I just finished a tournament with 90 players on Full Tilt Poker.com. I play the free tournaments for practice. In the last 6 months, I've made it to the final table 17 times. I've gotten 1st, 2nd, or 3rd eight times during that time (1st place three times).
I finished 1st place today and knocked out 11 players on the way to that win. With 11 KO's, this was probably the best practice tournament I have ever played. In fact, by the time I KO'd the 4th person, I was in 5th place and I never left the top 5 from there.
I remembered some valuable lessons in this tournament that helped me win.
1. Never play a high card with a low kicker unless you're in the blind and not raised out of it.
2. Don't play hands just because they have funny names. I often fight the urge to do this, but not tonight.
3. Play your rush. I won several hands in a row in a couple of points during the tournament. My larger-sized bets made guys fold that might have otherwise beaten me, but I was on a rush and the other players seemed to respect it.
4. Don't chase stupid all-in bets early on in tournaments. If you don't have a killer hand, let the other idiots fight it out.
5. When you're getting down to the last 15 or fewer players, understand that bigger stacks will either bully the table or get ultra-conservative. Recognize what's happening and use it to your advantage. During this time, other players, especially the smaller stacks are folding for their tournament lives. Understand this as well.
6. Don't play stupid - especially when you're getting close to the final table.
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