Address: Final Table
While I've been having a good run at tournaments lately, I've been getting killed in cash games. It's so weird for me, for it used to be the exact opposite! At one point I told Felicia that she could continue to play tournaments if she wanted to, but I would only play cash games.
I think what eventually got me back into tournaments was trying to win her satellites/lammers during festivals. At Rio, Foxwoods, Commerce, Orleans, etc, I would play a ton of satellites. After I won or chopped a few of them, we found that I had a knack for it. It soon came to be: I would play the sats, give her the lammers, and she would play the tourneys.
From then, well, most of you know about my freeroll tourney successes. This sort of got me back into it a bit. Once I won my seat to the WSOP, we started playing more here at Laughlin. For whatever reason, I seem to only win at Riverside. (Although, I was all but locked up for the money once at the River Palms, until a one-outer straight-flush took me out..Doh!)
To give an idea how I'm running in the tournaments, I just got through chopping another one last night. The lady I chopped with had me a little outchipped, asked my name before shaking it for like the 3rd time (she was just 'pickled', as she put it, to 'be here', to chop it). Curtis had just pushed into the box (sorry, Curtis, I should have made her at least play one hand so that you could earn money on the down); he said, "His name is Glenn; address: final table. He lives at the final table."
With currently running so badly at the 4/8 (to the tune of -$20/hr! these past 3 months), it was a nice compliment. Back when Felicia and I used to play the tourneys at the Belle, we used to win enough that they would accuse us of cheating (no matter how many times I refused to soft-play Felicia, they figured that we were somehow colluding..yeah, I really wanted to keep knocking her out instead of both of us getting paid..yeah, that makes sense).
Anyway, it felt good to finally have some recognition :)
Now, I just need to work on the cash game!
Posted by Glenn
posted by Felicia :) | 7:07 AM
4 Comments:
If you had to pick one reason why you're running well in tourneys, what would it be?
I think I found my leak, but would love to know a reason why a successful player is doing well (besides the "I won my coin flips" line)
I'd say, adapting to the structure, playing the players and playing your relative stack size.
The tournament that I play at the Riverside is a little odd. The first hour, we play 3 20-minute levels. There is one add-on to be taken only at the start, and there is one rebuy that you can take anytime within the first hour. I will always take the add-on, and wait for the rebuy until I need it. If I get really down in chips, I'll take it before the end of the hour. There are people that I see that will let themselves get so short and refuse to take the rebuy, that once they _do_ get a hand, they have no chips. They can double thru and still have no chips. So, this is part of adapting to the particular structure.
Another part is, after the first hour, they wish to hurry up the players and get to the final table. Hence, the levels change to 15-minute levels. The blinds come faster and you have to make more moves to stay ahead. I had to call AI from the BB w/ 44 once during this level to stay alive. (UTG was AI w/ AKs, but my pair held.) I looked at my chips and realized that if I did NOT go for it with my pair, that should I get a hand, I would NOT pressure anyone to fold pre-flop. For example, if I'm on the button on a steal, I may not _want_ a call. But if I have no chips, I'm at the mercy of the cards; ie: possible drawout if it's too cheap for the blind to call ATC. I don't want that to happen.
Then, once we get to the final table, it switches to 30-minute levels. I know, this is a little wacko, but you can finally play some real poker if you have chips. Like many other tournaments, however, the blinds do mostly double, so there is still lots of pressure. Plus, as you get short-handed, you have to play a little looser, as the blinds get to you faster.
So, besides the quirky-ness of our little local tourney, I'd say that you just have to make sure that you don't blind yourself out. If you get short, just remember the saying: "You have to be willing to die in order to live." Once you get to an 'M' of 5 of less (see the Harrington books), any Ace, any pair is an AI hand.
A mistake that I _do_ see people do at this point, is going AI with a marginal hand _after_ someone else already has raised. If you're short, but someone raised in front of you and you have A3o, fold, monkey! it's most likely no good. If you're in the blind with it and you're just about out of chip (say < 3 BBs), I'd say, in that case, yeah, call. Just don't OVERCALL with this type of hand. Or worse, limp in with a small pp when you're on short chips. Either shove of fold.
Speaking of the Harrington books, they are definitely suggested reading for anyone serious about tournaments!
Good luck and God bless :)
~Glenn
I do enjoy Harrington's books, best thing I've taken away from them is what you've just described (staying ahead of the blinds is critical).
Thanks again Glenn :)
Felicia,
I have read your blog every day for the best 6 months and really enjoy it. It is the first blog I look for everyday when I check my favorite poker blogs.
Glad you are feeling so much better. My best friend went through a heart attack last year, and his wife Cancer treatments 3 years ago. They are both doing well and love feeling better. I am happy for them and for you.
Keep up whatever you are doing that helps. Can you do any kind of hormone replacement therapy or is it too high risk for you?
I am going to try to meet you and Glenn sometime this winter when I go to Laughlin.
Thanks again for your blog....
btw... I started a poker blog about a year ago......
Any suggestions or criticism to improve it would be welcomed......
it is at going2pro.blogspot.com
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