How to play Zoom or Rush style turbo poker tournaments

Almost every poker room has those tournaments now - usually, you get around 500 chips and 3-minutes blind levels and you have to finish last out of three players. The amount to be won is picked randomly as a multiple of the buyin. So, obviously, those tournaments are decided in very short time - within 5 and 10 minutes mostly.

Before we get to the strategy part, a little advice: Each poker room has its own format here. For example, 888 Poker has an additional limitation: you only get to play a few hands and after 2 minutes of playing, all remaining players are always all-in at the start of the hand. This, in my opinion, has nothing to do with poker. It is pure gambling and no fun at all.

Pokerstars is another room which I do not recommend for this. While in theory, for a $7 tournament the random prize money generator CAN set the prize money to up to $70,000 you still end up playing for $14 almost all the time. Considering that the total for 3 players should be $ 21, that is a bad deal. I have played tons of those tourneys, and the highest payout I ever saw was $42. Given Pokerstars reputation, I would not put it past them to steal from their players here.

What I do recommend is Bet365 and their Twister tournaments. The "distribution" of the random prize money amounts seems to be fair, and I like the optics of the game layout here, as well as the fact that a $10 buy-in may net you up to $10,000.00.

Twister, Zoo, Rush - what about the strategy?

Obviously, playing your usual tight game will not get you very far here. You need to be aggressive, and the preflop value of your starting hands is much different. You are playing three-handed (and two-handed shortly later), so typical hands that will make draws (like small suited connectors) do not have so much value here. On the other hand, basically every ace (even A-2 off) is a good hand if you can open with it.

On the flop, middle or even low pair is good enough to bet most of the time. Bet sizes vs flop size can be left unchanged, although on draw-heavy boards I tend to protect my made hands with big bets, even with an all-in.

Pay very clos attention to the price you have to pay to see the flop. For example, if you are the big blind while the blinds are 10/20, one player raises to 40, the second player calls, you should call all the time. You are getting 6:1 odds and no hand is that bad! Same goes when you are the small blind and the first player limps. Put the 10 chips in and hope the BB checks behind. It's a 60 chips pot and you only have to pay 10 to see the flop.

Here's the most important tip

In this kind of game, the other players' perception of your playing style will be defined by the first 4-10 hands played. After that, they will simply assume that you always play as tight or as loose or as aggressive as you did at the start. That said, you have to be aware of the player image that you generated at the beginning. You can use that image to your advantage - by getting away with more bluffs (if your image is tight), or getting better payouts with your good holdings (if your image is loose-aggressive!

Solid tournament strategy for the early stages of a poker tournament

What strategy should you pursue for the initial phase in a poker tournament? Your strategy depends primarily on the structure of the tournament. If the tournament gives you a small initial chipstack only and the blinds go up quickly (example: 5000 starting chips, blinds start at 25/50 and increase every 15 minutes), then it makes little sense to play super tight and wait for the best hands.

But the most interesting tournaments are those with higher starting stacks (10,000 or more) and longer blind periods (30, 45 or 60 minutes). Especially in live tournaments you will often find this kind of conditions. But how to play these tournaments?

Well, on the one hand the principle "tight is right" does apply here. However, it is ok to see flops with hands like 4h5h as long as one only has to pay a small raise and more than two opponents see the flop. The potential of such hands to win big pots is enormous and especially in the initial phase, it is worthwhile to pay a small price for those hands.

These are the three most important factors in the early phase

Your position: this universal principle is very important, and especially so early in the tournament. If you have little information yet about your opponents, having position is all the more important to make good decisions after the flop!

Controlling pot size: It's ok to play along with marginal hands and draws in smaller pots, as long as you are able to ensure that the pot does not become too big. You should always only risk a small enough portion of your stack, unless you have a very strong hand already.

