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 time to time you will be in late position
From time to time you will be in late position and a good, aggressive player will raise against a weak player’s limp. Suppose a weak player in middle position limps, the cutoff, a good aggressive player, raises to 4.5BBs and you have A-J on the button. Assume everyone has 100BBs. This may look like a spot to re-raise because the good player probably has a wide re-raising range, but calling is the only play. The last thing you want is to force the weak player off his junky hand. Also, if you re-raise and the person that raised over the limp re-raises again, you will be in a tricky spot. Just call and see a flop in position with a hand that is significantly better than both your opponents’ ranges.
Most poker players fail to raise because they see the opportunity
Most poker players fail to raise because they see the opportunity for a cheap flop and want to take it. In reality, you should see a lot of dead money sitting on the table waiting for someone to pick it up. It might as well be you.