A tournament of poker is quite different from the cash game which can be played indefinitely. In tournament players buy a ticket to the event and start play at the same time with a fixed number of chips. The person who loses all the chips is eliminated from the game. Here the aim is always to protect the chips and grow obtain more. Players should have a different approach to different stages of the game.
The stages in a tournament poker can be broken down into early, middle and late.
In the early stage you will have the most number of chips in relation to the blind. Everybody gets to play at this stage and has the experience in this stage. You must play tight here; how tight depends on the tournament structure. If the blinds are low you can sit tight but when they begin to rise then you have to go out and gamble!
In the middle stage the goal is to stay alive and healthy. Losing with enough chips in hand for a next chance is better than not having any and being eliminated altogether from the tournament. Here you cannot sit tight; you must steal blinds and protect your chips so that you don't get too short.
In the late stage there will be some players who will have few chips and a few players with lot of chips. At this stage it is all about money, not only chips. There is no choice but to play aggressive without making any mistakes. Here you should be ready for coin flips and have faith in your luck to pull you through.
Remember the key is to change your strategy according to stage you have reached in the game. Remember you are playing in a fixed time frame and the blinds are constantly increasing and hence you must play more hands than in a ring game.
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