Watching your opponents: It is clear that you will sit with the same players for several hours at this table. It is therefore important to observe the tendencies of your opponents, in order to later take advantage from the insights that you have gained early on. Even more important than the question of the range of hands your opponents are willing to see the flop with, is the question of how aggressive they play, and how your opponents respond to aggressiveness. It is also important to be aware of your own table image, better even to create a certain image in order to benefit from it later. If you play extremely tight in the beginning, you will more be able to get away with a bluff later, and if your table image is that of a loose / aggressive player your opponents are more likely to pay you off with your strong hands later.

Information about your opponents are relatively "cheap" to come by in the early stages, but can be decisive factors at the later stage, when the blinds and antes are much higher.

Importance of own chip stack

In the early phase of a tournament with slow blind levels it is completely OK to increase your stack in small increments - it is even sufficient to just hold on to your starting stack, or to suffer small losses. The loss of 20% of the initial stack is no reason  to panic! Keep an eye on the average stack during the tournament - as long as that number is within reach and you do not fall under a stack the equivalent of 10 Big Blinds, you are doing ok.

Of course it is nice to double up early in the tournament, but you should never risk big portions of your stack with weak hands as long your stack is still "healthy".

Conclusion: Information about your opponents and knowing your own table image are more important than a big chip stack in the early stages!

Steps to Becoming a Professional Poker Player

The gaming world has changed a lot in the last couple decades and many of us have had an early exposure to e-gaming and computer gaming in general. With this in mind, it makes sense that people would want to turn their clicking skills into a sustainable source of income. Money rules the world, right?
Poker is something that definitely affords that opportunity, especially because so many of the people playing online aren't putting in that extra effort; they're not interested in becoming better players. They just want to click buttons and get their fix. Not like you.
If you want to become a pro, you’re interested in being the best – namely, your best.

‘Your’ is the operative word here. ‘The’ best is not only a subjective standard, but it’s also impossible for everyone to be the zenith. Players who want to make a living off their playing should embrace one truth: it's OK not to be number one.
There, I said it.

Unless you can accept that, you’re likely to burn yourself out and run yourself into the ground. It's almost guaranteed. Just think about it: if you get to be a winner, and make money doing what you love, then what's the harm in being number ten? Number 100? Number 1000? Your passion will still be your profession, and that's the key. You need to ditch the uber-aggressive and ultimately cripplingly mentality that if you're not first, you're last. This is world-class BS, and it isn't going to help you get ahead. Certainly not in the long-run. Just be the best YOU can be; don't worry about being that over-arching best. This ideal will paralyze you. It's a nice ideal to have, but it’s simply not something everyone will be able to do. Much like in the movie Highlander, “There can be only one”, and that may or may not be you.
Moving on...

So how do you become a professional poker player?

1. Educate Yourself. Knowledge is power. You have to read, study, read and study some more. If you think there is nothing more you can learn, look harder, look deeper. Watch players you admire - just don't let the learning process stop. You will probably find one kind of learning that works best for you (e.g. watching videos, reading, talking with other players), and you should definitely focus on that one, but don’t totally exclude the others. They will help round out your learning.

2. Get Exposed. I've said it once and I'll say it again: there's no substitute for experience. Abstract learning is great, and it’s part of your arsenal of knowledge, but it isn't enough on its own. You're going to have to get out there, get dirty and get your quota of wins and losses. In short, you’re going to have to learn hard. I'm not only talking about learning about the game, but about how other people work, and perhaps most importantly, how you work. Knowing yourself - both your strengths and weaknesses - is going to be one of your ultimate edges. Poker is a game of imperfect information, so you won't know for sure what cards your opponents hold, or what cards are left in the deck, but you can sure as hell know yourself. It may take some time to get a handle on how you operate (and operate best) but if you log enough hours at the table, you'll find your stride.

3. Practice, Practice, Practice. Making a profit at the tables is harder than it was three to five years ago, but it's also easier to get caught up. Software makes it easier to multi-table and it's likewise easier to get those reps in. Think of body-building - or fitness training in general. No matter how many books a fledging builder reads, or movies he watches, he's still going to have to get out there and put in the time - time and time again. Sure, he can take supplements (which would be the equivalent of using poker software) or hire a personal trainer (which would be the equivalent of hiring a poker coach), but blood, sweat and tears need to come for real results. To get skilled in poker, you are going to have to play a lot of QUALITY hands before the theories and strategies become second nature. You don't want to rush it; much like the aspiring body-builder, pushing too hard, too fast will cripple you.

