With more entrants and a guaranteed $2 million at stake (doubling from last year’s pot,) the second installment of BetMGM’s Poker Championship at the ARIA Poker Classic suggests the headline event is here to stay.
Hosted at ARIA Casino & Resort in Las Vegas, it attracts some of poker’s biggest names. Moreover, BetMGM is inviting an additional 100 winners via its online poker platform. The $3,500 buy-in no-limit Hold’em tournament is battled out by the world’s best, resulting in a visual feast of expert strategy, precise play and mesmerizing rounds. Last year saw tournament winner, Joey Weissman, secure a royal flush on the river. Read on for tips on how to prepare for the BetMGM Poker Championship.
Tips for Developing Effective Poker Strategy
Whether you’re playing poker online or in person, utilizing strategy is imperative to success. Especially when you’re playing in poker tournaments – such as the BetMGM Poker Championship – where the level of competition is high and room for error is minuscule.
Before diving into the world of strategy, understanding the fundamentals of poker is crucial. This means knowing the hand rankings and moves at your disposal: check, bet, raise or fold.
Once you feel comfortable with the basics, it’s time to move on to strategy. From playing poker online to YouTube tutorials, there are many avenues to studying the game. And remember, practice makes perfect.
Practicing online provides the perfect testing ground to elevate your skills. Not only will you learn to keep up with the speed of a poker game, but you’ll also learn (a lot) from your mistakes. It’s important to understand that winning each round is unrealistic, so if you’ve experienced a heavy loss, pick yourself up and identify where you went wrong to minimize the possibility of it happening again. However, if you notice your mindset diminishing, it’s recommended to step away, get some fresh air and have a break before returning to the table, otherwise, you risk tilting and losing everything to out-of-character decisions.
Participating in poker tournaments is another great route to developing strategy. Here, you’ll face competitors of all skill levels, therefore, exposing you to an array of skills and strategies. Be sure to identify the good players and keep a close eye on how they approach certain scenarios – it’s incredible how much you can learn from watching.
Furthermore, implementing effective bankroll management should be a priority. This is the process of recognizing the amount of money you have to dictate your bet. For example, if you have $40 left and the bet is $35, it may be best to save your chips and fold – unless you have the nut hand. Simply put, managing your bankroll can make or break your game. Â
Lastly, setting realistic goals, such as spending 30 minutes each day reviewing your play or limiting yourself to a certain number of hands per day, is a great way to keep yourself learning, fresh and motivated.
