Put your phones down. Stop scrolling Reels. Get off TikTok. Keep your eyes on the game and what's happening around you. Be aware of your table image and the table image of all the other players at the table.
Do this and I guarantee it will pay dividends.
If opponents see you as loose-aggressive (like me), tighten up – especially in early position. If you’ve built a tight image, use it to your advantage and open a wider range.
These are just some simple tips that you're really going to see pay off at small- to mid-stakes tournaments. As you move up the ladder, it's going to improve your game.
When bad hands become profitable
Another thing is bad cards – I play them a lot, but always in position and with aggression. That’s my style, and it works for me.
But if you're aware at the table and you're not on your phone, you can open up your range as well.
Say you have a hand like 8-3 offsuit in the cutoff or hijack. Look to your left. Are the players disinterested? Are they looking up at the TV or watching sports on their phones? Have they already looked at their cards and are indicating they are ready to muck?
Take advantage of that information.
A hand like 8-3 offsuit is now in your range. You can open that hand and hopefully fade a big blind defend. If called, you can often take it down on favorable boards – like ace-high flops – with a continuation bet.
If there’s one thing to take away, it’s this: stay aware and use the information in front of you.
Nicholas Rigby is a regular tournament and PLO cash player, as well as a sports betting enthusiast. He’s known for coining the nickname ‘dirty diaper’ for any 2-3 offsuit hand, which he is likely to play aggressively. Rigby is also a RunGood Poker Tour ambassador.
Rigby recently won three events in 24 hours at the RunGood Passport Series at Hollywood Casino in St. Louis. Follow him on X and Instagram.
Additional image courtesy of 8131 Media/Rachel Kay Winter
