 |  |  |  |  |  |  |
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
| Poker tournament strategy has similarities to ring game strategy, but they require different strategic and tactical thought, actions and preparation. Poker tournaments require us to vary our play quite a bit in order to be successful |
| Poker Tips and Lessons Poker Tournament Strategy Winning Poker Tournaments with Poker Tournament Strategy Article by Jay Greenspan |
| Full Tilt Poker Tips From The Pros |
Jay Greenspan
Poker Lesson #48
Playing with John D'Agostino
As a writer covering the poker circuit, I wasn't surprised to see that John
D'Agostino took second in the Borgata Winter Open, netting more than half a
million dollars. John is widely considered one of the great, young, all-around
players in the game. He's equally comfortable playing limit and no-limit, cash
games, and tournaments.
I got a particularly close look at John's play a week prior to Borgata, when we
shared a table in Tunica at the $10,000 buy-in World Poker Tour event. John
didn't cash in that event, but during the hours we played together, I
witnessed many qualities that make him a great player - here are three of
them.
Overcoming a Tough Stretch
In Tunica, the players started with 20,000 chips. Within the first blind level,
almost half of John's stack was gone. In a key hand, John made a tough lay
down when he deduced that his high pocket pair hand had not survived to
the river. A couple of difficult hands followed soon after.
It was the kind of tournament start that dispirits others. After such a difficult
opening, it's not uncommon to see even very good players overwhelmed with
resignation. I've heard players utter "It's not my day." At that point, they're
sealing their fate.
John, however, settled in. He didn't make unneeded moves that would
decimate his stack. On his way to his second-place finish at Borgata, John
was able to deal with a far greater level of adversity. With 25 players
remaining, John was the chip leader, holding nearly one million in chips. A few
tough hands and four hours later, John held only 280,000 chips and was in
twelfth place with 16 players remaining.
Despite these setbacks, he didn't tilt - he focused and made good decisions.
He waited for his spots and was able to build his stack back.
During Tunica, John was keenly aware of his own stack and the stacks of
others. After the tough early hands, he was quiet while waiting for a spot to
double up. He didn't rush it. He knew that he held more than 20 big blinds in
his stack and could wait for the right opportunity. He wasn't forced to push in
on Ace-Nine or a pair of 3s.
Once he managed to build himself back, he was on the hunt, looking for
stacks to attack. Sadly for me, he noticed that I had become the table short
stack. John was in late position when I had the big blind, and he let no
opportunity go by to attack my blind. With only 20 big blinds, I couldn't afford
to fight back without a premium hand, as any decision I'd make would be for
my tournament life. John was the only one at the table (other than me) who
seemed fully aware of the situation. Others were far more focused on their
own cards, rather than on the other factors that would give them
opportunities to pick up pots.
Inscrutable Behaviors
In Tunica, most of the players at my table offered a treasure trove of
information. They varied their bet sizes pre-flop - a little higher when they
didn't want action, a little lower when they welcomed it. Their arm and hand
movements varied wildly from hand to hand. With time, one could draw fairly
accurate conclusions based on such tells.
John, however, offered nothing. When he open-raised, he did so for three
times the big blind every time. His motions seemed nearly identical to me time
after time. If I tried to read his facial expression, I got only a view of his
downcast eyes as he stared vacantly at the felt. As far as I could tell, there
was nothing to learn.
The Tunica event didn't go well for me, but I leaned a lot from watching John.
Without question, observing the pros is one the easiest ways to improve
one's game.
In Depth Fulltilt poker review
Poker Lesson #48
Playing with John D'Agostino
As a writer covering the poker circuit, I wasn't surprised to see that John
D'Agostino took second in the Borgata Winter Open, netting more than half a
million dollars. John is widely considered one of the great, young, all-around
players in the game. He's equally comfortable playing limit and no-limit, cash
games, and tournaments.
I got a particularly close look at John's play a week prior to Borgata, when we
shared a table in Tunica at the $10,000 buy-in World Poker Tour event. John
didn't cash in that event, but during the hours we played together, I
witnessed many qualities that make him a great player - here are three of
them.
Overcoming a Tough Stretch
In Tunica, the players started with 20,000 chips. Within the first blind level,
almost half of John's stack was gone. In a key hand, John made a tough lay
down when he deduced that his high pocket pair hand had not survived to
the river. A couple of difficult hands followed soon after.
