Play more hands early in Poker Tournaments

I know a lot of poker players that constantly talk about surviving the early rounds of a poker tournament. True, you do need to survive but you do not need to play like a rock either. Many players conform to the notion that you must play extremely tight early in poker tournaments. Most times this makes you extremely predictable and cuts down your action because player know you are playing premium cards.

I don't know about you but when I have big premium hands I want big premium action to go along with them. By playing too tight you decrease your opportunities to move forward in the poker tournament. There are only so many hands that any of us is going to be dealt but you have to mix it up if you are going to accumulate chips.

Over the past year I read some information that countered the long time thinking of being tight early and only playing the better cards. I wasn't doing badly at the time but I was looking to improve my game and how I approached it. After reading the article I realized that by playing too tight early I was preventing myself from earning that huge monster stack more often. I was literally decreasing my chances of winning the tournament simply because I was not involved enough.  By increasing the number of hands you play early in the tournament and opening up your hand ranges to include calling small raises with suited connectors, small pairs, and suited gapped connectors I immediately realized the benefits of this small change.

I started winning more big pots earlier because my hands were disguised. If the flop missed me I simply folded the hand. So, don't be afraid to mix it up early within reason with those not so premium hands. Get involved!