Nov 4th WinnerSTEPHEN
HOBSON
11/04/2006
11/02/2006
11/01/2006
TOURNAMENTS: Survival vs. Accumulating Chips
There is a mind-set shared by all great
No-Limit Hold'em Tournament Players.
It is the polar opposite of most beginner
tournament players.
Tournament poker is about Accumulating Chips
NOT about Survival.
But I know you're saying ... "but the person who
survives the longest wins the tournament".
True enough... but in order to win the tournament
you must eventually accumulate ALL the chips into your stack.
You can't do this by playing survival poker. No one ever
folds their way to the final table.
At best, playing poker with a survivors mindset will get you
to the final table when you get a run of better than average
cards or you are playing against opponents with considerably
less skill than you. You may even make your share of final tables.
But when you do, you will be short stacked and praying for cards
that you can double up with.
Survivors dont want to risk their entire tournament on one hand.
The fear of being eliminated causes them to fold and miss
opportunities to accumulate chips. The truth is, there is little value
in remaining in a tournament. Bubble boy earns the same as
the very first person eliminated.
Dont get me wrong... Chip Accumulators dont have to play
wild and crazy trying to win every pot. They look for any edge.
They put their chips in the pot with the best hand or a situation
with a positive long term outcome. (EV or Expected Value).
You can play a Tight/Aggressive (TAG)
style and be a chip accumulator, but you must
Emphasize the Aggression and be willing to be
Less Tight when opportunities to win big pots arise.
The bottom line is....
Survivors will have marginal success, but rarely win tournaments.
Chip Accumulators may bust out early some times, but they are
the ones who win tournaments
No-Limit Hold'em Tournament Players.
It is the polar opposite of most beginner
tournament players.
Tournament poker is about Accumulating Chips
NOT about Survival.
But I know you're saying ... "but the person who
survives the longest wins the tournament".
True enough... but in order to win the tournament
you must eventually accumulate ALL the chips into your stack.
You can't do this by playing survival poker. No one ever
folds their way to the final table.
At best, playing poker with a survivors mindset will get you
to the final table when you get a run of better than average
cards or you are playing against opponents with considerably
less skill than you. You may even make your share of final tables.
But when you do, you will be short stacked and praying for cards
that you can double up with.
Survivors dont want to risk their entire tournament on one hand.
The fear of being eliminated causes them to fold and miss
opportunities to accumulate chips. The truth is, there is little value
in remaining in a tournament. Bubble boy earns the same as
the very first person eliminated.
Dont get me wrong... Chip Accumulators dont have to play
wild and crazy trying to win every pot. They look for any edge.
They put their chips in the pot with the best hand or a situation
with a positive long term outcome. (EV or Expected Value).
You can play a Tight/Aggressive (TAG)
style and be a chip accumulator, but you must
Emphasize the Aggression and be willing to be
Less Tight when opportunities to win big pots arise.
The bottom line is....
Survivors will have marginal success, but rarely win tournaments.
Chip Accumulators may bust out early some times, but they are
the ones who win tournaments
Fundamental Theorem of Poker
Poker is a game of incomplete information.
You rarely ever know the exact 2 cards your
opponent holds until the cards are flipped over.
This theorem from David Sklansky is one
you should keep in mind whenever you're
faced with a decision at the poker table.
It may seem overly simple, but that's the beauty of it.
Applying it on the other hand, is not always so simple.
The Fundamental Theorem of Poker
"Every time you play a hand differently from the way
you would have played it if you could see all your
opponents' cards, they gain; and every time you play
your hand the same way you would have played it if
you could see all their cards, they lose.
Conversely, every time opponents play their hands
differently from the way they would have if they could see
all your cards, you gain; and every time they play their
hands the same way they would have played if they
could see all your cards, you lose. " (1.)
As your play improves, you should be constantly trying
to make your opponents play in a way that would be wrong
if they knew what you had.
This is accomplished by reading your opponents
and their hands accurately, and by playing deceptively.
1. The Theory of Poker by David Sklansky, 1987
You rarely ever know the exact 2 cards your
opponent holds until the cards are flipped over.
This theorem from David Sklansky is one
you should keep in mind whenever you're
faced with a decision at the poker table.
It may seem overly simple, but that's the beauty of it.
Applying it on the other hand, is not always so simple.
The Fundamental Theorem of Poker
"Every time you play a hand differently from the way
you would have played it if you could see all your
opponents' cards, they gain; and every time you play
your hand the same way you would have played it if
you could see all their cards, they lose.
Conversely, every time opponents play their hands
differently from the way they would have if they could see
all your cards, you gain; and every time they play their
hands the same way they would have played if they
could see all your cards, you lose. " (1.)
As your play improves, you should be constantly trying
to make your opponents play in a way that would be wrong
if they knew what you had.
