In these spots (like 7-10 BB's) my typical range is this:
Pocket pairs: 66+
Suited connectors: 78s+
Ace hands: A9+
I think people spaz shove a little too light when they reach this amount of bb's. You really have to consider how light people will call you online. In low/mid-stakes I'll see someone jam 5-9 BB's with hands like A3o or 22 only to get called by something like A6, 44, KT, etc.
And while flipping is a necessity I try to do it with hands where the cards can run out well for me, like 9Ts and 89s instead of 44 and A7.
I also try to avoid shoving weaker hands like K9 and QT where you can often get called by someone holding a dominant hand like KQ, KJ, AQ, etc. Because in spots like that you will either be flipping or crushed - no one will ever call you with inferior holdings that you dominate.
The only thing I question is when to go into push/fold mode and when to start incorporating the suited connectors. Right now when I'm at 10 BB's I won't shove them. I'll just shove my strong paired and unpaired hands. Once I dip to 7 or 8 BB's I'll start shoving the mid-range suited connectors as well.
Part of me thinks I should loosen up and gamble for a final table stack so I'm going to run with that. I never really play to cash but I just don't know the correct pushing chart for like 10-20 BB's. I cut my teeth on 100-200 BB stack cash games for years so I need to step up my tournament game.
1.04.2010
asdf
Lately it feels like I'm playing poker with my cards facing up so the whole table can see them. My 3-bets are being 4-bet like 90% of the time and even when I'm doing it with AK or a big pair I'm being held over or getting sucked out on by inferior holdings.
This can be a real confidence crippler but looking over the hand histories a couple days after playing it doesn't appear I'm doing things differently based on poor results which is nice to see.
I managed to offset some of my MTT buy-ins by making a few 180 Max $3 w/rebuys final tables including two 3rd place finishes which are good for about $200 apiece.
Here's a typical hand which shows how terribad I've been running.
Blinds: 1000/2000/200 (?) I forget the antes always - I should really know these.
My Stack: 42,000
Villain: 39,000
Villain limps EP
MP Russian fish calls (playing 63% of his hands lol)
I button raise to 9,000 with KK
Villain flats (wtf?)
MP Russian fish folds
Flop: 3 8 J rainbow
Villain open jams and I snap call.
He turns over 9T suited and spikes a 7 on the river, fml.
If it wasn't a Sunday major I don't think I'd be as pissed.
This can be a real confidence crippler but looking over the hand histories a couple days after playing it doesn't appear I'm doing things differently based on poor results which is nice to see.
I managed to offset some of my MTT buy-ins by making a few 180 Max $3 w/rebuys final tables including two 3rd place finishes which are good for about $200 apiece.
Here's a typical hand which shows how terribad I've been running.
Blinds: 1000/2000/200 (?) I forget the antes always - I should really know these.
My Stack: 42,000
Villain: 39,000
Villain limps EP
MP Russian fish calls (playing 63% of his hands lol)
I button raise to 9,000 with KK
Villain flats (wtf?)
MP Russian fish folds
Flop: 3 8 J rainbow
Villain open jams and I snap call.
He turns over 9T suited and spikes a 7 on the river, fml.
If it wasn't a Sunday major I don't think I'd be as pissed.
12.30.2009
$50 Turbo MTT
Got moved but folded in all 13 hands at this table. Table has been very tight overall. 9 handed.
125/250/25 Level
My Stack: 2165
Villain: 3650
I push from UTG+3
What's my pushing range and if you're the Villain in the BB what is your calling range?
125/250/25 Level
My Stack: 2165
Villain: 3650
I push from UTG+3
What's my pushing range and if you're the Villain in the BB what is your calling range?
12.29.2009
2010 Goals
I've always been somewhat decent at setting goals and sticking to them, so here goes nothing ...
- Practice better cash game table selection: This should be a no-brainer but honestly I've been lacking the patience and discipline to do this on a regular basis. Back when I was really augmenting my annual income through poker playing 2/3 NL and 3/6 NL on Bodog I would go on every waiting list and then decline any "bad seats" or tight tables. These days I'm playing some $100 NL and not treating it with respect because I feel like I should crush any table. Maybe I have a stronger skill set but rocks are rocks and you can't squeeze money from one no matter how strong you are.
