The forthcoming Manchester UKIPT event will be the first tournament I play on this exciting new British and Irish tour, and I'll be very interested to look at the style of play. The buy-in (£500) is sized to make it possible for recreational players to try a significant tournament - plus of course there will be Stars qualifiers who come in for much smaller amounts - and I'm wondering how much they'll want to gamble.

Historically, recreational players always played tighter than pros in chunky live events. They have paid proper money - or won a great opportunity to make proper money - and don't want to go out too early. People used to say this made them soft targets, but not necessarily. It's absolutely fine to play tournaments tight at the beginning, while the blinds are too small to be worth stealing, then gradually loosen up as the field reduces and the pre-deal pots get bigger.

Recently, players of all kinds have got in the habit of playing super-aggressive right from the off, even in the biggest events. They make oversized raises, they re-raise with suited connectors, they bluff hard when they miss the flop. It's an excellent way to play in the later stages of a tournament, but dangerous and often pointless at the beginning. You'd be amazed how fast some players knock themselves out of the $10,000 PCA tournament in the Bahamas.

If your table features super-aggressive players like this, you need to be even more disciplined and determined to get their chips. It's too easy to start calling raises with anything, just because you're bored of passing while everyone else has fun. I favour keeping it solid. But what you can do is upgrade hands like 99 or AJ: if others are playing rubbish, medium hands become stronger.

When you find a strong starting hand, re-raise heavily to isolate one maniac, rather than risk seeing a flop with five of them. Conversely, with little pairs and suited connectors, you WANT several runners to give you good odds on hitting, so (if you want to play these hands early), limp in to keep the pot small. When you hit the flop, trap-check to use the maniacs' own strength against them. Be prepared to make big, difficult calls on the river. Let them hang themselves.

In other words, I don't mind tight play in the early stages of a tournament at all (assuming you're doing it for strategic reasons, rather than because you're scared of getting knocked out) but it must be focussed and committed as well as tight. Be disciplined, but don't miss valuable opportunities to increase aggression and mop up the loose chips. It's absolutely fine to wait for a hand, as long as you make sure to get paid when it comes.

by Vicky Coren

The new UKIPT (UK and Irish poker tour) was announced the same week I made a very grown-up decision. I wanted to go and play the Master Classics of Poker in Amsterdam, but I decided not to because the buy-in was too big.

I'm moving house soon, I've had builders in the new place for ages - OBVIOUSLY they took months longer and cost far more than the original plan - and it just seemed crazy to spend €6000 plus expenses on a poker tournament. Besides, I should be here packing boxes, not running off to Europe without a care in the world.

I was pleased with myself for making the sensible decision; most unlike me. And the universe offered an immediate reward with news of this UKIPT tournament series: British and Irish events that I can get to with minimum hassle, at very reasonable prices starting from £500.

In modern poker, it's easy to forget the value of money. All these juicy giant tournaments, people winning millions wherever you look. When I started playing, the main events in live festivals were £500. Recently, these have come to be considered as the "small" opening events. It's crazy. £500 is a lot of money in the real world. The UKIPT is giving back some perspective to British poker: creating serious title events, treating a £500 or £1000 buy-in with the respect it deserves.

As a sponsored player, of course there is less pressure on me with the tournament expenses. Nevertheless, I strongly believe that the first rule of poker is bankroll management. That applies to me as much as anyone I give advice to. You should never invest more than 5% of your bankroll in any single game. You should never play for amounts that would seriously hurt. Once the game is underway, you must be able to stop thinking of the chips as money - thinking of them purely as ammunition, to be guarded where necessary and fired out where necessary, based purely on the cards and the situation. It is impossible to do this properly if it's money you are scared to lose.

The best way to play a €5,000 EPT event is to win your seat on Stars for small money. If you miss out on the seat but can comfortably afford the buy-in anyway, great: these are wonderful tournaments in amazing locations. If not, don't start thinking you HAVE to play them. Play smaller local tournaments. Play online for whatever is comfortable.

I've been giving this advice for years, but last week I proved to myself that I can also follow it. And hey, winning at poker is an end in itself, regardless of the money. Whether I'm playing a $50 tournament on Stars, a £500 British event or a €5000 European event, I want to win it: I'm delighted if I do and furious if I don't, just the same.