My 1st Tournament - Any Tips?

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CardiffCCFC

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Hi everyone, my 1st post on here and a complete beginner so take it easy on me :icon_thum

Ive been playing online poker for a few weeks and am slowly getting better, and i have just found out of a tournament my work are throwing in 3 weeks. This will be my 1st time playing 'live' so does anyone have any tips? Money wise is nothing major and if you place you win some prizes (i tunes vouchers etc) so i thought it will be a good one to start on.

A bit nervous as expected, only for the reason i am not sure what to expect in the whole process really.....
 
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rzepa1881

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Hmm my tip is , 3bet strongs hands. Try to read your opponent , his reactions . Dont wish for luck . Luckiness is good only for noobs . And last advice is :D take it easyy, do not be stressed. If you loose while making good decisions its ok. It happens :D also watch some tv shows and try to learn something from a pro's : D hope it heeelps man goodluck
 
sam1chips

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Yeah my first tip is have fun (especially since you're playing with friends/co-workers)

As far as poker-wise, play tight early. If most of the other players are amateurs (or don't play poker at all), they are never gonna fold top pair, so don't bother trying to bluff.
 
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hffjd2000

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1. Dont be nervous or dont show youre nervous.
2. Online is different from live.
3. Look for tells and hide your tells.
4. Be patient. Online is fast action while live is slow action.
 
Arjonius

Arjonius

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If this is more of a work event than a serious tournament, just go and enjoy yourself.It's not always all about winning. If you win something, fine. If not, also fine.
 
rytciaq

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To a new live poker player, I would suggest:

Don't get bored so you play marginal hands. In live, there are much less hands dealt per hour, and you may get bored from not getting some good starting hands, leading you to play with marginal hands.

Practice on your poker face, get a pair of sunglasses if needed.

And if this is your work tournament 4fun, it's about the fun, not the 1st place.
 
Martinez

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I would suggest to read a good poker book and check out the poker strategy here at cardschat to help give you a head start and a better undrestanding of the game.
Most importantly, enjoy yourself and have fun, after all, it's only a game.
 
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SinkieCon

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Have fun, that's the main advice I would give to a first time live player, and since it's with our co-Workers enjoy your self, as people jhave said it's not about the winning. But if you want to win play your typical ABC Poker

What I mean by ABC Poker is play in position rather than Out of Position, play with hands like AK AQ AJ and any pairs 77 + , when the blinds get higher then you can get a little more adventuress. also as rytcleg has said work on your poker face, and ware sun glasses if you prefer.

Poker is all about having fun. that's why we play it. Good luck and hope you do well, let us know how you do :)

Sinkie
 
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CardiffCCFC

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Thanks all, i plan to enjoy it and this seems like a good little live event to dip my toe into. Thanks for all the tips, being a total beginner im sure playing live is completely different to online.

Will let you all know how i get on, expecting to come last but anything else is a bonus!! Time to get some practice in, this forum has helped me a lot from just being able to read peoples experiences. :icon_thum

Gavin
 
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thatgreekdude

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doesn't sound like a serious game, you'll soon pick up playing live it's definitely a bit daunting at first but you'll get used to it, just have a blast and play to the best of your ability and the rest is up to the cards..
 
LizRang

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I hope you have fun! When I first started playing poker what I experimented most with is which hands I wanted to play from what positions in various circumstances. Tons of great Internet resources as well as information in the forum. It will be a great learning experience for you! When I played live the first time after playing online for a while the live game seemed to go SO fast I was not used to not having the pots counted for me and not the buttons pop up when it was my turn to bet :).
 
Diogo Jorge

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Just enjoy yourself and dont mind if you'll win or lose, it is not important if it is your 1st time live!
 
Faust

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There are many good tips given here, i can add to the list:

If you play bad a hand forget about it on the next hand, it was just a bad hand. Past was past and now you have to play with the current stack. Adapt quickly.

Control your body language and specially try to improve your face movements. This is a tournament just for fun but it's the perfect escenario to practice that. In live games in my opinion it's more important the psychological factor, how others react to your actions (and that doesn't mean necessarily poker), so just enjoy acting.

My last tip stay relaxed, it's just a game. Also inevitably you'll read your mates, you'll read how they actually behave (if they take the game seriously), that info may be useful someday to avoid getting fooled ;)
 
rifflemao

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Hi everyone, my 1st post on here and a complete beginner so take it easy on me :icon_thum

Ive been playing online poker for a few weeks and am slowly getting better, and i have just found out of a tournament my work are throwing in 3 weeks. This will be my 1st time playing 'live' so does anyone have any tips? Money wise is nothing major and if you place you win some prizes (i tunes vouchers etc) so i thought it will be a good one to start on.

A bit nervous as expected, only for the reason i am not sure what to expect in the whole process really.....

