Daily Tourney Tips #1

[Radashack]

These are random tidbits of information For Tournament Play, Some repeats some different takes. If everyone would post any nuances or addendums to any of these tips, as well as situation feedback I will Compile it all after 14 days or so for a formal post with a lot of different view points and takes or given situations. If you have an idea for a tourney tip PM me.

To Kick it off:

How to make the hard calls.

As you continue to play more you will be faced with difficult calls to make. The more I play the more I realize how much your result hinges on these calls. Being able to evaluate betting patterns, your opponents habits, and Odds can and will greatly affect your tournament outcome.

I'll start with an example from a tourney last night. I had about 14k in chips, and was dealt 10 4 of hearts in the BB, 3 limpers including myself went into the pot. The flop came 679 with the 7 and 9 being Hearts. The person first to act (and current chip leader with 25k or so chips bets 450), 1 caller 1 fold and I decided to call with approximately 10 outs. The turn came J, to which the leader bet 800, I called the other limper folded.
River came 8h, chip leader goes all in for 20some thousand. I had hit my flush on the river, but was he drawing to higher flush? Or was it a straight draw?

I stopped and took the hand in reverse. He limped to begin with, so I put him on something marginal. His initial bet was 450 telling me he either A) got a piece of the flop, or B) missed it and wanted to take the pot down.
The j came on the turn, his Bet of 800 Indicated at least some help to him, and made me believe he got a piece of the initial flop and wasn't just on a flush draw. I ended up putting him on a straight draw, through carefully picking over the play of the hand. I called and became the chip leader of the tournament; He had J5o and riverd a low straight.

Was I scared? Better believe it, that was a heck of a bet, and it was still hard to hit the call button even after I put him on the straight draw, but I let my poker skills play my game not my emotions. Emotions get you into trouble .

So when you are faced with a big decision, start from scratch, and replay the hand to yourself, till you can determine what you are up against. Use your knowledge of poker, and of the player(s). This can also be said about any decision that you make in poker. If you slow down and evaluate every hand you play you will be many times more successful, too many time we make blind raises, bad calls, and horrible folds because we do them in haste instead of taking the time to actually think. Add a new level to your poker patience, and improve your poker game!

[|~|ypermegachi]

one thing i think i should add, is if you ever run into one of these situations you should write notes of the entire hand, whether you were right or wrong. it will help you later on when you run against the same player.

[TylerK]

Nice post!! You're right, making the tough calls can make or break you.

One observation...

I'll start with an example from a tourney last night. I had about 14k in chips, and was dealt 10 4 of hearts in the BB, 3 limpers including myself went into the pot. The flop came 679 with the 7 and 9 being Hearts. The person first to act (and current chip leader with 25k or so chips bets 450), 1 caller 1 fold and I decided to call with approximately 10 outs.

after the flop:
9 outs to complete the flush
3 outs for the gutshot 2nd-nut straight (8h already counted)
3 outs for top pair

All of these could at least be considered playable here.

[Radashack]

I subtracted a few outs for other hearts that were already mucked, as well as dropping my top pair outs, because realistically i didn't believe top pair was going to take the hand home.

[RD Olivaw]

Great post.

I would have been a bit scared too, because I would probably play the hand just like he did holding Ax of hearts, having paired the x on the flop drawing to the nut flush.

But the point about emotions is important, I think. There are many times in a tourney when you are mid-short stacked and get timid about playing a hand the way it deserves, just because it would be expensive to do so. The result is usually that you get called down or bullied because you show weakness inadvertently.