How do you win or reach top tables in online poker tournements no limit hold'em??

Question

online poker is hard enough let alone hold'em tournements were idiots go all in alot, it's very hard to reach top tables as many idiots always go all in even with bad cards, they either lose or make u lose, how can you pass early tournement stages??

Answer 1

First, you should never be willing to put all your money in early on in the tournament (even w/ AA.)  The risk/reward ratio is not high enough.  Early in the tournament you will run into the idiots who are willing to go all-in with any 2 cards hoping to double/triple up and coast to the end.

Going all-in preflop early in a tournament (even w/ AA) is an amateur move.  The blinds are too low to justify risking your whole stack.  For example you start the tournament w/ $1500 and the first level of blinds is $5/$10.  So preflop there is only $15 in the pot before any action takes place.  Now say you have AA and decide to go all-in.  You are risking $1500 to win a $15 pot.    If you win when everyone folds you are only up $15.  Now suppose an idiot decides to call you w/ 92o and hits 2 pair on the flop.  You are now out of the tourney. Was it worth it?

What you should have done is raise 3-6xBB ($15-$60) preflop and see the flop cheaply.  If you bet on the flop and get an all-in raise from the idiot, you have a decision to make.  On most flops AA is the monster hand and you can confidently call the all-in.  But if you bet and get raised all-in, you have to think "I'm up against 2 pair or a set."  You have to be able to let the AA go.  In this scenario you have only lost $15-$60 + the bet you made on the flop.  You are still in the tourney.  You will have your chance to get your chips back from the idiot later on.

When you reach the later stages of the tourney, most of the idiots will have been taken out.  If a few remain, this is the situation you want because their luck is due to run out eventually.  If you are playing skilled poker you will whittle away at their stacks.  The ideal situation is to be heads up against the idiot at the end.  Even if they have a commanding chip lead on you, your skilled play will dominate them and give you the tournament victory.

Again, my advice is not to get into all-in situations early on in the tournament.  Let the idiots suck out on the other players and take the chips from them with your skilled play later on in the tournament.

Answer 2

I second the other poster.

What I do is watch carefully the betting patterns of the other players and figure out early on who's a donkey, even if that means folding premium hands.

It pays off...I just won a WSOP freeroll. :D