Pro Poker Tips

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Almost everyone knows that Full Tilt Poker has a stable of some of the most famous Poker Pros anywhere. What you may not know is that Full Tilt Poker has an archive of Pro Tips that you can access at any time, so whenever you have questions, Full Tilt Poker's Pros have the answers!

A good example is a tip from Chris Ferguson on How to Win at Tournament Poker. In this tip, Chris notes that people frequently ask questions about how to be a winning tournament player such as:

• How many chips should a player have after the first two levels?
• Should a lot of hands be played early while the blinds are small and play tighter as the blinds increase?
• Should a player tighten up more when getting close to the money, or try to accumulate more chips early on to avoid finishing on the bubble?

Chris has the same answer for all three questions. He says to stop trying to force things to happen and concentrate on playing solid poker, letting the chips fall where they may. He then offers a more useful question, asking "how much of a difference is there between ring game strategy and tournament strategy?" His answer? Not as much as you think.

Chris says, "The most important skill in poker is the ability to react to a wide range of opponents playing a wide range of styles. Players who can do this will thrive in both ring games and tournaments alike." He reminds players to play their cards, play their opponents and think about accumulating more chips while at the same time trying to conserve the chips they have. Put simply, the more chips a player has, the better their chances of winning.

Other words of wisdom Chris shares include, "A chip and a chair is enough to win, and enough to beat you." He says that your play shouldn't change too much as the tournament progresses. He notes that most players are too loose in the tournament's early stages. Because of this, you should adjust for their loose play by attempting to steal blinds less often, by calling more raises and to re-raise more frequently, then reverse these actions when your opponents tighten up their play later.

He warns not to tighten up considerably before you are two or three players from the money, and to "just play your best, most aggressive game, and try not to let your stack dwindle to a point where you can't protect your hand with a pre-flop all-in raise."

This is just a sampling of the excellent Pro advice for players to follow. If you would like more words of wisdom for improving your game, log-in today and check out the archives of Pro Tips at Full Tilt Poker!