Counter-intuitive poker strategy

I wanted to test my multi-table skills without much risk today, so I 4-tabled some $2+.25 SNGs at Full Tilt. Here’s what I observed:

1. When you put money in the pot, always defend it pre-flop when you have the least amount of information about your opponents’ hands.

2. QT is the nuts, and can call any raise at any time.

3. If you fold on the river, you’ll never know what your opponent has.

4. Make bets that can’t be called by anyone, because it’s more important to get out of a hand without giving an opponent any information than it is to maximize the number of chips you win.

Trust me on these, this is gold-star low-limit poker strategy to nail the fish. I think comments have been turned off, so head over to be my personal poker blog if you can think of others.

From Good to Bad

Last week, I was running hot. Seriously hot.

Perfect reads. Laying down big hands when I knew I was beat. Making big calls with second pair. Catching the cards I was chasing, and picking up the big hands deep in the SNG.

And, when it was over, I didn’t realize it.

Calling extra bets. Bluffing with air, out of position, against 5 opponents. Overvaluing sooted connectors. Undervaluing asshats who think K8 is worth 5 bets pre-flop.
Y’all know what I’m talking about.

Lack of discipline. Playing well, but thinking you’re lucky. Then feeling that luck will get you through when you stop playing well. Good players are disciplined. They play well most of the time, and don’t play when they show signs of losing discipline.

I’m not one of those.

Right now, I’m multi-tabling 2 turbo SNGs on Full Tilt, the crack of the poker world, while writing this post.

Don’t try this at home.

The Pre-Flop Push: A Defense, Part 2

See Part 1

So, in my prior post on this subject I promised a discussion about using this strategy when you’re an underdog to your opponents. What I mean here is that there are situations where you recognize right away that you are playing against people whose skills are superior to your own.

What? You’ve never been that situation? You’re always the best player at the table? Every time? Really?

Oh. Guess it’s just me then. Anyway…

Most poker players I know refuse to admit they are in a game where they aren’t the best person at the table. It’s an ego thing, and it can be deadly for your bankroll. We never want to believe we’re the fish in the game, but the fact is all “fishiness” is relative. Sometimes, you’re the shark; other times you’re the guppy. Just depends on who you’re up against.

You can control your game selection in live games because you actually have to go someplace, usually with people you know, sometimes with some intelligence about the skill level of your opponents. But online, especially in the tournament and SNG world, you’re flying blind.

Is donkalicious99 a high-buy-in, solid player on a bad run and stepping down to $10 SNGs? Is HotMary69 a newbie?

There are some tools out there that can give you a little insight into your opponents – Sharkscope, PokerDB, etc -but they’re limited because they can’t track players using different screen names on different sites. They also typically cost a few bucks to subscribe to, so you’re limited in how many searches you can do.

So, long story short, you get in a game and find 2 players are listed in Sharkscope as “Sharks”, and 420Bong420 sitting on your left is chatting away but hasn’t played a hand since Jesus Christ was pitching pennies against the temple wall.

Hmmm.

As you suspected, you survive the $10 SNG down to the bubble in, oh, 30 minutes, because the rest of the field is that bad. Now, it’s you and 3 solid folks, and you’ve seen a couple of advanced moves from each already. You know you’re the fish among those who are left.

How does that feel? (I don’t know, I’m never the fish… )

I keed, I keed.

You’re intimidated. You’ve already put up the buy-in, so it’s not like you can cash out and leave. You know you’ll be outplayed in the long run.

And therein lies the answer: Don’t let there be a long run.

Reduce the number of decisions to be made. Force the other players to make big decisions as early as possible with the BARE MINIMUM of information.

DO NOT PLAY THEIR GAME!

This is NO-LIMIT poker – don’t fall into their traps of “oh, let’s just see a flop,” and “why so big a raise so early?” You MUST set the tone and control the table. You don’t want to be mindless about it – if you’re a middle-stack and there’s a short-stack you want to be very selective about the hands you play. But, you can’t give up either, or you’ll be broomcorned out of the game. Every other player needs to be aware that if you’re in a pot, you’re playing for all of your chips, and all, or most, of theirs. This will make THEM be more selective about getting into pots with you. Change gears, be unpredictable, and watch who seems to be content to fold into the money and push on that person with any reasonable hand.

Solid players understand the Gap Concept very well. This is what you’re exploiting. The hand they’ll call off all of their chips with is going to be a lot better than the hand they’ll bet all of their chips on, and those hands don’t come around often enough. When this is the only decision they get to make in the hand, you’re playing the game that gives YOU the best opportunity to beat the better player.

 Comments or discussion? Shoot them to me at Big Slick Nuts Poker Blog.

The Pre-Flop Push: A Defense

Part 1: The Short-Stack

  

One of the more controversial strategies in texas hold ‘em tournament poker these days is going all in pre-flop, otherwise known as the “Push”. Those who consider themselves better players want more decisions to make, believing that if they make more decisions correctly than their opponent, they will win most of the time. The other camp will point you to Independent Chip Models and show you mathematically that they are ‘right’ to push.

  

So, who’s right? (more…)

Hello Nut, Meet Blind Squirrel!

It appears your not-so-humble author may have caught the nice end of the variance stick in his debut at “The Mook” last night. I say ‘may have’ because I have a throbbing headache from being sleep-deprived and I’m not entirely sure if I finished the tournament or fell asleep and dreamt the finish.

Thank god for hand histories. I believe mine will show the following:

1. Re-Re-Raising Rooster for all my chips during the first hour while holding the mighty Hammer.

2. Re-sucking out on the river with AA to beat the flopped trips of (Schaubs?), who was holding 5-5.

3. Crippling the final-table chip leader with a 3-out suckout.

4. Being crippled early and unable to even post a complete blind, then sucking out on 3 people while holding the worst hand.

Yeah, it was one of those nights. Worthy of PartyPoker, for sure. But, I was due, dammit, I was due!! Don’t hate me!!. I’ve had a miserable time the last week or so, with a bunch of 2-3 and bubble finishes in SNGs, with no final cigar. After a night when I was playing just to burn up my last $11 on Full Tilt, I seem to have a few bucks there this morning.