There are hundreds of nuances to poker in any form but live tournament poker is in itself a different animal. One only need look at the slow learning curve that took place before online pros could start to dominate the live tournament results. It’s only recently that the same faces that win on the computer win on the real felt and that speaks to the complexity and nuances of the live game. Here’s the five most important tips that you can use as shortcuts to become a winning live poker tournament player.

Play a Sit ‘n Go

Your first live tournament doesn’t have to be your first live poker experience, in fact, it shouldn’t be. Even if you just became of age to play in a casino don’t walk in the door and sit down in a big buy-in multi-table tournament. If you can’t play a low buy-in MTT, play a sit ‘n go or a single table satellite before you do anything else. Best case scenario you win your seat in the tournament for next to nothing. Even if you don’t, and you probably won’t, you’ll observe the tighter hand ranges and less than optimal play of live players.

You don’t need to play optimally live, or as close to optimally as you can, if your opponents are not. For example, you may know when it’s proper to push in an online tournament, because of fold equity in stack size, but in some live tournament fields they are far less likely to call even if they math says they have to. Hence you have some extra hands to wait for, when short stacked. Just playing and/or observing one live sit ‘n go should make some other differences between live tournament poker and online poker pretty obvious. To beat players you need to understand their rationales for making decisions and live players have completely different rationales than online players. Thus, to be successful when playing live tournament poker you’ll need to be able to play your online game when you run into online players and play a different strategy against live pros.

Play a Cash Game Session

It will be hard to do, but don’t focus on crushing the table and winning all the money, at least not in your very first session. A sit ‘n go will expose some of the flaws of live players but won’t give you the sense of pacing of a multi-table tournament. A cash game is a good substitute for that aspect. Playing a cash game may seem like curious advice in a piece on poker tournament tips, but as an online player you’ll experience one thing;  boredom. It can make you play too many hands or lose focus. Learn to accept the pace of play and use your free time to digest the wealth of information that isn’t available to you online. A hitch when a guy bets could mean something. A guy verbalizing when he normally let’s his chips do the talking could mean something. Spend your free time looking for patterns besides bet-sizing and c-bets and figure out when an action means something and when it doesn’t.

Learn to Play With Your Chips

You can do this while sitting in front of your computer or in one of your practice sessions. You are not looking to master any chip tricks, but you do need to get comfortable handling chips. Understand chips are a tool and a source of information. If you want to raise many places say you have to announce it if you just throw in one chip. A good rule of thumb is to announce your action every time you put money in the pot i.e. “call”, “raise to 250″,” reraise to 800 etc.”   However, once you don’t have to think about this concept, you’ll probably only want to talk when you have to because your talking could be giving away information. In live poker tournaments you want to emit zero information and collect as much of it as you can.

Live pros focus on things like being clumsy with chips when on a bluff. If you are trying an all in steal you probably want to have some practice shoving your chips into the middle before you do it for the first time on the money bubble in live poker tournaments.

Learn to Estimate Chip Stacks

You’ll also want to learn fairly quickly how to estimate chip stacks. Online players are always in tune to effective stacks going into a hand and ask constantly what their opponents are sitting on. A live player doesn’t have to answer you except when he’s all in and even then it’s the dealers responsibility to count. Save yourself some time, and spare yourself the ill will you’ll generate by constantly asking for stack counts, by learning to recognize stacks of 10, 20, 25 and 30. Though if the stack is dirty, or partially hidden, never fear asking the dealer to make sure your opponent has all his big chips visible.

Hide Your Tells

This is one of the most obvious poker tournament tips there is but surprisingly hiding tells is something many online players forget or can’t be bothered to do when transitioning to live poker. They are so used to playing online that they can sit at a table and be an open book to experienced players. Restraining your emotions is unnecessary behind a computer screen but in live poker it’s vital. Don’t give short shrift to players that are “readers.”

I don’t know how many times I’ve seen an online player tip off his hand and then when get called accuse the live player of being a donkey for making the call. For this reason don’t try to Hollywood and give off false tells. Live players are usually too good at recognizing what you are doing for it to be profitable. In fact, they will probably exploit you for it. Another good rule of thumb when playing guys that are in tune to your actions is to talk very little.

