Golden Rules to Get ITM

I made a promise a few days before that I would give back some of the things I learned when i made 400% ROI. I am now at 1000% ROI and I think the things I will say have been proven and is safe to be discussed. Any comments or questions are definitely welcome.

The following 3 rules are my guiding principles to get in the money (ITM) of any tournament. So far I have made it ITM in 75% of the total tournaments I have joined. Once there, you can go on and win it all at the final table.

Rule 1 - Do not bet 100% of your chances to win 1% of the total chips in the tournament.

This simply means you do not go all-in on the first 3 levels of the tournament. There really isnt any point to it. The only hand I would consider going all-in would AA and that would only happen pre-flop. Post flop will give you valuable information to make the right decision.

Case in point, you have JJ and bring it in for a raise 5X BB (at earlier levels 3X means nothing) Another guy raises it all in and its folded to you. What do you do?

Many players will go ahead and call with such a great starting hand but if we look at it its a terrible call:

You are either dominated by AA, KK, QQ drawing to 2 outs

You are a slight favorite over AK, AQ (52%-48%)

Or you can have someone dominated with a lower pair. But then again ask yourself if someone would commit hit entire stack with a hand like 9-9.

So most of the time you are at a coin flip. Do you take it? NO. You take your losses and fold. There is absolutely no point in wagering 100% of your chances in the tournament to win 1% more of the total chips in the tournament. If you go all-in in the later levels where you can stand to win 10-20% of the total chips then that's the time you take coin flips.

Rule 2 - Go fishing.

I have never gone fishing but seeing old men sit around all day seems like its a boring thing to do. They cast their line, wait awhile and reel it back in if they catch nothing. That's exactly what you do in the first 4 levels. When in good position you can consider calling with the following hands - any pocket pair, small suited connectors. You still raise premium hands of course.

The goal here is to see the flop as cheaply as possible and flop a monster. If you hold 3-3 and the flop comes A-Q-3 then you are in a position to seriously damage your opponents. There is no better feeling then calling bets when you have the nuts.

I almost never raise even with AJ or AQo. The chances that I am dominated or that someone else flops trips or 2 pair is very high. Starting level 3-4 yes you can raise with these hands to limit the field. But very early on your goal is to hit the nuts rather then take a stand with one pair good kicker.

Finally, dont think your ultra tight rock style wont give you benefits later on. Being quiet and tight the whole first 2 hours only shows the players on the table that you are patiently waiting for good hands. When the antes kick in and the blinds are high enough to be worth stealing, that tight image works wonders. You finally wake up and raise 3X BB... you have been quiet for the last hour.... what will your opponents think? I have seen people muck cards as good as KQ when raised by a tight player. To see this style played, check out Dan Harrington.

Rule 3 - Blind Steal and Fold Equity

I hope the first 2 rules shows a semblance of continuity because it leads into the middle rounds where the antes kick in and the blinds are pretty high. There is a great article out on the net with regards to fold equity and I suggest you look for it. But basically the general premise is this: The higher the blinds, the higher fold equity becomes.

Fold equity is greatly used with position. You are in the cutoff seat and look down at 7-8s. You are in the perfect position to steal. Raising at this point gives the blinds a lot to think about. They must wager 2 more times what they already have put in the pot with what may be against AA. All hand ranks go way down at this level and you will see people only play AJ and up. Even if you are called chances are your cards are "live" meaning you do not share any cards and outkicked by the players other card.

Blind steals are also very powerful when you are on the bubble. If think like a winner then you do not focus only on making it ITM but to win the whole thing. At this point no one wants to bust outside the bubble and play will tighten up to the point players will muck AQo instantly. Powerful raises can net you a lot of chips at this point.

The goal here is to steal 1.33 times per round or 4 times per 3 rounds. At this rate you are not being blinded out and you are actually slowly building your stack. After 1 level players have been eliminated and you are STILL on the average stack without seeing a flop.

Of course each rule has its exceptions and situational caveats. But overall, I believe following these 3 key rules and remembering them when in a tournament will greatly increase your chances of making it ITM.

Hope that was helpful.