Having A Tournament Personality
Generally speaking, poker players tend to become cash game specialists or tournament specialists. As with skiers that specialize in either downhill or cross-country events or tennis players that specialize in playing on clay courts or grass courts, poker players draw upon different skills and interests when playing tournament, versus cash, poker.
When cash game players transition to tournament play, they know they will have to adjust their temperament because tournaments simply require more patience. Here are some other attributes of a strong tournament personality:
*An ability to read and adapt to new players quickly because tournament tables are often "folded" as players are eliminated, and the remaining players moved to other tables.
*An ability to stay focused and maintains concentration over what could be a long period of time. Great tournament players start well-rested so they have enough energy to carry them through the long haul of the tournament.
*Emotional steadiness, even after taking a bad beat. If a player is close to making it o final table and let themselves to go on tilt, or become frustrated, they are more apt to make a costly error that could mean the difference between finishing in the money or not.
*An ability to ward off boredom. Tournaments, especially in the middle stage after the initial excitement tones down, can get boring. Players find themselves folding many more hands than they play.
*Confidence in their ability to read other players. One of the keys to playing tournament poker is knowing how and when to grab pots when you might not have the best hand. Great tournament poker is knowing how and when to grab pots when you might not have the best hand. Great tournament poker players watch their opponents closely to determine and exploit strengths and weaknesses and gain the ability to bet and bluff to other poker players into laying down a good hand.
*An ability to use basic math to calculate your chance of winning. Factoring the human element of poker into your betting decisions, along with being able to calculate the rough probability of making a hand, combines the psychological art and practical science of playing and winning poker.
According to poker legend Mike Cairo, author of "Cara's Book of Poker Tells", the most common tell is "strong means weak and weak means strong." In other words, players with a strong hand may act bored and disinterested to project they have a weak hand and induce other players into calling their bet. Conversely, players with a weak hand, who might be trying to bluff, can act overly aggressive or impatient to give impression they have a strong hand and to intimidate other players into folding.