People have a tendency to get nervous during a tournament. When they do, they start making mistakes, and no-limit hoId'em is a game of mistakes. If other players aren't making mistakes, you aren't going to win. If you aren't making mistakes, they aren't going to win.

All top players not only make fewer mistakes, they also capitalize on other people's mistakes. If you don't play perfect poker (or don't get extremely lucky) against top players, they will beat you. None of the top players think of themselves as being lucky -- if anything, they think of themselves as being unlucky. You have to be very changeable as situations arise while you are going through the stages of a tournament.

When you sit down to play at a table of strangers, especially in a tournament, take your time before becoming involved in a hand. Observe all of the players as the cards are being dealt. As people are making bets, always look at the people in front of and behind you.

If you're looking at your hand when the action gets to you, rather than looking at the people behind you that haven't acted yet, you're missing a lot. It's the old "load-up" theory. There are a lot of poker players who can't stand it when they pick up a big hand, and so they'll load up their hands with chips before it's their turn. If you're observant, you'll throw down a mediocre hand because you know that the guy behind you is going to raise. It happens many, many times.

The perfect tournament strategy is that your chips have increased at the end of every level. They don't need to increase by any specified amount, but they always need to multiply This is the perfect scenario, because it shows that you are playing a steady brand of poker.

Remember that in tournament poker, you have to survive to have a chance to win. Even though some people may be playing crazy and a few players are winning a lot of chips, you still must have only one goal in your mind at all times.