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
From the small blind, I tend to raise the same range of hands
From the small blind, I tend to raise the same range of hands as in the cutoff. I will be out of position throughout the hand, so I can’t play total trash hands. You want a hand with some value so you can continue on most boards post-flop. From the small blind, you should constantly pay attention to who is in the big blind and how that person plays against you. If he’s tight, feel free to raise every hand. If he calls or re-raises every time you raise, then tighten up.
If players are loose and aggressive behind you,
If players are loose and aggressive behind you, you should tighten up your ranges, especially in middle and late position, because you will have to play many more hands post-flop. If you know someone will call when you raise hands like K-5 from the button, you will do better by just folding, especially against someone who is aggressive after the flop. You will also need to play tighter as your skill advantage diminishes. The only time you can profitably play loose pre-flop is when you have a significant post-flop advantage over your opponents. I use my best judgment when deciding which hands to raise before the flop. I’ll tighten up if I think I’ll be re-raised wide, and if I am playing with a table full of tight players, I will raise any two cards from late position. In general, if most players are not scared to call a raise before the flop, you should be sure your hand has some value.