Poker Skool | Poker Strategy | Tournaments Guide | Types of Poker Players | Glossary | Advanced Strategy |
This last Friday, Full Tilt, rolled out the Rush Poker system to incorporate tournaments. These Rush Poker Tournaments ensure that even the most time-conscious player can start to play large MTTs. The early stages are action packed and over a lot faster than regular tournaments. Constantly moving table creates its own challenges and we take a look at some initial thoughts from our experts on how to gain an edge in Rush Poker Tournaments. As always we are looking to win and not just survive the bubble!
Early Stages:
The ability to quick fold in Rush Poker Tournaments means in the early stages players are searching for hands to bust other people and build big stacks. You will encounter a lot of suited connectors and big hands. You are also likely to see a lot of coolers as players wait for hands. Early on it is vital to start taking notes on players you encounter as these will be invaluable later in the tournament. As with all MTTs your own decisions early on depend on which school of thought you belong to. There will be a lot of blinds available to steal and small pots to win but it may be worth playing tight and simply abusing position at least until the mid-levels. Ii Rush Poker you will be assigned a random position on the table if not in the blinds so be patient if you receive early positions consistently as with variance you will benefit from late position in time.
Mid-Stages:
If you have been able to successfully build a good sized stack or have maintained your existing chips this is a good opportunity to take advantage of those with one eye on the bubble. Use position as you would in a regular tournament and value bet religiously. If you want a shot at winning the tournament you need to pick up chips by raising blinds and stealing small pots as well as looking to break people. Use your notes and pick on tight players, put them under pressure and force them to make the big decision. Other players will also be making notes on how you are playing so keep this in mind. If you play an irregular hand with somebody remember this as they will have a particular image of you than can be used against them.
The Bubble:
Despite many misconceptions, at the bubble everybody will suffer from the blinds the same number of times so there is no real difference in time structure. However, there is one enormous benefit at the bubble if you are a middle stack or big stack and that is that you will see a lot of different players and be able to expand your aggressive bubble play to ensure you are in contention come the final table. Now is the time to make other people make tough decisions for their chips and tournament life, be the aggressor and make a charge for the final table and not just a cash.
Final Stages:
At this point, you should have good notes on most of the players you are up against and as there are fewer players left the game will slow down and you will start to encounter the same people on your table. As always in the final stages, the cards become less important and you need to pay attention to the blinds, stacks and whether people are looking to cash or win. Use position and don’t be afraid to put your chips in the middle and put the pressure on your opponent to make the call.
Rush Poker Tournaments are extremely fast early on with people building big stacks quickly and lots of fish leaving early. It is vital to keep your head and not worry about how much action you are getting. Stick to absolute premium hands early on and once you’ve survived the initial onslaught Rush Poker Tournaments slow down and play more like regular tournaments.
Final thought: Take notes!
