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How much skill is needed?

SilverdallSilverdall Member Posts: 15
in Poker Chat
I have just recently started playing low stake tournaments and was wondering how much of this game is skill and how much is luck?

How many tournaments should it take for me to get onto the final table?

Could I one day win a tournament through sheer luck or does it take years of practice?
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  • Jac35Jac35 Member Posts: 6,491
    Hi Silverdall

    There’s plenty of luck involved but there’s a reason why there are consistent winners and consistent losers

    You might make a final table very quickly or it may take long time
    You can certainly win a tournament through luck but studying and playing will vastly increase your chances

    There’s a lot of free online stuff out there which can help you.

    Gl
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  • SilverdallSilverdall Member Posts: 15
    A few years ago after reading a poker strategy book I took the plunge and started playing online. I made the top three in a few sit n go's but probably lost slightly more than I won. I remember feeling I was doing quite well in a few bigger tournaments but never winning any significant amounts. After a couple of months I gave up.

    A couple of weeks ago I gave it another go. Probably winning slightly more Sit n Go 's than losing but with the commission not making a profit.

    I have entered 3 or 4 larger tournaments and came first in a 55p tournament for which 320 had registered.

    I have looked back at my hand history and I definitely got lucky on a few hands. But my overall strategy was to stay in the tournament for as long as I could, so being aggressive but knowing when to quit. I know I folded some really good hands because the risk wasn't worth it.

    I joined the tournament about 20 minutes late so the front runners were about 10 times my stack size for the first hour at least. I was mid division for another hour or so and when it got down to 7 players I was still well behind everyone else. I was determined to make the final table which seemed to take an age.

    Once onto the final table I some how found myself in pole position and although I slipped back again I made it to the final two. The final two was a bit of a formality as I was lucky enough to get some really decent hands.

    I know my positional play is very poor, and I know I can sometimes get caught up in the moment and chase lost causes. I am also not good at judging odds against pot size which I know a lot of people rely on.

    My overall strategy is only betting with good hands and being disciplined enough to give up on good hands if the risk is too high. Is that enough to make a steady profit or do I need to become expert at odds and positional play to have any hope of profit?


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  • EssexphilEssexphil Member Posts: 8,537
    Silverdall said:

    A few years ago after reading a poker strategy book I took the plunge and started playing online. I made the top three in a few sit n go's but probably lost slightly more than I won. I remember feeling I was doing quite well in a few bigger tournaments but never winning any significant amounts. After a couple of months I gave up.

    A couple of weeks ago I gave it another go. Probably winning slightly more Sit n Go 's than losing but with the commission not making a profit.

    I have entered 3 or 4 larger tournaments and came first in a 55p tournament for which 320 had registered.

    I have looked back at my hand history and I definitely got lucky on a few hands. But my overall strategy was to stay in the tournament for as long as I could, so being aggressive but knowing when to quit. I know I folded some really good hands because the risk wasn't worth it.

    I joined the tournament about 20 minutes late so the front runners were about 10 times my stack size for the first hour at least. I was mid division for another hour or so and when it got down to 7 players I was still well behind everyone else. I was determined to make the final table which seemed to take an age.

    Once onto the final table I some how found myself in pole position and although I slipped back again I made it to the final two. The final two was a bit of a formality as I was lucky enough to get some really decent hands.

    I know my positional play is very poor, and I know I can sometimes get caught up in the moment and chase lost causes. I am also not good at judging odds against pot size which I know a lot of people rely on.

    My overall strategy is only betting with good hands and being disciplined enough to give up on good hands if the risk is too high. Is that enough to make a steady profit or do I need to become expert at odds and positional play to have any hope of profit?


    Only betting with good hands is not enough on its own. Because people will adjust to you. At some stage, you need to play the players, rather than the cards.

    Giving up on good cards when the risk is too high is important. But the key part is "too high". So (for example) you may think you are behind. But if you think you are behind 2 in 3 times, but the call is only 400 into a 2000 pot, then the risk is NOT too high. Much like getting 5-1 odds on a 3-1 horse.

    Positional play? That will come with experience. It is not necessary to be an expert at odds, but you need to have a rough idea about them, at least.

    Hope that helps, at least a little.

    good luck
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  • mumsiemumsie Member Posts: 7,842
    Silverdall said:



    My overall strategy is only betting with good hands and being disciplined enough to give up on good hands if the risk is too high. Is that enough to make a steady profit or do I need to become expert at odds and positional play to have any hope of profit?



    Expertise is not needed for the most basic odds that should get you through.
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