Written By: Bill Phillips

Daniel Negreanu had dominated the headlines in South America after becoming the first person to final table events in three separate PokerStars sponsored tours. However, ‘Kid Poker’ was unable to add another triumph to his live tournament resume after being sent to the rail in 6th place on Day 4.

Negreanu struggled to make an impact during the opening exchanges before deciding to call off the remainder of his short stack with top pair against the dangerous Carlos Ibarra. Ibarra promptly flipped over pocket rockets to crush the Canadian, who locked up an impressive R$48,730 share for his deep run.

Nestola began his charge by eliminating Argentina’s Juan Gonzalez with rivered quads and Ecuador’s Jonathan Markovits with a top pair of aces. The overwhelming chip leader eventually cruised to three-handed play where Ibarra and Gasperino Nicolas awaited.

Nicolas staked his claim for LAPT glory by pegging Nestola back with several inventive plays but his fine work was undone when the latter found another pair of pocket aces. Nestola extended his advantage further when he finally stopped Ibarra in his tracks with a flopped top pair of kings.

The heads-up duo then agreed to chop the remaining prize pool and set aside an additional R$39,300 for the champion. Nestola did not need long to secure that top prize and trophy after Nicolas shoved all-in with an open-ended straight draw. Nestola made the call with a pair of nines and the blanked river sent him the spoils.

‘Kid Poker’ bagged 702,000 chips in Sao Paolo to crash the top five. Daniele Nestola leads the way with a 1.89 million stack.

Negreanu’s surprise decision to compete in South America is paying dividends, after he became the first player to procure final table finishes in all three of the PokerStars sponsored tours. The American previously ran deep in APPT Sydney and EPT Veina in 2010.

The multiple World Series of Poker bracelet winner never looked in danger on Day 3, though he rarely troubled the chip leaders. Negreanu will be aiming to produce his best form on Tuesday when he could end a barren run without a live tournament title and take down the R$324,600 first prize.

Twenty-four players remained in the running for that six-figure jackpot at the start of the day. Short stack Humberto Brenes had targeted a fast start but he failed to find any momentum and departed in 22nd place when his K-J was crushed by Martin Santos’ rivered pair of threes.

Caio Pimenta and Mayu Roca were among the other notable pros who failed to secure a final table seat. Joshua Ewing was the unfortunate player who fell at the final hurdle. Ewing collected an R$22,390 cheque after Gasperino Nicolas ended his deep run in ninth place with a pocket pair of kings.

Daniele Nestola will lead the charge towards the title after dominating the exchanges late on. However, Nicolas, Carlos Ibarra and Jonathan Markovits will all be confident of fending off the challenge of Nestola and the dangerous Negreanu when the final table plays down to the wire on Day 4.

‘Kid Poker’ enjoyed another solid day on the felt on Sunday to consolidate his position inside the top ten, with just twenty-four players remaining.

Negreanu started the session among the chip leaders and promptly added another six-figures to his stack after taking down several huge pots. The multiple World Series of Poker bracelet winner lost some of that momentum late in the day but will return in great shape as the run towards the final eight continues.

Local favourite Caio Vesar Pimenta stole the show. Pimenta is hoping to fulfil the potential that has seen him earn over $3 million online. The Brazilian bagged 607,000 chips to edge ahead of nearest rivals Vincenzo Gianelli, Carlos Ibarra, Josh Ewing and Vitor Torres.

Negreanu is not the only leading name in the hunt for the $324,600 first prize. However, veteran pro Humberto Brenes will have to move through the gears on Day 4, as he currently finds himself at the back of the pack with a mere 51,000 chips.

Former World Series of Poker Europe Main Event champion Elio Fox, Jose ‘Nacho’ Barbero, Leo Fernandez and Bill Gazes headlined the big name casualties. Fox and Fernandez managed to ride the money bubble and take home a minium cash but the talented Gazes and Barbero both left empty handed.

The top ten and their respective chip counts:

There are a wide variety of venues to play poker, but there is nothing quite like a home game. If you are considering inviting the guys, or the girls, over to the house and looking for home game tips you are in the right place. How to set up a poker home game depends on what you are looking for in your home game.

