Big tournament

I've spoken before about the importance of patience in NL hold'em tournaments, but this quality is vastly magnified when a large number of players is involved. Online, these tournaments feature all-ins as the primary strategy of the vast majority of players and the stack flucuations are extreme. It's common for a field of 1000 plus, for 1/2 of the field to be eliminated before the first break. Usually this is a result of gambling with poor or speculative hands. Traditional poker of putting one's chips in with the best of it flies out the window.

A patient, intelligent player usually has a great advantage in these wild melees. Waiting for good cards, playing the correct odds, using position advantageously, and limiting gambling-type plays early-on, often results in reaching the latter stages of a tournament. Often a final table or even a win is the consequence of solid play. The all-in move as a primary weapon is greatly exaggerated, as one witnesses the early exit of these wild gamblers, employing this tactic indiscrimanately. As my friend TV counsels, one must set small goals and play each phase of the tournament, without looking too far towards the end game. One poor decision often means elimination. The player who makes the fewest errors is rewarded with victory, To win money; play smart, eliminate your mistakes, and above all have patience (Consider T.J. Cloutier's style and successes). This is a winner's formula for poker success.

[Listening to: Come Away With Me - Norah Jones - Come Away With Me (03:18)]

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