going on at your table at all times. You have brought you're the game to the tournament with you. Now let's shuffle up and deal!
Playing Big Pairs: Aces
How to Play Aces Before the Flop
Pocket aces is our favorite hand to start with. With A-A we normally want to raise three to four times the size of the big blind when we are the first player to enter the pot holdem poker. You have the nuts Before the flop and you hope someone reraises so that you will have the opportunity to raise again. With aces we would prefer getting all the gaming money in before the flop. In fact when we are holding pocket aces, we would love to hear an opponent announce, "All in!"
Aces are very hard to lay down after the flop, so we try to get as many chips in the pot as possible before the flop. But caution-don't bet so much that you blow everyone out. You want action with aces-and that is why we recommend cash course that you bring it in for three to four times the size of the big blind.
If someone has limped in front of you, just add what they brought it in for plus three to four times the size of the big blind. For example, suppose the blinds are $10-$25 and one person has limped. You bring it in for $100-$125. If two people have limped in, you would bring it in for $125-$150.
Now suppose an opponent raises the pot in front of you. What should you do? You should reraise at least double the amount he brought it in for. For extrastuff, with $10-$25 blinds, suppose your opponent raises to $100. You will normally raise to around $250, once again hoping that you get reraised.
Remember that with aces we want to get the maximum number of chips in the middle before the flop. We are always willing to put them all in before the flop. Aces will win approximately 81 percent of the time against another pair. That is a great edge to have over my other starting glossary hand. Suppose you have aces against two opponents. One of them holds Q-Q and the other one has K-K. Your aces should win a little over 66 percent of the time.