Do you think you're ready to join an online no-limit holdem tournament? Small tournaments are a great way of testing and sharpening your skills, as well as bringing home hundreds, even thousands of dollars in just a few hours. Small tournaments are very popular because many of them have an affordable buy in fee (about $5 to $30 range). For such a small investment you can earn a lot, and you have to admit, it's more fun than getting a lottery ticket!
But what's it like to play small tournaments, and how do they differ from the larger tournaments?
Small tournaments are generally shorter than larger tournaments. Just to give you an idea, those huge competitions have betting levels raised every half-hour to two hours. But in a smaller buy-in tournament, the blinds may go up on the average of five minutes to 20 minutes, each round lasting around 10 to 15. So how does this affect gameplay? It puts the pressure to play very aggressively from he very start of the game, so you can prepare a sizable amount of chips for the time when the blinds get high. But once this safety net dwindles, and you realize you're not going anywhere near a million dollars (not even a hundred), don't beat yourself up. Even great players have off days.
Small tournaments also mean easier competitors, as they attract weaker players. This doesn't mean they're bad, only that you're more likely to find average players or newbies. Only the very good, and very experienced would dare to risk huge amounts of money in the higher buy in events, so joining those naturally implies that competition will be tougher there. You will also notice that in the smaller tournaments, players are much less aggressive and tend to call. Of course there is the requisite bunch of madmen who call on longshots regardless of the price, or alternatively, bet big every time it is their turn to act.
In small tournaments managing your money is a very important skill. You have to know how to handle a short stack, especially since the blinds get raised so quickly. The rule of thumb is to go down fighting, and play till you don't even have the money for a decent preflop raise. You're better off standing on a wobbly hand than to just fall down.
When you have nine or less times the big blind, you no longer have the option to raise a portion of your stack. You can call the blind, but if you raise, you have to go all-in. If you have 7 to 9 times the big blind, you should have either a good hand, or have only a few players left to act after you.
When you get down to six times the big blind or less in your stack, you are desperate. Don't fence sit. Either fold or bet all your money. If you are in the late position, put in all your money and pray! If you have a lousy hand, you will have to make a stand in a good situation. When you have a crapper like T-7 offsuit, you may win if everyone folds, and you'll probably be about a 2 to 1 dog unless you run into a good-sized pair.
But what's it like to play small tournaments, and how do they differ from the larger tournaments?
Small tournaments are generally shorter than larger tournaments. Just to give you an idea, those huge competitions have betting levels raised every half-hour to two hours. But in a smaller buy-in tournament, the blinds may go up on the average of five minutes to 20 minutes, each round lasting around 10 to 15. So how does this affect gameplay? It puts the pressure to play very aggressively from he very start of the game, so you can prepare a sizable amount of chips for the time when the blinds get high. But once this safety net dwindles, and you realize you're not going anywhere near a million dollars (not even a hundred), don't beat yourself up. Even great players have off days.
Small tournaments also mean easier competitors, as they attract weaker players. This doesn't mean they're bad, only that you're more likely to find average players or newbies. Only the very good, and very experienced would dare to risk huge amounts of money in the higher buy in events, so joining those naturally implies that competition will be tougher there. You will also notice that in the smaller tournaments, players are much less aggressive and tend to call. Of course there is the requisite bunch of madmen who call on longshots regardless of the price, or alternatively, bet big every time it is their turn to act.
In small tournaments managing your money is a very important skill. You have to know how to handle a short stack, especially since the blinds get raised so quickly. The rule of thumb is to go down fighting, and play till you don't even have the money for a decent preflop raise. You're better off standing on a wobbly hand than to just fall down.
When you have nine or less times the big blind, you no longer have the option to raise a portion of your stack. You can call the blind, but if you raise, you have to go all-in. If you have 7 to 9 times the big blind, you should have either a good hand, or have only a few players left to act after you.
When you get down to six times the big blind or less in your stack, you are desperate. Don't fence sit. Either fold or bet all your money. If you are in the late position, put in all your money and pray! If you have a lousy hand, you will have to make a stand in a good situation. When you have a crapper like T-7 offsuit, you may win if everyone folds, and you'll probably be about a 2 to 1 dog unless you run into a good-sized pair.
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