Posts Tagged ‘Poker Tournaments’

How To Make More Money In Online Poker Tournaments

Thursday, July 8th, 2010

When you play in real money poker tournaments online, of course your objective is to make money. However, if you stick to playing in the low-limit sit-and-go tournaments you won’t be able to maximize your profits efficiently. Read on for some tips about how to make money when you play in sit-and-go and other tournaments online.

For starters, think about the payoff versus your time. If the first prize in a 1-hour sit-and-go is $5 it’s probably not worth you time, unless your main objective is to work on your tournament skills. You probably wouldn’t do your day job for $5 an hour so think about how much money your time is worth before you sign up to play in a online poker tournament.

It is also important to choose a tournament where you will be competing against other people who play at your same level. If you play against more experience poker players in a tournament then your chances of winning and making any money are pretty slim. Start out with lower level tournaments and work your way up as you win in order to find the perfect level for you. Usually the more experienced players play in more expensive tournaments.

If you need to brush up on your poker skills before you start in with real money tournament play then practice with a free poker game online. Once you are ready for real money play, don’t forget to have fun. Because after all, the time and money isn’t worth it if you aren’t having a good time!

Choosing Your Limits for Tournament Poker

Thursday, March 4th, 2010

When you are new to playing in poker tournaments it is important to choose your stakes carefully. When choosing your limits you want to make a decent profit, while also avoiding playing for such high limits that you can’t measure up to the other players. The following tips can help you choose the right tournament poker limits for you.

The first thing you need to take into consideration is your bankroll. You should only play in tournaments that you could afford to pay the buy-in at least 50 times. If you only have $500 set aside in your poker bankroll then you wouldn’t want to enter a tournament with a $250 buy-in. Play in two tournaments with those limits and your bankroll will be gone.

You also need to consider how often you expect to win. You will want to win an average of at least 40% of the tournaments you enter online, especially if you are playing sit and go tournaments. You can start out with low-limit tournaments and as you begin winning more often you can increase the limits. You’ll also want to keep track of your profits. How much do you win in each tournament compared to the amount you are spending on buy-ins? If you are not making a profit then try lowering the limits at which you are playing.

In order to increase your profit margin you can practice with free poker games. This is a great way to improve your skills and prepare yourself for tournament play.

Improving Your Skills by Watching the Pros

Thursday, February 18th, 2010

If you are looking for an entertaining way to improve your poker skills then one of the best is to watch live poker tournaments on television. When you watch poker professionals playing on TV you can pick up all sorts of new skills, such as how to bet, how to bluff, which hands to fold on, which to raise on and more.

There are a whole slew of televised poker tournaments scheduled throughout the year. You can watch the World Series of Poker on ESPN, the World Poker Tour and High Stakes Poker on GSN and more. However, one of my personal favorite televised poker tournaments is just about to start – The National Heads-Up Poker Championship on NBC. The National Heads-Up Poker Championship happens every year. It is an invitation-only tournament with a $20,000 buy-in. Last year’s winner was Huckleberry Seed. This tournament will be televised on NBC in April and May.

The great thing about watching the pros play in televised tournaments is that you get all the information. You not only see the players’ body language and facial expressions and see whether they fold, call or raise, but you also get to see their cards. There is a hole camera for each player that shows you exactly what they’ve got in the hole so you can understand why they are playing the way they are. For me that is the ultimate thrill and it serves as a fantastic way to help you improve you poker skills!

Freerolls: The Free Poker Tournaments

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

One of the best ways that you can immerse yourself in the world of poker tournaments, especially when you are new to tournament style games, is by entering online poker freerolls. Freerolls are tournaments that you can enter for free, without paying an entry fee, but you can still win great prizes.

Freeroll tournaments are usually offered by online poker rooms as promotions in order to attract new players. In addition to welcome bonuses on first deposits, many online poker rooms give all new real money players the option to compete in a welcome freeroll tournament for cash and prizes. Poker rooms also offer special freerolls for VIPs, loyal players and other customers.

Why are freerolls so great? When you play in a freeroll you have the opportunity to get used to playing tournament style poker games without risking your own money. In non-freeroll tournaments you have to pay an entry fee and it can be scary paying money to play in a tournament if you have never competed in this way before. A freeroll is a great way to get used to tournament poker and who knows – you may even win!

If you decide you enjoy tournament style games after playing in a few freeroll tournaments you can start to enter real money poker tournaments. Start out with low limit tourneys and up your limits as you begin to win more and more. You can find freerolls at most online poker rooms.

Aussie Millions Results are In!

Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010

The Aussie Millions is one of the most popular and intense international poker tournaments, held each January in Melbourne, Australia at the Crown Casino. This January the Aussie Millions event took place between January 14 and January 31 and hosted a week of satellite tournaments and a week of competition. Tournament games included No Limit Holdem, H.O.R.S.E., Pot Limit Omaha, and more.

At the end of Aussie Millions week it was Tyron Krost, an Australia native, that took home the $2,000,000 prize. Krost qualified for the event by playing online satellite tournaments. He invested around $700 during the whole process, which may seem like a lot. However, his $700 investment led to a $2 million win, which is pretty nice in my book. I really like the idea that players who could not afford to enter tournaments like the Aussie Millions or WSOP under other circumstances are able to win their way in through online satellites.

Krost is 23 years old and this Aussie Millions win was his first major poker tournament win, though he also cashed in on a couple of events during the 2008 World Series of Poker. At the end of the tournament these were the top players at the Aussie Main Event Final Table:

1st Place: Tyron Krost with $2,000,000
2nd Place: Frederik Jensen with $1,100,000
3rd Place: Sorel Mizzi with $715,000
4th Place: Kosta Varoxis with $450,000
5th Place: Peter Jetten with $350,000
6th Place: Steve Friedlander with $250,000
7th Place: Anette Obrestad with $175,000
8th Place: Stephen Shelly with $125,000