If you can identify when you should push all-in when playing tournaments in online poker, you will climb to the top of the money board in short order. The following strategy will put you in the best position to move all your chips in the middle without having to worry so much about getting called by a better hand.
Betting Early in the Tournament
Early in a tournament, there are going to be players who simply push all their chips in the middle looking to double-up. They do it hand after hand, hoping to catch lightning in a bottle so they can sit back and relax to the bubble. Steer clear of these players, unless you have a solid hand. If you find a player pushing all-in every other hand, you can hang with them when you get the nuts by slow playing the hand. Once they feel they have you where they want you, they will bet all-in. Now you simply call and rake in a monster pot.
Betting Heavy at the Bubble
As the tournament nears the bubble, those that have barely made the money are trying to slow the game down and cling to those chips as long as they can. Since you have these players out-chipped, you can push all-in when you have them alone because they will fold even if they have a strong hand. Players on the bubble are concerned with just making the money, they don’t want to have been playing all this time to bust out as the bubble-boy. Use this to push around and scoop as many chips from the blind as you can, because these players won’t defend.
But do it wisely… or…
Once the bubble is burst, those that just barely made the money become super loose. They don’t care anymore, so they bet all-in with any hands. Now you have to play tight, and hope to catch a hand so you can push all in on them and take the chips they have left. These players are just excited they cashed, so they will call with anything, and you can build up your stack quickly if you time these bets against players with much smaller stacks than you have.
Springing a Trap Near the End
The thinking near the end of the tournament is steer clear of the chip leader. The chip leader is bullying weaker stacks, so you switch up gears now. Instead of targeting the low stacks that might call, you fight the big dog. If the chip leader is simply bullying, they don’t have good cards all the time. When you do have a hand, call their bet, then if they bet again, push all-in. They don’t want to lose the top spot like the weak players don’t want to lose at the bubble.
Now you know when you should push all-in when playing tournaments in online poker (thanks to http://389poker.site/). This takes some practice, so try today at a lower limit tournament and see how much higher you can get on the money board.