N00Bie!! :D j\k

Poker tournaments at work can be fun and profitable. I would study up on SnG strategy, be aware of position, and you should be good. Let us know how it works out. :icon_thum
 
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CardiffCCFC

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Just incase anyone is interested:

So i've been practising for my 1st live tournament on the 21st & decided to enter my 1st ever online tournament last night. It was the £250 gtd Speed on Sky Poker, with a £2.20 buy in. I just wanted to experience a bit of competition and ended up placing 7th out of 75 players!!! :D

Suprised myself & won £15.95 so happy days, especially as i needed to start somewhere as a complete begunner. Got a bit excited at the end and called an all in when I had pocket 10s......mistake really but you live and learn.

Now to keep practicing and improve even more ;)
 
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cotta777

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Hi everyone, my 1st post on here and a complete beginner so take it easy on me :icon_thum

Ive been playing online poker for a few weeks and am slowly getting better, and i have just found out of a tournament my work are throwing in 3 weeks. This will be my 1st time playing 'live' so does anyone have any tips? Money wise is nothing major and if you place you win some prizes (i tunes vouchers etc) so i thought it will be a good one to start on.

A bit nervous as expected, only for the reason i am not sure what to expect in the whole process really.....



Hi

Firstly welcome to the forum, Secondly I'm from Cardiff and also a Cardiff fan (quite mad) considering most here are from over sea's :)

If its a work thing Im guessing the amount of players wont be more than 3 to 4 tables am I right?

Firstly and formost learn position, Play solid ranges in solid positions 80% of the time, the odd hand out of position is ok but avoid multiway pots with marginal hands or anything raggy.

By position I mean your on the button or closer to the right side of the button than the opponent there for your second to act so you have the advantage of taking advantage of weakness such as checking, and also being bet into when you have a made hand. you can dictate the outcome of the next street and choose whether to hide the strength or re-raise at any time

Cards you will need

Suited Connectors and one Gappers
Q10+ Good opening hands
K10+ Good opening hands, also ok to call in position and out for cheap
J9s+ Good hand for a cheap flop
A10+ Good hand to 3-bet with pre flop, and out of position for cheap
A2s+ K7s+ Strong draw potential with the flushes, and ofcourse top pairs - Be wary of pre flop action when assessing board
dont over commit top pair if the price is alot and board is wet

Small pairs - Folded in multiway pots that are to pricey, good hand early on while the blinds are cheap

Medium pairs, Good hand to play aggressively pre flop as the blinds get bigger, your looking to steal but you always have the potential to do some serious damage aswell.

Premium Pairs - Play smartly whichever way will get you the most value either trapping players, disguising strength or sucking value from loose bad players.


Cards you wont need,
Rags Q7 or like J6 for example anything donkish you dont need to get involved with.

Later on when the blinds are Higher you can start raising to steal blinds if people are playing tight open up your range...
My prediction is especially as its a work thing for prizes people are going to show off and try be bluff crazy with little experience,

so just stick to position solid, calm and collective early on, your looking to get in for cheap and stack your opponents,
you dont want to invest chips in multiway pots with 1 in 4 chances of winning the pot.
Keep it isolate 1 to 2 opponents post flop and control the action, know when to fold and know when to steal,
if the pot is expensive and multiwayed and your not strong get out of there!

I can almost gaurantee at this level without a major cooler or loss of control, your going to rack up chips by just playing in position playing this range and selectively picking players off when the time is right.

Print this off and have it with you on the day - come back and let us know how you got on
Lol!
 
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joe777

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If this is the first live tournament you’ve played, don’t be surprised when every hand isn’t an all-in showdown of AA vs. KK. Poker tournaments are a lot of sitting around, and a lot of bad cards that you should fold. Don’t get bored and find yourself playing hands that you shouldn’t just because you want something to do.Just remember that your mission is to win.
 
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trent32la

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Play tight...don't do anything crazy and just play solid...and the #1 rule NEVER open limp...raise preflop or toss your cards...If someone limps in and they acted before you..it's okay to limp behind a small range of hands i.e. 10 9 suited pocket 3s
 
skiptomyloot

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watch how everyone bets, by that i mean. Watch their patterns, watch their movements and see what hand they use to raise out with when they have or when they dont. does he/she bluff when put chips out with their left hand or do they give off a strong staredown trying to make it seem like they got you beat. people can act pretty darn funny when you start noticing tells. best of luck and hope you win.
 
rifflemao

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Got a bit excited at the end and called an all in when I had pocket 10s......mistake really but you live and learn.

Congrats on the score! Is there a specific reason why you think calling with TT was a mistake? It might be worth sorting out so you don't lose value later by folding a decent hand. If the villain was shoving a lot for example, calling with TT might be fine regardless of the result.
 
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johnny2shoes

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great result in your tourney you must be learning quickly, sun glasses a great idea[for a laugh] that is. G,L.
 
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aznman08

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Just go in feeling relaxed. Do your best to keep a relaxed but straight face. Of course the most important rule, try to have fun with it.
 
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locha2013

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Try out some freerolls and you will see how they are working. You will see how the other players are doing and when you have to play your hands. I myself often try to double up at the beginning stages, when it's not really a expensive tournement. Then I often look how to play my premium hands at the later stages.
 
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