We all dream of shipping a major poker tournament, be it a WSOP bracelet or the Main Event of the Moneymaker Tour in Aruba. But the reality of tournament poker is that you need an almost unreasonable amount of cooperation from forces outside your control to take one down. We know this logically, but in the heat of the moment we often forget just how much good luck is actually needed to come out on top. Fortunately, the more awareness we bring to the game, the better able we are to weather the inevitable bad runs that come our way.
With that in mind, here are three areas of hidden poker luck to watch for and make sure their most difficult versions don’t throw you off your game.
Seat And Table Draw
The seat card you pull on Day 1 and each subsequent forced table change does more than decide where you sit, it has the power to shape every pot you play. In many ways, it’s the most lucky or unlucky thing that will happen to you in a poker tournament.
Find yourself at the same table as both Phil Ivey and Daniel Negreanu, or get seated to the right of the chip leader as the money bubble approaches, and you’re going to have a tough day.
Shift the same chip leader three seats to the left, or end up on a table full of amateurs, and suddenly the game opens all the way up. But the key in either situation is not to worry about things outside your control and instead apply that energy to accurately assessing what dynamics are in play for your particular seat. That way you can figure out how play the best style of poker under those specific conditions.
The Good Coolers
No matter how good (or bad) you are at poker strategy, most tournament action relies heavily on two strong hands colliding.
AK against AQs, top set against two pair, full house against a rivered nut flush. You can be Patrik Antonius himself, but if you’re going to win a poker tournament, you’re going to need moments like these to break your way. Not only do you need to pick up pocket queens, but you need it to happen when the button has the perfect hand, and stack size, to go all in.
Over hundreds of deals, every one of these seemingly minor moments goes a long way to determining your fate. So, if you ever find yourself walking into a cooler, don’t forget to remind yourself all the other times the deck went your way.
Universe Alignment
Luck isn’t always about hitting a massive suckout when you’re already one foot to the rail. More often, it shows up in the subtle moments that hardly anyone notices.
Imagine holding AJs in the big blind with 25 blinds behind. The aggressive hijack opens, and you instantly decide to rip it in. But before you can declare all in, the tight player on the button jams. You sigh and fold, only to see the hijack snap-call with pocket aces. Unknown to anyone but you, your tournament life was just saved by a shove you didn’t make. Over a multiple-day event, these invisible moments of universal alignment add up in a big way.
So whether you’re playing the Main Event or grinding satellites to it, remember not to look just for the luck you didn’t have, but for all the kind that you did. Poker is a lot more fun that way.
