Tournament Strategies
After receiving pocket cards, you are immediately faced with a choice: play your cards and either raise or call the blinds, or fold.
Practice Matters
The most important thing to remember
The most important thing to remember if you want to win at Poker is to be alert. Every little movement has a meaning all its own. Every draw and every card shown has a vital bearing on the strategy you employ. You must watch every player in the game to see that you are not being cheated or chiseled; you must watch every active player so that you can gauge the strength of his hand and judge his reactions to a raise or reraise, to a draw of two cards or three cards, etc. In Stud, especially, you must observe each card dealt carefully to see (1) how it affects your own chances of improving your hand; (2) whether it improves the chances of each other player, including the player who received the card. Finally, you have to watch yourself so as not to betray your hand or give clues to your opponents. Yes, you have to be alert.
You can't be alert if you are overtired
You can't be alert if you are overtired or mentally disturbed by something either in or outside the game. And you can't be alert if your alcohol content is too high. Don't play Poker for sizable stakes if you've had a tough day at the office, if you're worried about business or about Junior's behavior or if you've had a few too many martinis. And don't drink liquor while playing—not if you want to win.