As we get closer to the 2008 World Series of Poker, there will be more and more satellite tournaments that award seats to the sport's most famous event. While many tournaments give away a number of seats, the winner take all tournaments have only one seat available to the person who manages to win all the chips. This may seem harsh, especially when some tournaments may give away one seat for every 20 players, but the winner take all tournaments have a lower buy in than tournaments that have more seats to give away, and require a different strategy.
Cautious, conservative play is often the right thing to do under normal circumstances, but a winner take all tourney is not a normal circumstance. This is the type of tournament where one must divorce themselves from their own personal comfort zone.
Betting and raising is the order of the day for this type of event. This doesn't mean to play stupid, but timid play will not be rewarded either. For those who are taking their first steps into the tournament world, a winner take all tournament is a good place to start for two reasons. First of all, newer players will not be so set in their ways that they cannot adapt to this more aggressive setting. Also, they may be able to take advantage of more tournament experienced players who are used to playing in tournaments where the top 10 or 20 players are rewarded for their efforts. These players will be naturally more conservative.
Use your stack to your advantage, and don't be shy about going all in on lower quality hands. The faster you double and triple your stack size, the better a position you will be in. Even if you lose, it is better to go down swinging than being blinded to death while looking for a hill to fight on.
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