Preparations

You should first determine what level you want to play at. Ask yourself if the competition is going to be cut-throat, laid back or somewhere in between. After you decide on the atmosphere you want to create it’s time to look at the guest list. You know your friends, so the tone of the evening you’d like to set will determine who gets an invite and who doesn’t. If it’s about cheap beers and buds you might want to skip giving Phil Ivey a call. If it’s a serious high stakes poker game you probably don’t want to invite the guy you are friendly with that shines your shoes.

Home games can be a great place to exchange ideas about strategy, to fleece your friends, or just to have a good time. Plan accordingly. For example, if you want to treat a home game as a lab to learn about poker dial back the stakes a little bit, experiment and then review the hands. You can use a video camera if you really want to make the session a true film study. If you want to just have a good time, provide libations, snacks and plan on supplying whatever it is that will make your friends happy.

Most people forget a couple important elements when they think about how to set up a poker game. It’s not just as simple as chips and cards, don’t forget other important items like a timer, cut cards, and a button. Also, security of money and chips in play should always be given consideration. Don’t just leave your chip set sitting open next to the ranch dip.

Tournaments

Most home games these days are simply a few sit ‘n go tournaments. After the poker boom, the casual player wants to win a tournament. Tournaments can be great fun for a wide variety of skill levels. In addition if you raise the blinds quickly it’s less likely a ringer will keep winning all the money. Problems arise if the structures aren’t given consideration. If you plan on doing say three sit ‘n gos you should consider a quick blind schedule for the first two. Otherwise you will have players sitting around just watching the action.

If you want one tournament with longer play, make it the last one of the night, and let your friends know in advance. There are websites that will give you structures which are designed to end in a certain amount of time so you know when the night will be ending. Often times, hosts will have an extra deck or an extra table to allow the eliminated players to play a cash game while waiting for the next Sit’n Go to start.

Cash Games

If you plan on just playing cash games you should advise players on the stakes in advance and suggest an appropriate and reasonable amount to bring. If you are playing with friends, keep in mind their different financial statuses, and set the stakes accordingly. Usually, that means setting the bar on what the poorest player can afford.

Since new players are mostly interested in playing tournaments but you want to play cash you should consider offering a quick sit ‘n go followed by cash games. Since there is unlikely to be consensus on anything make sure people know what you are going to do ahead of time. It’s also important to have some flexibility and that can be done in cash games by allowing dealer’s choice or letting each player select the game and/or rules for a given orbit of play.

If you have strangers or untrustworthy friends, you should guard the chips and the bank. It may be easier to use big bills when the stakes get elevated and it’s a pretty good safeguard too. Anybody can palm an extra black chip and put it on the table, but it’s a lot harder to take someone else’s hundred dollar bill and introduce it to the action.

The most important part of all the home game tips, and to creating a regular game, is making sure everybody has fun. Keep in mind stakes that all can afford, supply food and beverages, and create the right atmosphere. If anybody is too disruptive, simply forget to invite them the next time.

Written by: Bill Phillips

The Finn hit a brick wall after only 225 hands at the $100/$200 stakes. Sahamies donated a total of $240,000 to nosebleed regulars ‘Bernard-bb’, ‘mickan1984′, ‘St1ckman’, ’1-ronnyr3′ and Rafael ‘rafaelamit’ Amit before attempting to arrest his downswing at the $50/$100 PLO Heads-Up tables.

However, his duels with Viktor ‘isildur1′ Blom and ‘Ben ‘milkybarkid’ Grundy only compounded his woes and he eventually logged off after a 1,574 hand marathon with a sizable six-figure deficit. Sahamies was the biggest winner online last year after earning $2 million but he has struggled during 2012 and is currently in a $500,000 hole.

Sahamies was not the only notable pro to struggle on the virtual felt. Former European Poker Tour champion Jens ‘Jeans89′ Kyllonen bled $94,000 in various high stakes games while Sander ‘Berndsen12′ Berndsen lost $57,000.

Blom is renowned for his huge swings but the Swedish sensation had a relatively quiet evening, though he did suffer a late dip to end $30,000 in the red. However, the recent PokerStars Caribbean Adventure High Roller champion remains in the black for the calendar year.

