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Micro-stakes multi-table no-limit hold'em tournaments -
those with buy-ins between $1 and $5 - abound on the internet today. They
can be a fun way to pass the time for casual players, and for those who
are more serious about their game these tournaments can also be a great
training ground for moving up. For players with limited bankrolls there's
also some significant profit to be had, as even on a small site winning
one is often worth 50 times the initial buy-in or more. In order to win
these tourneys you'll want to take them just as seriously as a
professional would treat a major tournament. That can be hard to do when
the guy on your right calls every single bet in front of him and keeps
catching cards to win, but being able to prosper in these tournaments
requires putting aside your emotional responses to poor play. Tournament
poker is difficult enough without creating your own mental distractions.
Here are a few tips for succeeding in the loosest tournaments around.
1.) There are dangerous players in every tournament.
First things first - you will occasionally run into good poker players in
a small stakes tournament. Don't let the low buy-in fool you into thinking
that every person you face is an inexperienced idiot waiting to hand his
chips to you. Pay close attention to all your opponents' play from the
moment the tournament begins and take note of anyone who seems to be
playing solid poker. Don't automatically back off of these players -
sometimes a poor player can get lucky and appear to be playing well - but
do try to scrutinize their play and see what you can learn about them. If
you're up against someone who seems to really know what she's doing, try
to avoid a confrontation without great cards and find other players to
pick on - there will be plenty of them.
2.) Don't undervalue your stack early.
Most micro-stakes tournaments are filled with players who break every
standard of intelligent poker, and it can be tempting to go along with the
crowd when one makes the minimum raise and five others. Just because the
blinds are small doesn't make it any more profitable to exit early after
trapping yourself into playing mediocre cards. Avoid the temptation to
throw chips away with the lemmings. Wait for pairs and strong high cards
early, unless you have a good drawing hand and your pot odds are too good
to pass up. Without cards that stack up well in multi-way pots, you'll
mostly want to sit back while your opponents butt heads to see who can win
Donkey of the Year. (I guarantee you it will be somebody you play against
in a small-stakes tournament.)
3.) There's a time to loosen up.
You can't wait on big cards forever without putting yourself in serious
jeopardy of being blinded away. It'll come as good news to you that most
of your opponents will generally tend to play loose when the blinds are
low and then tighten up as the blinds rise. As in so many other pursuits,
the way to stand out in these situations is to do the opposite of what the
crowd is doing. When the other players at your table are starting to wait
for big hands before playing, you'll have an opportunity to start stealing
pots.
Loosening up pre-flop can work out nicely if you've been without any
playable cards in the early going, as you're probably hitting the point
where loosening up is a necessity. Don't be afraid to move all-in pre-flop
with all but the worst starting hands if you're the first person in the
pot and you have less than 10 times the number of chips required to pay
for one orbit's blinds and antes. There is a huge advantage to being first
in, and most people won't call you with less than a pair or A-K. Even if
you get called by a superior hand you often won't be more than a 3-2
underdog.
When you've managed to build a big stack by playing solid hands in the
early going, many of your opponents will give you carte blanche to steal
their blinds and limp bets because they fear your monsters. You'll want to
pick your spots carefully, of course, but in general your chip stack will
be enough to scare most opponents away when you make a big bet. Be sure
you are aware of pot odds when you have a big stack and you start to
loosen up. If you raise pre-flop with a middling hand and a short stack
goes all-in over the top of your bet, chances are you'll be getting good
odds to gamble on knocking an opponent out.
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