4. Review, Refine, Repeat. Let's go back to the fitness example. Yes, you want to put your time in at the gym, but the growth - the real magic happens - when you're giving yourself time to rest, refuel and reflect. You need to look at where you're struggling, where you could be stronger, then you have to find a way to plug those leaks. Every time you plug a leak, you get better and more dangerous as a player. Every time you play, you give yourself a chance to identify those leaks, address them, and get stronger. Don't underestimate the value of self-reflection.

5. Find Your Sweet Spot. Live and online poker are two completely different beasts, and there's no way of knowing where you'll excel until you try them both. In general, I'd expect gamers to do better online and any sort of people-persons to do better live. To maximize your earn, I'd recommend doing both; using online poker to refine your game, since it allows you to get in your reps - and then use live games to cash-in on weaker players. Just remember: patience and some degree of social grace are required to excel in live games.

6. Get the Money. The money's on the table and it's waiting for a skilled player to come get it. Identify where your edge is the sharpest and the biggest, then start playing. The way money is made in this game is to find your edge and apply, apply, apply over and over again. Just don't go for the kill every time. No one wants to play with blood-thirsty machine. Poker needs to be a game of renewable income, and if you establish yourself a reputation for being a merciless killer, then no one's going to want get in with you. Translation: you'll be the loneliest kid in the schoolyard, my friend.
And finally...

7. Keep an Open Mind. Be willing to try new things and opportunities. You never know what you may fall in love with if you don't at least try it. Money is great, but it’s not everything. The poker you're playing needs to provide you with a level of happiness that money just can't buy. If you aren’t feeling the love, or if the love is dwindling, then seek out new (or semi-new) kinds of games. In other words: spice it up!
Written by Evan Jarvis, lead instructor for Gripsed Poker Coaching

Poker Tournament Software From PokerStars

PokerStars has been the number one place for online poker for many years now, and a lot of it is down to the poker tournament software it uses. Being a privately-owned company, the poker room is amazing for new and seasoned players as it is so easy to use and has a great interface. Having the chance to play against some huge celebrity names who play at PokerStars, such as tennis legend Boris Becker, Bill Chen, Jason Alexander and many in the Team PokerStars Pro team, such as Barry Greenstein, there are lots of reasons to choose PokerStars as the place to play poker at.

The poker tournament software is available for Windows, Mac and Linux users, so no matter what operating system you use, you can play against other competitors. During peak hours, there can be 300,000 players online at any one time and that means that you have a great chance of being able to beat them. If there's more players online, the fact is, not all of them are going to be as good as you and that means you can bank money.

If you're looking for a poker tournament software that is incredible to use and doesn't crash or time-out, then PokerStars multi-billion dollar company is the one to choose. Find out below what you can do to get hold of a fantastic bonus code for when you sign up to the poker site.

Poker Tournament Software

Choosing a poker site to play at needs a few parameters meeting. You need one that is simple to read, so you're not getting lost in the maze of a poker room and missing out on the poker tournament you're trying to play at. You need to be able to deposit funds easily, through many different forms and quickly to be able to carry on playing and ensure there is enough money in your wallet.

The poker tournament software is important as if it can handle thousands of people playing at the same time, then it gives you a confidence in the site which in turn means that there is no blame to be made if you lose. Buying re-buys and playing methodically in a tournament is key to not losing and staying in the game. Nowadays, PokerStars allows people to use dollars, pounds (£) and Canadian dollars, without having to convert the currency. This means that it opens up new doors for players around the world.

To make full use of the PokerStars site, it's important not to sign up until you use the link below which allows you to get a 100% bonus on deposits up to $600. This means that you can play more games, have more options and try out the poker tournaments which you might normally shy away from. Click here to use PokerStars marketing code PSA2049 to claim your 100% bonus on deposits up to $600. By being given a free $600, you can really give your poker career a boost.