Cloutier’s won millions of dollars in big competitions using his tournament skills. Whether it’s Hold’em, Omaha or 7-Card Razz, no-limit, pot-limit or limit, the former pro-American football player knows how to tear apart a big field.

Four final table appearances at the Main Event are testament to that and if you forget the windfalls of Joe Hachem, Steve Dannenmann and Greg Raymer in the Big One over the past two years, T.J has cashed out more money from the WSOP than any other player. Read on…

Premium hands

Only play A-A, K-K, Q-Q, J-J and A-K in early position. If you don’t want to face a re-raise on a hand then you shouldn’t raise with it. Also raise with 10-10, 9-9, and 8-8 from middle and late positions.

Pay attention

Watch your opponents and ask yourself what type of player they are? Will he bluff? Categorise your opponents’ abilities as aggressive, semi-aggressive, middle of the road, tight or solid and make your decisions based on that assessment.

Poor players

Never try to bluff an idiot. If you think someone’s not good enough to lay down middling hands then you shouldn’t try making fancy moves on them.

Money saved

Don’t justify making calls when you know you’re behind and don’t play when you’re tired. Both will consistently cost you money.

Patience

Don’t be in a hurry to build a giant stack. In the early stages of a tournament it doesn’t matter who is the chip leader so give yourself plenty of time to catch a hand.

Table presence

Keep the pressure on your opponents by re-raising with strong hands. Establish your own standard about what your first raise will be and set the pace of the table.

Stick to your guns

Don’t let other players change your style of play. When the blinds are low there’s no need to get mixed up in big pots just because you think someone might be stealing your blind.

Big pairs

Consider limping in from early position with Aces and Kings on an aggressive table and hope to get re-raised.

Betting

Bet a consistent amount so opponents can’t distinguish between a monster hand and a stone cold bluff.

Kicker strife

Hands can be won or lost on the strength of your kicker. Having top pair with a weak supporting card can get you in a lot of trouble.

Switch gears

It’s vital to change from loose aggressive to rock and back. You have to be unpredictable if you’re going to make the final table. Loosen up when you have a large stack but be careful that you don’t drip all your chips away.

Small connectors

Play small connectors very selectively. If you hit a piece of the flop you can easily get into a lot of trouble against over-pairs.

Know the math

Learn the odds by heart or opponents will spot your calculations. Tournaments are all about survival so don’t make big calls just because you have good pot odds.

Draws are death

When you’re holding over-cards with a post-flop flush or straight draw it’s worth betting as long as you’re not putting your tournament stack at risk.

Sets

If you flop trips, check if you’re playing against rocks and bet out against aggressive players. If you’re confident you’re ahead you want players to come over the top.

Ace-King

Re-raise opponents before the flop with big slick and re-raise when the flop shows Ace-rag-rag. In an unraised pot always bet out.

Danger hands

Be wary of court card connectors, such as K-Q, K-J, Q-J, Q-10, A-J, A-10. If you hit the flop there’s a strong chance you’ll be dominated or sucked into chasing straights.

Blinds

If you’re on the blinds in an unraised pot you should raise frequently. If you’re called you might get a favourable flop and it’ll mean you’ll be more likely to get value when you catch a monster.

Bluffing

Be unpredictable when you bluff. Sometimes raise from the button or from the small blind. It’s difficult to bluff convincingly if you haven’t shown any good hands so wait until you’ve had a strong showdown finish.

Final table glory

‘Don’t be satisfied with just reaching the money. You gotta win,’ says T.J. If you’re the big stack let everyone else knock each other out and then clean up. Medium stacks should make strong positional bets, otherwise stick to premium hands. Play tight and use selective all-ins to disguise strong cards from steals when you’re short-stacked.