Hold Em Authority - Texas Hold Em Strategy and advice for all levels of players

Turbo tournaments are tournaments in which the blinds go up at a faster clip than a regular poker tournament. Typically on Poker Stars or Ultimate Bet, the blinds go up every 5 minutes. At the end of the first hour, you’re looking at blind levels that are what they would be at the end of the second hour or middle of the third hour.I suck at these tournaments because I’m not aggressive enough. If you’re looking to succeed in turbo texas hold em tournaments, aggression is your number one weapon. You can’t be as selective with your hands because you really don’t have time. If you haven’t read the article on Time for Poker, I suggest you do, because the way you play when you are pressed for time is not unlike the way you should play a turbo tournament.

Another winning tactic that is related to aggression is pressure. Playing pressure poker - putting pressure on your opponents - is a valuable weapon, because usually after the first 45 minutes of play, every time you make a move like that, you are making your opponent risk all his/her chips.

You must be willing to play hands at a full table that you would normally fold. I feel that a good rule of thumb is: play a full table in a turbo tournament as you would a shorthanded table in a regular tournament after the first half hour of play (when the blinds begin to matter).

Turbo holdem tournaments are becoming more and more popular throughout the online poker community because players don’t have enough patience to sit through a regular tournament. These players want something quick and profitable at the same time, and this is where turbo poker tournaments come in. Also, in my opinion, brick and mortar casinos, especially smaller ones, run their tournaments in a turbo fashion, although it may not appear that way. The live tournament I typically play in has a 20 minute blind level structure, with blinds doubling almost every time. I think you see at least 3 times as many hands at an online poker room than a b & m poker room in the same amount of time, so you do the math on that one.

Bottom line is, learning a winning strategy in turbo tournaments is an idea that will not only help you online, but at a real casino as well. Aggression is key, pressure is vital, and playing more hands is crucial in taking control of these tournaments.