Online Multitable Tournaments

Most online players will be used to just playing cash games. In these games they win as much as they can, and then logout. Tournament play is a completely different animal and requires a different approach then cash games. Seeing as you only leave when you have been eliminated, the skills that make someone a good cash game player don’t necessarily transfer over to tournaments.

To start off with, when participating in an online tournament you want to let the blinds determine how you will play. Tournament play usually features escalating blinds that keep the game moving along and help in the elimination of the weaker players. In the early going the blinds will be small in relation to your bankroll. This is a condition that you can exploit. Call with marginal hands, and see more flops. Avoid pre-flop raises. This will help you keep a low profile while the other players sacrifice their bankrolls in early battles against each other.

Start the tournament with the goal of doubling your chip count in the first hour. If you don’t make this goal, do not panic. This goal just keeps you on the rails and focused on something other than blowing your bankroll. When you have doubled up your chips, play things conservative and show patients.

If the tournament you are playing is Hold’em or Omaha, your position on the table is meaningful. How you want to play is very tight up front. This is because there are a lot of things that can happen behind you. Be prepared for this. When you are in the first 4 or 5 positions, fold marginal starting hands. You don’t want to have to keep up with raises and re-raises that come after you act. Loosen up your play as you get closer the blinds. This is simply because there are less people behind you can act.

Finally, play under the radar and let the other folks go to war with one another. This will help you make it to the later rounds.