All champion poker players have to start somewhere and learning to win limit hold 'em tournaments can be tough for a lot of great players. In this chapter we will discuss how aggressive play is right in limit hold 'em tournaments, how tight play is right in limit hold 'em tournaments, how stealing blinds helps you survive late in tournaments, survive and thrive, how to trap and how playing satellites can improve your game.

Winning every pot seems an obvious tactic to use when playing poker but there are ways of doing this and ways not to do it. Some top players who are aggressive players by nature will always either throw their hand away pre flop or three bet it. They would never just call a raise by someone. This is beneficial because it eliminates more opponents pre flop and when you start with fewer opponents, you will win more pots and the percentage of pots that you will win is much higher than some other players at the table. Also, some like to play their hands hard on the flop too and try and win a lot of pots at this point by say, representing the ace that has been flopped when you put your opponent on a king high. Furthermore, some also like trying to bluff players out of the pot who they feel can be bluffed, at the right times.

Tight play is also an important factor in success at tournaments. These players seem to be around en masse fairly late in limit hold 'em events. They seem to play as tight as the "top ten only" strategy which is pointed out in the beginner section. Did you note that it said these players were "around" at the end and not winning the tournaments. Super tight play helps you last in tournaments but you need to be able to change speed at right times if your going to win some of them. If you play super tight you will need to change your tactic at some point in order to win.
Therefore, it could be recommended that you play the "top ten only" strategy for the first few hours while the weaker players are weeded out. After playing this strategy for a few hours, it is time to switch tactic a bit.

At some point after the first few hours, it is time to steal some blinds from the super tight players who are still alive in the tournament. Also, stay aware of the player or players who keep stealing the blinds because at some point you will have to take a stand against these players. After a few hours of play, you will know who the really loose players are at your table and you will also be able to identify players who are very tight.
Surviving at this point in the tournament is the name of the game but make sure you are stealing blinds from the super tight players.
When you start to reach the money cut-off stage, make sure you have your priorities straight. As the other players begin to play even tighter, you need to understand that making the money isn't your objective at this point.You should be there to finish in the top three and make big money. At the time where you are very near the money positions (28 left with 27 getting paid for example) this is the perfect moment to start stealing every blind you can steal. Grab all the "free money" if you can, if no-one is willing to put up a fight.

Once you're in the money, things and people change. When you are in the money, you should still be waiting for some really high-quality hands before you get too involved in any pot. If you can get away with stealing the blinds, do it; but with the limits being high at this point in the tournament, every hand will cause a major swing in your chip count. So its better to sit back and survive. And when you do pick up a top ten hand, you should take a shot at the pot with some power.

Trapping has its place in tournament poker. It is very difficult, maybe impossible, to tell you where that place is. One good time trap is when you are in late position and no one else has entered the pot. This is a good place just to call one bet to see if anybody enters the pot behind you. In this scenario, if you make it two bets to go, you will probably just end up winning the blinds. Just remember that you are asking for action when you have a big hand and we all know we should be careful of what we ask for, because you might get it!
Another time when you could just smooth-call is when you are in the blinds and someone has raised before you and its just you and one other player in the pot. Smooth-calling could let your opponent think you are weak so they will give you a lot of action the rest of the hand. Please remember that smooth-calling in limit hold 'em can work out very badly or perfectly, depending on which way the cards fall. When you smooth-call with a big hand, you really are gambling.

If you want to win poker tournaments and not merely be satisfied with appearances at the final table, it is strongly advised that you play in satellites so that you become used to "end game" poker play, that is, when the table is short handed with big stacks and big blinds. Satellites are ten handed mini-tournaments where players put up one-tenth of the buy-in to a poker tournament and the last player standing wins a seat at the main event.
Playing in multi-table satellites also improves your short handed limit hold 'em non tournament game.
When you come to a limit hold 'em event, be prepared to play the "top ten hand only" for the first few hours. Then at this point in the tournament, say 5 hours in, you should be trying to survive. You don't want to play a huge pot with a weak hand. If the players at your table are too loose, then play tight and try to survive. If the players at the table are too tight, make sure you steal some blinds.
When you play in a tournament, make sure that you learn something and have a good time.

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