Poker is hugely popular these days, and it’s thanks largely to the tournaments that showcase this famous card game. Players like Daniel “Kid Poker” Negreanu, Phil Ivey, and Phil “The Poker Brat” Hellmuth became household poker names, but watching the likes of Kevin Hart or Neymar Jr. compete with seasoned pros has undoubtedly brought new interest and excitement to the game.

There are many reasons for opting to take part in live or online poker tournaments, including that they’re a great way to hone your poker skills, but you’ll want to make sure you don’t play too little or too much. In this blog, learn how often you should play in tourneys, along with other helpful information about taking part. 

What’s the Attraction of a Poker Tournament?

Every person is different and plays the game for different reasons. Some play for recreation and enjoyment, some for the mental challenge and the rush. Your reason will be unique to you. But if you’ve never participated before, here are some of the reasons that players prefer poker tournaments vs cash games in most poker settings:

• Micro tournaments (available online) can carry attractive winning pots and help build your poker bankroll, which you can use to eventually play higher buy-in events.
• Tournaments are a great way to learn discipline, patience, and stamina because, in most formats, you’ll be playing for hours at a minimum.
• They offer a gentler learning curve than other online poker game formats, so they’re a solid way for beginners to try out their poker tournament strategy with shallow stacks and a format that allows for more straightforward decisions.
• You won’t find the same high-stakes action you can expect when you play poker cash games, but this is a better way to manage your bankroll while you’re learning the ropes.
• If you enter a major tournament and you’re successful, there’s a great feeling of accomplishment and possibly notoriety to go with your winnings. (With that said, don’t try to run before you can walk.)

Keep in mind that there are many types of poker tournaments. They can vary by poker variant (for example, Texas Hold’em, Omaha, and Stud), by format (such as Sit & Go, multi-table, shootout, bounty, and short-handed), and by structure (including deepstack, turbo, and reentry). The plethora of options keeps players from getting bored, as do the many levels of strategy available to improve performance.

Put in Poker Practice

If you’re keen to improve your competitive poker skills, it’s a good idea to play a few tournaments, but make sure you know more than just the basics before you jump in. Make the commitment and play as many tournaments as you can – within your available bankroll – to develop your ability to read opponents, play your best strategy, and improve your game over time. 

When starting out, check out some advice on poker tournament strategy for beginners. Beyond the basics, take notes about things you learn, especially the tips that pertain to the types of tournaments you want to play. If this is something you want to pursue regularly, take the time to lay out a weekly poker study routine that fits in with your normal non-poker responsibilities and becomes a habit that you look forward to every week.

While you might want to play on a daily basis or a couple of times a week, you’re likely to be restricted by your allotted budget and the time you have available. But if you’re able to play lots of micro or low-stakes tournaments, as long as they never interfere with your financial health, work, relationships, and family responsibilities, you stand the best chance of developing your game and taking your action to the next level. The best way that most poker players do this is to play online at micro or low stakes for real money or on sites where you don’t play for real money, depending upon your location and its laws.

The most important thing when learning and improving in poker is experience. That boils down to putting in the practice, whether for money or not, large tournaments or small, online or live. Obviously, online poker tournaments provide many more options at your fingertips, and whenever your timetable permits, but experience is something that can’t be replaced by reading strategy articles or listening to podcasts. This is why you should look for as many opportunities as possible to include practice in your poker tournament schedule.

How Many Poker Tournaments Should You Play Per Week?

A question that many new players ask is “How often should you play poker tournaments?” The truth is that there’s no clear answer, as it depends on the player and many other factors.

First, decide how much time you want to dedicate to poker tournaments. Multi-table tournaments (MTTs) can take up quite a bit of time, even when considering online MTT events that are generally faster than live ones. 

Second, examine your poker bankroll and do the calculations for tournaments. When using poker tournament bankroll management, you’ll understand how much money you can allocate for this type of poker on a weekly or monthly basis, and this will help determine how often you can play.

Third, look at your poker room’s offerings or what’s available at the online poker site you trust. Don’t just look at the poker lobby, but look at the details of the tournaments, like buy-in and chips, reentry options, late registration period, and prize pool guarantee. Understanding tournament chip structures will help you choose the tournaments that best fit your style, time, and bankroll needs.

Poker Tournament Tips

Once you’ve gained some poker experience, you’ll learn that the game has three essential elements: poker math, strategy, and mental and emotional control.

Knowledge is power in poker, so learn everything you can before starting to play tournaments, and even if you’ve been at it for a while, keep reading, practicing, and improving your skills. The best advice that top players often give is to continue studying at every stage of your poker journey.

Start with a poker tournament strategy cheat sheet and continue adding to it as you develop the skills that help you improve your game. Create categories in your own strategy journal or notes files that include multi-table tournament strategy basics that are broken down by early levels, middle levels, and late-stage tournament strategy. Of course, don’t forget to include one of the most important parts of any poker event: surviving the tournament bubble.  

Where to Find Online Poker Tournaments