YAP(oker)T: Success!

[DingDingDao]

So I have two weekly games I've been playing in for a little over two years, and I've been playing cash games at casinos for about a year or so. Yesterday, though, I thought I'd throw my hat into the tournament ring and entered a $30 buy-in NL Hold'em tournament at the Bicycle Casino here in L.A.

108 players, unlimited re-buys for the first hour.

I played the entire tournament without catching a hand better than a pair of queens. No joke, I caught the most frozen wave of cards you could imagine. Not a single five-card hand, no trips, not even two pair. Luckily, I managed to win almost 90% of the pots I took down without going to showdown.

I made the final table! Unfortunately, by that time I was pretty shortstacked, and for the next 10 hands or so I didn't even see paint. I was knocked out in 8th place, good for $180, so I made 6-to-1 on my initial investment.

Some things I noticed about tourney play vs. ring game (cash games):

1) You have to play far tighter and far more aggressively at a tournament. I had to eliminate a lot of starting hands that I'd normally play in a cash game (K10, KJos, QJs, QJos, Q10s, Q10os, and sometimes even A10os)

2) While position is important in hold'em in general, it is exceedingly important in tournament play.

3) Drawing to straights and flushes in general is very difficult to do in tournament play, unless you're willing to go to the felt for it. Since the name of the game in tournament play is survival (for the most part), I didn't chase very much at all (and it turns out I woudn't have made a single one, had I stayed in).

I'm going to keep going with the tourney play for a while, and see how things go. Obviously I won't always make the final table, but for the first time out, I'm very encouraged by how it went. :thumbsup:

CLIFFS:
1) Sat at a NL Hold'em tournament
2) Made the final table
3) Knocked out in 8th place
4) Made 6-to-1 on my initial investment

 

[royaldank]

I prefer tournament play myself. I generally see about 17-23% of the flops and pretty much play QQ, KK, AA or AK only unless the table is under 5 people. Of course, there's an occasional stealing of the blinds when in position, but otherwise, I fold most everything. I'm cashing in roughly 70-80% of S&Gs the last month or two, and I play a good 10-15 at least every week.

 

[DingDingDao]

Nice. If I had guess, I think I played maybe 15% of my hole cards. I tried to limit it to AA, KK, QQ, JJ, AK, and AQs (with a bit of junk mixed in to keep people on their toes). Where are you playing your S&Gs?

EDIT: royaldank, you don't play cash games at all?

 

[royaldank]

Mainly on PokerStars. I like the single and 3 table S&Gs for the most part. You can get in and out in under 2 hours generally. Plus, you got all different amounts to choose from. Late night and really drunk? Play the $5 or $10. Alert and feeling good about your game...play $20-$100.

Stick to your strategy and be very aggresive and you'll be good to go. It's pretty much a raise or fold game with those S&Gs. You really have to force out the draws and pairs with aggresive bets. I think that's where most people go wrong and end up blaming it on the river.

 

[DingDingDao]

Yup, tourney play really emphasizes the whole "raise or fold" mantra. I also noticed that people slowplay a lot less in tourney play. Better to win a small pot than get sucked out and lose a big one

 

[way]

For the poker illiterate, what's S&G?

 

[DingDingDao]

S&G = Sit & go. You just sit and when the table is full, you go. Tournament style elimination tourney, just one table.