Prepare To Tense Up Your Poker Game
At the WSOP Main Event, the chip leader following the first day has NEVER won the event. Now who knows how they played or if they all suffered tremendous bad beats, but sometimes while playing poker you'll wonder how someone can lose an enormous chip lead or perhaps you're guilty of such a crime.
It happens, sometimes undeservedly or sometimes just because someone was playing plain dumb. Tightening up is a safe way to produce it through tournaments. You do not have to turn into a stone, nevertheless when you have the big chip stack, it's always a good idea to start playing a little tighter.
On the flip side if you are the low stack, it's probably a good idea to shrink as well, and stop playing your low connecting cards or cards that wont give you a monster. You're usually pretty much in "All-in or fold mode" if you're the lower stack.
Securing usually pertains to tournament games but if you have lost a big portion of your bankroll in cash games then it might probably be a good time to tighten and get some good for sure victories. Waiting on the "Nuts" can be extremely boring and tiring but sometimes it's the smartest thing to do. Alternatively, if you've won a lot of money in cash games already it would probably be a good time to play as many hands as possible to try and win some big pots.
Don't misquote the pro's when they say "I come to win and take first, not to play for second, " no player ever won a sizable tournament with hundreds of players in the field with no little bit of securing. A good rule for yourself is to promise yourself that you will avoid venturing out on top pair at all costs.
More players go out thinking they have the best hand with top pair than anything else. All sorts of things, domino 99 (mouse click the next page) if you feel any doubt you do not have the best hand, then you should fold before you get yourself right into a very bad situation. There is really no indicate playing high-risk hands when you have the chip lead. It might help you sure, but it could hurt you a lot worse.
When your playing tight you actually do not wish to be playing cards like King/Nine or Queen/Eight and definitely not Ace/five or anything worse than Ace/Ten. You're usually dominated if you have cards like this and playing these cards put you at a very high risk of losing a lot of your chip stack. You have all the time in the world. Just settle-back, relax and revel in the poker ride.
When you are tightening up, you should really only play in hands where you have good position too. Being on the button or close to last to act is always a very important thing and playing low connecting cards is always a good thing when you are on the button, even if you are tightening up, just as long as you need not pay to high of a cost to participate.