- Create a defined MTT schedule and stick to it: Another no-brainer but something I'll be sure to do in 2010. I plan on looking over the various tournaments I've played to see which ones I had the most success in as well as the days/times they are run. I need to trim out some of the MTT's that go late into the night because I either get tired or just quit once min-cash to spend time with my girlfriend. Plus it's not fair to her to have no idea when I'll be committed to something for hours so this will be a win-win.
- Learn to play PLO: I might even look into coaching for this one. PLO is definitely the future of poker and I can observe tables and see there is still much value there but I don't have the skill set to plop down in a seat and start pot betting like a motherf'er.
- Grind SnG's: I have to study up on these again but there's definitely good money to be made. Colin Moshman came out with a good book within the past couple years. I'll read that and then troll some forums to see how out of date the information may be. If anyone of you out there are SnG grinders or know one I'd really appreciate chatting about strategy since this might end up being the majority of my table hours given my schedule outside of poker.
That should do it for now. Seacrest OUT.
11.27.2009
On Misplaying AK
AKo and AKs are easily the most misplayed hands in MTTs.
I say this because even though I constantly see people donk off their stack with KQ, AQ, and AJ they are still getting close to max value for their hand - I'll talk about that some other time.
The point is that I see people constantly shove huge amounts of big blinds over a standard open when they hold AKo and AKs and you're killing the value of the hand when you do this, especially when you have position on the original raiser.
Most of the value of AKo and AKs comes in getting weaker Ace hands or even KQ to push over you.
Any other situation where you hold AK is either a flip or a cooler where you're crushed. By jamming too many big blinds pre-flop you're giving your opponent more of a chance to fold AQ, AJ, AT, and KQ. I'm mentioning the last two hands since you will definitely see people shove with them in lower buy-in tournaments.
By jamming AK you also make it easier for people to know how you play the hand and you fail to balance your 3-Betting range.
This is an advanced concept crucial for MTT success and I'll devote an entirely separate post to it, my faithful reading audience of zero.
I digress. Here's a quick example of how I will play AK late in an MTT.
1500/3000/150 (I'm guessing at the antes but it's probably close)
You: Late Position with 35 big blinds
Villain: Mid-Position with 26.5 big blinds
Villain raises to 7,500.
You ???
Time and time again I see people just jam with AK here and either get a fold or get into a flipping situation for most of their chips.
What I will do here is raise to something like 16,999 or a similar total. This accomplishes a couple things.
1. It makes my hand look like a monster and hands like 22-TT may fold, thinking they are dominated.
2. It balances my 3-betting range since I will make a similar raise with hands such as 46s, 89s, 9Ts, AA, KK, QQ, and sometimes ATC in the right spots (very read dependent obv.)
3. It may induce bad players to push bad hands. By taking the lead here and having position you're putting a lot of pressure on a weak player to make the correct decision which they rarely do. The majority of the time I will get flatted and take it down with a c-bet (or hit my A or K and stack them) or they will shove over me with something like 77+ and KQ+ in which case I'm not in bad shape at all with all the money already in the middle.
There are other tactics you can use to disguise your hand if you've been with the same opponents for a long time. Varying your 3-bet size is definitely one of them and I'm UTG+1 or UTG+2 facing a race I will consider flatting if there are several aggressive players left to act behind.
Just remember that the biggest value of AK comes from inducing weaker hands, not flipping coins. Keep experimenting with ways to induce shoves and you will probably see an improvement to your results.
I say this because even though I constantly see people donk off their stack with KQ, AQ, and AJ they are still getting close to max value for their hand - I'll talk about that some other time.
The point is that I see people constantly shove huge amounts of big blinds over a standard open when they hold AKo and AKs and you're killing the value of the hand when you do this, especially when you have position on the original raiser.
Most of the value of AKo and AKs comes in getting weaker Ace hands or even KQ to push over you.
Any other situation where you hold AK is either a flip or a cooler where you're crushed. By jamming too many big blinds pre-flop you're giving your opponent more of a chance to fold AQ, AJ, AT, and KQ. I'm mentioning the last two hands since you will definitely see people shove with them in lower buy-in tournaments.
By jamming AK you also make it easier for people to know how you play the hand and you fail to balance your 3-Betting range.
This is an advanced concept crucial for MTT success and I'll devote an entirely separate post to it, my faithful reading audience of zero.
I digress. Here's a quick example of how I will play AK late in an MTT.
1500/3000/150 (I'm guessing at the antes but it's probably close)
You: Late Position with 35 big blinds
Villain: Mid-Position with 26.5 big blinds
Villain raises to 7,500.
