So you have learned what it means to be in the cut off, to complete your blind, to suck out and how to calculate EV - and you are ready to try out some serious poker tournaments. Not so fast! There are a number of different kinds of poker tournaments to consider, from playing online poker tournament software, live poker tournaments, home poker tournaments and even big time Las Vegas Texas holdem tournaments, just to name a few. Let’s take a look at the differences you will find in the different types to help you decide where to go from here.
When selecting poker tournaments to play the first thing you want to figure out is “do I want to play online using poker tournament software, or do I want to give live poker tournaments a try?” Of course there are static poker tournament software games, where you play against the computer, but for argument sake we will assume you are looking into playing against other players - real people, just like in live poker tournaments, but online via the specialized poker tournament software.
Even if you want to get good at playing in live poker tournaments you might want to start online. When you play online you don’t have to worry about your physical tells, being anxious if you mess up or take too long, or anything else that comes with trying something new in a group of people who know what they are doing. They know what they are doing online, too, but you are not sitting in a room with them!
Once you are comfortable with playing poker tournaments online, you can graduate to playing poker tournaments live - but how and where? You may live in an area that has a poker league, or pub poker - simply give them a ring and find out when and where they start, show up and start asking questions if you don’t know what to do. Most folks are helpful and will get you started. Of course if they don’t have those kinds of organizations in your home town, you can always start with home poker tournaments. Unlike Las Vegas Texas holdem tournaments, those played in your home have some nice advanatages - you are with friends, you control when they happen, and if you bust out you don’t have far to go to be at home!
Home poker tournaments can be a lot of fun, just make sure you and your guests are clear on the rules of the game, what is expected in terms of buy ins or snack contributions, and the like. Once you take care of all of that home poker tournaments can be quite fun. Now, as far as those intimidating Las Vegas Texas holdem tournaments, you want to make sure you are ready before you commit. These events could be in Sin City or anywhere else in the world, but the style of Las Vegas Texas holdem tournaments means large groups of players, a sizeable expense to play, and a lot of pressure and possible glamour. Be sure you can afford the expenses and have gotten in a lot of practice in the other tourney types before you commit to playing in Las Vegas.
