Tournaments are Harder Than They Used to Be, but Intertops Winner is Confident About His Chances at Caribbean Poker Tour

With more and more players developing online tournament skills, winning one isn't as easy as it used to be. But an Intertops Poker player that won his way to the Caribbean Poker Tour in St Maartens by winning an online satellite thinks he'll do well in the live tournament if he plays the way he does online.

Two winners of Caribbean Poker Tour satellites hosted by Juicy Stakes Poker and Intertops Poker will be going to St Maartens next month. Chris P aka “Grandma Mary” won his $2700 prize package in an online satellite in August. “Sim79” from Quebec, Canada just won his trip last Sunday.

The Caribbean Poker Tour Main Event (buy in $1000 + $100), November 1-2, will bring poker players from around the world together a few days before the WPT Caribbean Tournament. Schedule of CPT satellites and main events.


Grandma Mary, 30, whose lifetime total winnings total over $160,000, recalls the online tournament where he won the all-inclusive luxury tournament trip: “I didn't play scared. In a top heavy tournament like this you have to be able to make some plays and grind out all the small edges you can. It was up and down for me. A few times I got overly aggressive but I always picked up hands when I needed them.”

“It was when we were three handed and I had a slight chip lead that I realized I might win. I was short stacked coming into the final table so I obviously ran really well.”

He thought his competition at the online satellite tournament was fairly soft.

“Most players were either too nitty or too aggressive. There were a few decent MTT regulars in the tournament but it was a Sunday so I figured most of them were playing lots of tables and probably weren't paying much attention to this one. This allowed me to open a lot more on their blinds and fold some big hands to them as well.”

“One thing I’ve I learned is the biggest thing is to understand bankroll management. Make sure you have a minimum of 100 buy-ins, preferably 200 – 300.”

“The guys who are doing really good at poker are putting in the hours. Michael Jordan didn't become the best basketball player by sitting around, he practiced every day and that's what all poker players need to do too.”

“Poker has always been fun for me. The money is nice, but I love competing. I’d like to win a WSOPC ring event. If things go right, I could see moving to Costa Rica to grind full time.”

Learn to Think Like a Pro at Bluff Europe Poker Academy -- 2nd Session Coming Up

The Bluff Europe Poker Academy returns to the Mint Casino in London on Sunday, 3rd July for the second in the series of lectures that let you into the secrets of the professional poker player. “Managing your Game”, conducted by pro Paul Zimbler, looks at the secrets of being a long-term winning player, taking in such concepts as management of bankroll, time and money, controlling tilt, and finding value live and online. He’ll also be looking at satellites and the strategies for playing them as well as how to use and analyse Poker Tracker software.



The Bluff Europe Poker Academy lectures are geared for intermediate players who feel they are ready to take their game to the next level. Each session costs £199 and offers three hours of unique live poker tuition. Students registering with the special bonus code found in the June issue of Bluff Europe Magazine, however, will be receive entry for just £99. The June issue is also available for iPad through the iTunes store.

“Expert tuition is the best way to improve your game," said Zimbler. "It’s the detailed discussions and one-to-one tuition that really takes you to the next level.”

Register now at www.bluffeurope.com/pokeracademy.

If you've attended previous Bluff Europe Poker Academy workshops please use the Comments box below to tell other players about your experience!