‘Bernard-bb’ was the biggest winner online after bagging an impressive $162,000. The majority of those earnings came from Sahamies. European Poker Tour London champion Benny ‘toweliestar’ Spindler, who has taken down over $3 million in live tournament play, added $143,000 to his bankroll. Rafi ‘rafaelamit’ Amit (+$82,000) and Gavin ‘gavz101′ Cochrane (+$105,000) also prospered.

The duo dominated the action for the majority of the week at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino, so it was no surprise to see them advance to a winner-takes-all knockout late in the evening. Gagne had started the day with a near one million-chip lead but the tide soon began to change, as the Juttlestad juggernaut eliminated several of the final table participants.

Keith Ferrera was the first depart following an ill-timed shove with an increasingly short stack. Todd Jacobson and Sharon Levin soon joined Ferrera on the rail. One time chip leader Uri Kadosh had been hoping to cause an upset but his deep run ended in third place as Gagne and Juttlestad prepared for a final face-off.

Gagne had produced a staggering performance to crash the top two. The inexperienced pro had not posted a single live tournament cash before stealing the show in Florida this week. However, she would have to overcome a 4:1 chip deficit to pip Juttlestad to the six-figure jackpot and prestigious title.

Gagne battled valiantly for over half an hour before the final hand eventually played out. Juttlestad insta-called a turned shove from his opponent before flipping over a six-high straight. Gagne was drawing dead with a wheel and the blanked river sent the spoils to prospective student, Juttlestad.

The final six and their respective payouts:

Gagne has not recorded a live tournament cash during her career but she could be set to take down a six-figure jackpot after racing into a substantial chip lead ahead of the final table.

Matt Juttlestad started the session at the top of the leader board and the local favourite managed to hold onto the majority of his stack despite several setbacks. Juttlestad will be gunning for Gagne, as the leading six prepare to play down to the wire for the $268,444 first prize on Day 4.

It proved to be a day to forget for the more illustrious names on show. Noah Schwartz, Christian Harder, Harrison Gimbel and Jonathan Little were among the 34 runners who returned to the Seminole Hard Rock Casino but neither of those mentioned were able to ride the final table bubble.

One player who has been troubling the chip leaders all week is Uri Kadosh. Kadosh made his mark on Day 1a after heading a star-studded field and he managed to run good once again in midweek to accrue a seven-figure stack and sit behind title favourites, Gagne and Juttlestad.

Renowned online grinder and former Wynn Classic champion Keith ‘damurdera3′ Ferrera is perhaps the most recognised player who managed to advance to the defining session. However, Ferrera will have work to do if he is to harbour hopes of a second major tournament title.

Short stack Todd Jacobson and Sharon Levin round out the final six who are all guaranteed to take home a share of at least $43,185 when the action resumes at 1.30pm (EST) on Wednesday.

Razz poker can easily be one of the most frustrating forms of poker you will encounter. However, if you want to be a well rounded player or delve into mixed game, Razz is a variant you must learn. In this article we will give you some basic Razz poker rules as well as a few beginner tips to get you started in the game.

Objective of Razz

Razz is a lowball variant of Seven Card Stud where the lowest five card hand takes the pot. Unlike Stud 8 or Better, Razz poker does not have a qualifier for the hand. In addition, straights and flush do not count, only the hand ranking. As such, a wheel (A-2-3-4-5) is the best holding. Also, aces only play low in Razz. A pair of aces is actually lower than a pair of deuces in razz.

Betting Structure

In most games of Razz, betting structure is in a fixed limit format. Bets on third andfourth streetare in a so called “small bet” amount. Bets on fifth through seventh streets are a big bet amount. In a $3-$6 Razz game, the small bet would be $3 and the big bet $6.

Gameplay

Prior to cards being dealt, each player puts up an ante which is usually 25% of the small bet amount. In a $2-$4 Razz game, the ante would be .50. Once antes are posted, each player receives three cards. This part of the game is called “third street”.  Two cards are dealt face down, and the last card is dealt face up, this card is referred to as the door card.

