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In the coming months the poker world will be descending on the UK and London in particular as the World Series of Poker Europe and the English Poker Open kick off this September. The English Poker Open will see some of Europe’s finest competing for a $1,000,000 guaranteed prize pool in the second year of this rapidly growing tournament.
For all the online poker players out there we are taking a look at the live tournament and how it differs from an online MTT. Whilst there are obviously some huge differences there are also a lot of constants you can bring with you and use alongside all the information you can gain from watching somebody play poker.
This introduction to live tournament poker will highlight some key areas you will need to concentrate on compared to your online MTT play.
One of the most obvious things about live tournament poker is that you can actually watch your opponent make their bet. You can see the way they play with their chips, watch them swallow, look into their eyes and generally attempt to pick up any tells you might find. There are books that deal with tells alone so we won’t go into detail here but look for common threads from a player that you can see – picking up a tell on a player can help you stack them in the long run.
When playing at a live tournament it is therefore very important to make mental notes on each player. Without HUDs or other tools you will need to form a mental picture of each player, watch their betting patterns, how often they three bet, whether they fold to three-bets but also watch their mannerisms and the way they handle their chips. At a live tournament there is so much more to watch for and it is extremely important to pay attention at all times – even more so when you aren’t in a hand.
When you are playing online you have access to hundreds of tournaments every hour and no doubt play several at a time. In a live scenario you will only be playing one at a time so it is important you don’t become distracted but control how and what you are thinking about. When playing in a live tournament the information you can pick up from watching other hands can be the difference between survival and elimination.
With only one hand every few minutes to play you are also more likely to become bored and end up playing hands which can get you in trouble. When playing live tournaments as an online poker player it is vital that you maintain your pre-flop hand selection and not succumb to the boredom. Playing the wrong hand in the wrong position can lead to your elimination and a horrible feeling of disappointment.
If you are looking at playing your first tournament remember the x cardinal rules:
Watch other players
Don’t be distracted
Maintain hand selection standards
Verbalise all betting actions
Protect your chips
In the coming weeks we will be focussing some more on live tournament play and ways to make your game more effective. This quick summary should help you last longer in tournaments and enjoy your time at the tables that little bit more.
