Strategy Recommendations?

[Weaver 0]

2 table freezeout designed to mimic a $1000 buy in at WSOP soon after (since several are playing in it...)obviously this has only 20 players where the real one will have many more, but what type of strategy would you implement in this situation?Game: No Limit Hold'em Buy-in: $100 Place: ****Date: Saturday June 24, 2006 Time 2:00 pm Chips: T 1000 Payout: Top 5 (50%,25%,15%,5% & 5%) based on 20 players Blinds: 60 min BYOE Detailed Blind levels: LEVEL ANTE BLINDS 1 - $25-$25 2 - $25-$50 3 - $50-$100 4 - $100-$200 5 $25 $100-$200 6 $25 $150-$300 7 $50 $200-$400 8 $75 $300-$600 Remove $25 Chips 9 $100 $400-$800 10 $200 $600-$1,200 11 $200 $800-$1,600 12 $300 $1,200-$2,400

[Zach6668 513]

Try the tournament section.I'm not really sure if someone can give you a strategy for a specific tournament.These questions are really starting to bug me.All I can tell you is to accumulate chips. If the structure is slow enough, and your stack is deep enough, you have room to play around with suited connectors, etc, if not, you have to try and get it all in with the best of it, and hope to hold up.The main strategy should be to get all of the chips in play.

[Weaver 0]

Try the tournament section.I'm not really sure if someone can give you a strategy for a specific tournament.These questions are really starting to bug me.All I can tell you is to accumulate chips. If the structure is slow enough, and your stack is deep enough, you have room to play around with suited connectors, etc, if not, you have to try and get it all in with the best of it, and hope to hold up.The main strategy should be to get all of the chips in play.

well excuse me...

[Zach6668 513]

well excuse me...

Relax.There's no one way to play a poker tournament. Look at the pros. They all have different styles. And no one can tell you which suits you after one post.

[Weaver 0]

Relax.There's no one way to play a poker tournament. Look at the pros. They all have different styles. And no one can tell you which suits you after one post.

i know... i was halfkidding...what i was looking for was what people would consider in that first level more than anything...making it 4Xbb means youve committed 1/10 of your stack.... 1 caller and youre committing another 20% (30% total) on the flop alone with a pot sized bet... i would imagine that about half the players in this tournament realize this... the other half are absolute dillholes.... so it will be interesting...

[Zach6668 513]

That structure sucks. So you have to play fast. Play your AA, KK, QQ hands as quick as possible, trying to get as much money in the pot as possible.You're going to have to gamble with your top pair hands as well, you won't have the room to play around to make sure you are good.If you flop a flush draw, or OESD, or another monster draw, don't be afraid to c/r all-in, or just push, making sure the bet is big enough for you to have some fold equity as well.In a craptacular structure, you are going to have to gamble a lot.- Zach

[Weaver 0]

That structure sucks. So you have to play fast. Play your AA, KK, QQ hands as quick as possible, trying to get as much money in the pot as possible.You're going to have to gamble with your top pair hands as well, you won't have the room to play around to make sure you are good.If you flop a flush draw, or OESD, or another monster draw, don't be afraid to c/r all-in, or just push, making sure the bet is big enough for you to have some fold equity as well.In a craptacular structure, you are going to have to gamble a lot.- Zach

with the short stack start... but long levels.... at what point would you consider yourself in the clear to actually play and not be forced to gamble so much?

[Abbaddabba 0]

obviously this has only 20 players where the real one will have many more, but what type of strategy would you implement in this situation?

Not sucking.A winner-takes-all freezeout plays just like a cash game.There's no bubble - which is really the main thing that separates tournament strategy from cash game strategy. The only difference is that you're forcing yourself to up the stakes at set intervals, and not letting anyone rebuy.You start off playing $2.50/$2.50NL with stacks of $100.By the last blind level, you're playing $120/$240NL with stacks no larger than 4 big blinds per person.

[Weaver 0]

Not sucking.A winner-takes-all freezeout plays just like a cash game.There's no bubble - which is really the main thing that separates tournament strategy from cash game strategy. The only difference is that you're forcing yourself to up the stakes at set intervals, and not letting anyone rebuy.You start off playing $2.50/$2.50NL with stacks of $100.By the last blind level, you're playing $120/$240NL with stacks no larger than 4 big blinds per person.

from original post: Payout: Top 5 (50%,25%,15%,5% & 5%) based on 20 players

[Abbaddabba 0]

Didnt see that.I assumed freezeout meant you play until one person wins it all, not just all the chips.In that case, aggressive around bubble with short stacks behind you, tight when faced with aggression from people with a lot of chips. If you think people arent playing tight enough, subtly remind them about how if they only wait a few more hands, they'll make X amount of dollars.

[Zach6668 513]

Another consideration is your 'M', from Harrington on Hold 'Em: Volume 2. It's (SB+BB+Ante)/# of players at the table. It calculates how many rounds you can afford to play. The lower your M, the more aggressive you should be with marginal hands, and the more you will have to gamble. Anything less than 5, you should be pushing a lot of hands, if you are less than 3, you should be almost pushing any two when folded to you.Check out the tourney strat section for more info.- Zach

[Actuary 3]

get luckyand don't make any stupid callsplay aggressiveget lucky

[Weaver 0]

get luckyand don't make any stupid callsplay aggressiveget lucky

yeah... i hear ya....we are playing this format because several of the players are playing the same structure at the WSOP soon after... of course, 20 players vs maybe 1000 is much different, but we wanted to look at exactly what yall have talked about...seems like a aggro luck-needed structure early, which im fine with... gamble it up early with strong hands and then make some room to play...guaranteed that several of the players there wont realize what is necessary with the structure and wont be playing tight enough until they only have 500 chips...

[Stylin_Fish 0]

Pushing TP/TK Hands early on + Avoid bad variance= Do Good

[Royal_Tour 0]

Pushing TP/TK Hands early on + Avoid bad variance= Do Good

this advice = poor showing