1. Introduction

The game only really starts now. You've waited for this moment the whole time and have been saving your chips in order to survive. The push-or-fold phase starts now. The Blinds are high and the chip stacks are small in comparison.

There are only two moves you can use. You either move all-in (push) before the flop, or you fold your hand.

Everything is decided by these two alternatives. Only playing good cards in the beginning of a tournament is not rocket science. However, hitting the right button in the push-or-fold phase isn't that easy. You don't have to worry though because the tournament experts from PokerStrategy have found a way to teach you this science, through learning by doing, so you don't have to study eight semesters of tournament play. More about this later.

In this article you will learn, ...

• … how to recognize when you are confronted with a push-or-fold decision.
• … what your decision is dependent on.
• … how you can practice the perfect game with the ICM-Trainer from PokerStrategy in the push-or-fold phase.