It was the kind of tournament start that dispirits others. After such a difficult
opening, it's not uncommon to see even very good players overwhelmed with
resignation. I've heard players utter "It's not my day." At that point, they're
sealing their fate.
John, however, settled in. He didn't make unneeded moves that would
decimate his stack. On his way to his second-place finish at Borgata, John
was able to deal with a far greater level of adversity. With 25 players
remaining, John was the chip leader, holding nearly one million in chips. A few
tough hands and four hours later, John held only 280,000 chips and was in
twelfth place with 16 players remaining.
Despite these setbacks, he didn't tilt - he focused and made good decisions.
He waited for his spots and was able to build his stack back.
During Tunica, John was keenly aware of his own stack and the stacks of
others. After the tough early hands, he was quiet while waiting for a spot to
double up. He didn't rush it. He knew that he held more than 20 big blinds in
his stack and could wait for the right opportunity. He wasn't forced to push in
on Ace-Nine or a pair of 3s.
Once he managed to build himself back, he was on the hunt, looking for
stacks to attack. Sadly for me, he noticed that I had become the table short
stack. John was in late position when I had the big blind, and he let no
opportunity go by to attack my blind. With only 20 big blinds, I couldn't afford
to fight back without a premium hand, as any decision I'd make would be for
my tournament life. John was the only one at the table (other than me) who
seemed fully aware of the situation. Others were far more focused on their
own cards, rather than on the other factors that would give them
opportunities to pick up pots.
Inscrutable Behaviors
In Tunica, most of the players at my table offered a treasure trove of
information. They varied their bet sizes pre-flop - a little higher when they
didn't want action, a little lower when they welcomed it. Their arm and hand
movements varied wildly from hand to hand. With time, one could draw fairly
accurate conclusions based on such tells.
John, however, offered nothing. When he open-raised, he did so for three
times the big blind every time. His motions seemed nearly identical to me time
after time. If I tried to read his facial expression, I got only a view of his
downcast eyes as he stared vacantly at the felt. As far as I could tell, there
was nothing to learn.
The Tunica event didn't go well for me, but I leaned a lot from watching John.
Without question, observing the pros is one the easiest ways to improve
one's game.
In Depth Fulltilt poker review
| 100% Signup Bonus Download the Full Tilt Poker software and enter bonus code: POKERPLAY You can play for fun at Full Tilt Poker and still enjoy all of the features that they offer, including watching and chatting with all of the professional poker players. Where the Pros Live, Full Tilt Poker |
| Some of the best players in the world have joined Team Full Tilt Poker. The Full Tilt Team includes Howard Lederer, Phil Ivey, Chris Ferguson, John Juanda, Jennifer Harman, Phil Gordon, Erick Lindgren, Erik Seidel, Clonie Gowan, Andy Bloch, and Mike Matusow. It's WSOP Main Event Mania at Full Tilt Poker. This year, they're giving away $1 million worth of free WSOP Main Event seats, and when they say free, they mean it. Completely free... gratis... on the house. Nowhere in the world will you find a guarantee tournament like this - not online, and not in any casino. With 26 WSOP bracelets between them, the Full Tilt Team knows good poker when they see it. See who you'd like to match wits with, then join them at the tables and see how you stack up. You can Learn, Chat, and Play with the Pros at Full Tilt Poker, Where the Pros Live! Complete, in depth Review of Full Tilt Poker available. |
| 100% Signup Bonus Download the Full Tilt Poker software and enter bonus code: POKERPLAY You can play for fun at Full Tilt Poker and still enjoy all of the features that they offer, including watching and chatting with all of the professional poker players. Where the Pros Live, Full Tilt Poker |
| More Lessons from the Pros Great Poker Playing Tips and Strategies from the worlds best poker players |
| Sign up for our EXCLUSIVE FREEROLL TOURNAMENTS Signup for our poker forum to receive your invitation to our private freeroll tournaments Real Prizes Limited number of invitations avialable |
| Downlaod Mac-User Software to Full Tilt Online Poker Room |
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
| Become a poker affiliate learn how |
| More Lessons from the Pros Great Poker Playing Tips and Strategies from the worlds best poker players |
| Read our Objective, Thorough Full Tilt Poker Review Overview, Promotions, Unique Features, Deposit Options |
| PokerHUD is a Texas Holdem players heads-up display. It automatically, without clicking or typing anything, calculates full odds while playing on PartyPoker(TM) and other on-line poker games. It is a great way to learn the game. PartyPoker is a registered trademark of PartyPoker.Com More Details on Poker HUD |