Posts Tagged ‘poker tournaments’
Before I started learning about casino poker, whenever I heard the words "Poker Tournament," I immediately thought of the World Series of Poker. The WSOP final event has a $10,000 entry fee. I was under the impression that all poker tournaments were played only for high stakes by professional players. I was wrong about that. There are tournaments held all over the country that are designed to attract players by offering a variety of entry fees. Whether it is low limit or high stakes you're looking for, you can probably find a tournament near you.
Foxwoods holds different tournaments six days a week. The Saturday morning event is a Limit Hold'em tournament. The cost of the tournament is $20. This consists of a $15 buy-in and a $5 entry fee. Players receive $1,000 in tournament chips. There is also one optional re-buy if you go broke, or you can just add it onto your existing chips. The $10 re-buy will get you another $1,000 in tournament chips. The re-buy must be made during the first two rounds of play. Most players looking to make it to the finals take advantage of this option. The prize pool contains 100 percent of all money from the buy-ins and re-buys. As an added bonus Foxwoods credits your player's club account with $10 in comp, which can be used for merchandise, shows, or food.
Tournament structures can vary in the amount of the buy-ins, number of levels played, and the amount of time to play each level. All tournaments have one thing in common. You are trying to win all either of them off, so I called. The turn was a Jack. I bet and Player 3 called and Player 5 raised. I figured he had three Jacks and I re-raised him. Both called me. The River was a 6. I bet and both called me. I turned my three Kings. Player 3 had A-K in the hole for a pair of Kings with an Ace kicker. Player 5 turned over his pair of Jacks, my guess was correct. At this point I felt a rush. I scooped a big pot and it felt great. By the time the break came I had one other small win. I had only participated in about nine hands including the times I was in the blinds.
Good tight play had gotten me to the first break. By this time I had settled down and was comfortable with the procedures and protocol of the game. Any nervousness or apprehension had long given way to the pure excitement of the competition. I had $1,900 in chips to start level five. I also noticed that there were only six tables left out of the 11 that started the tournament. I had made it past many of the other players. Unfortunately, I didn't make it much farther that day. As the blinds increased, the quality of my hands decreased. After I was knocked out I made the following observations:
The tournament was a great learning experience. You don't have to be an expert to compete. Most players are friendly.
I have the confidence to be a competitive player. It was a lot of fun!
The "tournament bug" had bitten me and I planned to enter more of these in the months ahead. I set a personal goal to make it to the final table before year's end. My next step was to play in my first live game.
Tags: casino poker, pair of kings, poker, poker tournaments, world series of poker