Third Street

Once the deal is completed, the player with the highest door card must then make a forced bet known as a bring-in. The bring-in amount is double the ante, or .50 in our previous example. The bring-in player also has the option of making a completion to the small bet amount. This is not considered a raise. If the bring-in player does not complete the bet, any person at the table may complete the bet when action is on them. Once a bet is completed, raising may then occur in the small bet amount. After a completion, a maximum of three raises is allowed in fixed betting.

Fourth Street

Once third street action is completed, a second card is dealt face up to each remaining player. This isfourth streetand the player with the lowest hand has the option to open the betting. For the remainder of the hand, the players with the lowest hand will open the betting. One difference in Razz poker rules compared to those of Stud High is that a player doesn’t have the option of double bet if there is a pair showing on fourth street.

Later Streets

When action is completed on fourth street, a third card is dealt face up to remaining players and is known as fifth street. Betting is now in the big bet amount for the remainder of the hand.

After fifth street action, the final card, known assixth street, is dealt face up. The player that opens the betting on sixth street will also open action on the river.

When sixth street action is completed, a final card is dealt face down to the remaining players. Although this is originally known as seventh street, the term “river” has been adopted due to Texas Hold’em familiarity. This final round of betting ensues and the players then go to showdown where the player with the lowest five card hand takes the pot. In the event that two players have the same hand, they will split the pot.

Basic Strategy

Those just starting out playing Razz poker need to keep three things in mind; hand selection, counting outs, and board play.

Hand Selection

In Razz, you are primarily looking for three cards eight and below that do not pair and the lower your hand, the better. The best hand is clearly A-2-3 but in most scenarios any three cards eight or below are great starters. With a three card eight (three card eight or lower), be very careful if your opponent looks to be drawing to a lower hand. So if you are on fifth street with 9-8-3-2-A and are looking at an opponent showing 7-6-2, you are likely far behind. Even if they do not have a made seven low, they probably have a draw to it and your best draw right now is an eight low. It is time to fold.

Counting Outs

Next, you need to be aware of your outs and cards that have already been folded. As a rule you do not have to worry too much about cards over nine as they aren’t going to usually factor in the game. Keeping track of folded cards will help you know what cards are available to make your hand and your opponent’s hand. This can be important in certain close hands.

Board Play

Finally, board play in Razz Poker a big key to being successful. When your opponent catches bad and you catch good, you need to consider playing to your board’s strength regardless of your hole cards. By catching bad, we mean that a player has caught either a high card or one that likely puts them behind your hand. If you are showing 7-2 up top and your opponent is showing 8-K, it is going to be very tough for them to continue in a hand when you may have four cards to a seven. By this we mean that assuming your hole cards are low, you now have four cards to a seven low. Strong board play will win you many pots in this game.

The above Razz poker rules will get your started on the road to becoming a successful player. You will not find this game spread in many live casinos unless it is in a mixed game, so you will likely have to hone your skills in online Razz poker games. If you can become proficient in Razz, you will find plenty of spots to take advantage of players as many do not spend much time in honing their skills in this game. Good luck to you at the tables.

Matt Juttlestad started the session at the top of the leader board and a near faultless display helped him extend that advantage. Juttlestad quadrupled his starting stack to fend off the challenge of Gigi Gagne, Uri Kadosh, Angelo Miele, Raj Vohra, Omar Sider and former PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event champion, Harrison Gimbel.

Gianetti headed an illustrious roll call of departees after frittering away his entire stack in less than an hour. Gianetti made a final stand with a flopped flush draw but could not find the cards on the turn or river to crush Lazaro Hernandez’s superior top set.

Mericer followed Gianetti to the rail during the afternoon after a lively duel with Angelo Miele. Miele warned Mericer about the dangers of re-raising after a post-flop bidding war but the former EPT champion opted to move the rest of his stack into the middle with a set of tens. Miele insta-called with a turned flush and the blanked river sent Mercier to the exit door.

Mercier and Gianetti were not the only high profile casualties. Matt Stout, Kathy Liebert, Allan Kessler, Ashton Griffin, Allie Prescott, Matt Brady and Mohsin Charania all failed to survive as the money bubble edged ever closer. Thirty-four players currently remain with the top 27 set to lock up a minimum pay cheque of $8,629 when the action continues on Tuesday.