You ???
Time and time again I see people just jam with AK here and either get a fold or get into a flipping situation for most of their chips.
What I will do here is raise to something like 16,999 or a similar total. This accomplishes a couple things.
1. It makes my hand look like a monster and hands like 22-TT may fold, thinking they are dominated.
2. It balances my 3-betting range since I will make a similar raise with hands such as 46s, 89s, 9Ts, AA, KK, QQ, and sometimes ATC in the right spots (very read dependent obv.)
3. It may induce bad players to push bad hands. By taking the lead here and having position you're putting a lot of pressure on a weak player to make the correct decision which they rarely do. The majority of the time I will get flatted and take it down with a c-bet (or hit my A or K and stack them) or they will shove over me with something like 77+ and KQ+ in which case I'm not in bad shape at all with all the money already in the middle.
There are other tactics you can use to disguise your hand if you've been with the same opponents for a long time. Varying your 3-bet size is definitely one of them and I'm UTG+1 or UTG+2 facing a race I will consider flatting if there are several aggressive players left to act behind.
Just remember that the biggest value of AK comes from inducing weaker hands, not flipping coins. Keep experimenting with ways to induce shoves and you will probably see an improvement to your results.
11.16.2009
Short and to the Point
Want to know one of the biggest keys to success in online tournament poker?
Avoid playing out of position as much as you can. It really can't be stressed enough.
AJo and AJs UTG and UTG+1 is a fold.
KTo and KTs in the SB and BB is a fold.
It goes on and on. Tournament poker is about developing an overall strategy and then trying to hone your skills within that strategy whether it be small ball, Kill Phil style, or something in between.
But playing pots in position is paramount to success in any given style and there really is no argument against that.
Avoid playing out of position as much as you can. It really can't be stressed enough.
AJo and AJs UTG and UTG+1 is a fold.
KTo and KTs in the SB and BB is a fold.
It goes on and on. Tournament poker is about developing an overall strategy and then trying to hone your skills within that strategy whether it be small ball, Kill Phil style, or something in between.
But playing pots in position is paramount to success in any given style and there really is no argument against that.
11.02.2009
Ding Ding Ding!
"I don't think poker takes that much inteligence - that's something poker players tell themselves - but it does take a specialized skills that some people will never acquire or always have problems implementing."
-V, posted on http://raiseorfold.cardgrrl.com/
I'd say this is mostly accurate and seldom said.
The fact that he/she misspells intelligence and mixes up the singular/plural of 'skills' may add additional credence to this. I say this tongue-planted-firmly-in-cheek, of course.
The actual poker math required at the table is 8th grade algebra and even then there are little shortcuts you can take.
Of all the poker math geniuses out there (Paul Magriel, David Sklansky and Chris Ferguson come to mind immediately) there are an equal number of players who play "by feel" or admit they don't know the math behind the game (Chad Batista, Puggy Pearson, Phil Ivey).
I could have done extensive research to make a balanced list of names but much like the Men At Work song, it's just Overkill.
Poker is more about picking up the tells and betting patterns of your opponents coupled with preventing them from picking up on yours than it is about knowing the exact odds on every street. Knowing the math won't do you much good if you can't make a bet that entices your opponents to call - see David Sklansky as an example of this.
However, you should at least know how much of a chance you stand if called even if it's just broken down into the terms "not bad", "good", or "none."
-V, posted on http://raiseorfold.cardgrrl.com/
I'd say this is mostly accurate and seldom said.
The fact that he/she misspells intelligence and mixes up the singular/plural of 'skills' may add additional credence to this. I say this tongue-planted-firmly-in-cheek, of course.
The actual poker math required at the table is 8th grade algebra and even then there are little shortcuts you can take.
Of all the poker math geniuses out there (Paul Magriel, David Sklansky and Chris Ferguson come to mind immediately) there are an equal number of players who play "by feel" or admit they don't know the math behind the game (Chad Batista, Puggy Pearson, Phil Ivey).
I could have done extensive research to make a balanced list of names but much like the Men At Work song, it's just Overkill.
Poker is more about picking up the tells and betting patterns of your opponents coupled with preventing them from picking up on yours than it is about knowing the exact odds on every street. Knowing the math won't do you much good if you can't make a bet that entices your opponents to call - see David Sklansky as an example of this.
However, you should at least know how much of a chance you stand if called even if it's just broken down into the terms "not bad", "good", or "none."
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