While you are playing No-Limit Texas Hold'em tournaments, you should pay close attention to your opponents. Forget about starting hand requirements and pot odds. You could read every book on the planet and never become a world class player. The 'thing' that separates the world class players from the average players is the ability to adapt to each opponent. If your opponent is tight, you should be running over him with aggression. Very few people will let someone continually run over them all day. Many tight opponents will adjust and start playing back at you. When you recognize that an opponent is changing his style of play, it is time for you to do the same. In this situation, you are setting your tight opponent up for a huge hand. The next time you enter a pot, you should have a premium starting hand. He will most likely play back at you with a draw or a marginal holding. If you simply sat back and played tight against the tight opponent, you would be missing out on a lot of profit. Playing tight only works against opponents who are calling stations.

In order to be a great poker player, you want to become a threat to every single player at the table. You can only remain a threat by applying pressure on your opponents. It is your job to look for spots where you can bet your opponent off pots. It does not require that you have hands but an ability to observe how your opponent reacts to certain situations. How does your opponent react to paired boards? Does opponent check fast on the turn when he has nothing? Will opponent call a huge river bet with only top pair? Force yourself to get inside of your opponent's head and you will have all of his chips. At first, it will be very difficult for you to pay attention to all of these details. Overtime your subconscious will automatically process all of this information for you. The result of observation is what the pros like to call instinct. Adjust to your opponent's style of play and you will have all of his chips.

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