Basic Preflop Tournament Strategy

[Bawse]

Developing a strong game preflop can be vital to being a winning tourney player. Patience is key, and avoid coinflips. Sometimes I like to be the aggressor with small pairs, but I'm not a fan of calling all-in preflop. I rather shove all-in, and have a chance of the players folding. I also think you should wait for premium hands, and practice raising the same amount preflop, so your opponents don't pickup on your betting patterns. Adapt to the players around you, and don't overplay your strong hands. New players tend to get excited when they get a hand like AA, it's important to extract value from your opponents. Keep practicing, and working on your skills. Most importantly TRUST THE PROCESS.

Thoughts? Any other tips to play solid preflop in tournaments/online poker?

 

[Kross]

A very strong preflop game is a prerequisite for poker tournaments. When you raise the game with various hand strengths, you have the leverage to define your spots by your own conditions. Table dynamics adjustment after you have had a feel of your opponent is one strategy that always pays off.

 

[Naza]

I agree, preflop is huge in tourneys. Patience pays off, and avoiding coinflips saves chips and headaches. I like shoving with small pairs instead of calling all-in, it gives you a chance to take the pot uncontested and stay in control.
Keeping your raises consistent and reading the players around you is key because people pick up patterns fast. Mixing in a few light 3-bets can be useful, but only when it makes sense.

 

[Kins G]

A habit that I personally use is to try and keep my play tight early on in the game, and I would loosen up later. I always play my very best hands in the very early points of the game. As the blinds get big, I add aggression to my game by raising first.