This is accomplished by reading your opponents
and their hands accurately, and by playing deceptively.
1. The Theory of Poker by David Sklansky, 1987
10/31/2006
POKER SKILLS: Limping Late with Small Pocket Pairs
Limping In With Small Pocket Pairs (22-88)
by Scott Paterson
This is one of my favourite plays.
You won’t flop your set often, but when you do
you’ll double up a great deal of the time.
A few justifications and considerations are:
Implied odds
The pot will usually not be giving you the right price
to make this play (unless there have been more than
eight limpers in front of you), but if one or more of your
opponents have a considerable amount of chips in front
of them your implied odds are excellent.
You’re an 8:1 underdog to flop a set from paired hole cards,
so technically the pot should be more than eight times
the size of the amount you must call. However, if loose players
that have decent sized stacks have limped in front of you,
or are left to act behind you, the pot will likely end up being
more than eight times the size of the amount you had to call.
Just imagine if two people who must act before you after the flop
have connected! Your chances of taking down a huge pot
are pretty good.
Deceit
The reason this play is so effective is because loose players
won’t see it coming. First, they probably raise with low pockets.
They won’t be expecting you to have a low pocket pair if you
didn’t raise before the flop. Second, they’re loose. Loose players
always overestimate the strength of their hands. If the flop
connected with them in anyway it’s all over but the crying.
Position
Position is an important consideration when making
this play because:
a) If you limp with low pockets in early position and
someone behind you raises, or a small stack moves in
you’re not sure exactly where you stand (do they have
overcards or a higher pocket pair). You might even feel
obligated to call their raise (depending on your stack size
and the pot odds) knowing you’re beat.
b) If a few people call your raise and overcards come
on the flop you must act first, and someone behind you
could have easily connected. In fact, considering they
called your raise before the flop you’re likely beat if there
are face cards on board.
c) After the flop you want to be in late position so that
everyone that has caught a piece bets in front of you.
It’s a great feeling when you flop a set and people in
front of you start betting!
Read the board carefully
Look at the texture of the flop. Could there be a straight
or flush out there? Could there be straight or flush draws
out there (if so watch the turn card carefully) ? Is it possible
that someone limped in front of you with a higher pocket pair,
and now has a higher set?
Slowplaying sets
I wouldn’t advise slowplaying bottom or middle set.
Someone that has a flush draw, straight draw, two pair,
or has even flopped top pair can easily beat you
on the turn or river.
by Scott Paterson
This is one of my favourite plays.
You won’t flop your set often, but when you do
you’ll double up a great deal of the time.
A few justifications and considerations are:
Implied odds
The pot will usually not be giving you the right price
to make this play (unless there have been more than
eight limpers in front of you), but if one or more of your
opponents have a considerable amount of chips in front
of them your implied odds are excellent.
You’re an 8:1 underdog to flop a set from paired hole cards,
so technically the pot should be more than eight times
the size of the amount you must call. However, if loose players
that have decent sized stacks have limped in front of you,
or are left to act behind you, the pot will likely end up being
more than eight times the size of the amount you had to call.
Just imagine if two people who must act before you after the flop
have connected! Your chances of taking down a huge pot
are pretty good.
Deceit
The reason this play is so effective is because loose players
won’t see it coming. First, they probably raise with low pockets.
They won’t be expecting you to have a low pocket pair if you
didn’t raise before the flop. Second, they’re loose. Loose players
always overestimate the strength of their hands. If the flop
connected with them in anyway it’s all over but the crying.
Position
Position is an important consideration when making
this play because:
a) If you limp with low pockets in early position and
someone behind you raises, or a small stack moves in
you’re not sure exactly where you stand (do they have
overcards or a higher pocket pair). You might even feel
obligated to call their raise (depending on your stack size
and the pot odds) knowing you’re beat.
b) If a few people call your raise and overcards come
on the flop you must act first, and someone behind you
could have easily connected. In fact, considering they
called your raise before the flop you’re likely beat if there
are face cards on board.
c) After the flop you want to be in late position so that
everyone that has caught a piece bets in front of you.
It’s a great feeling when you flop a set and people in
front of you start betting!
Read the board carefully
Look at the texture of the flop. Could there be a straight
or flush out there? Could there be straight or flush draws
out there (if so watch the turn card carefully) ? Is it possible
that someone limped in front of you with a higher pocket pair,
and now has a higher set?
Slowplaying sets
I wouldn’t advise slowplaying bottom or middle set.
Someone that has a flush draw, straight draw, two pair,
or has even flopped top pair can easily beat you
on the turn or river.
Soren Turkewitschn wins WPT Niagara Fallsview
Sun Oct 29 21:53:00 PST 2006
Soren Turkewitsch Wins the 2006 North American Poker Championship ($1,352,224)
Soren Turkewitsch Wins the 2006 North American Poker Championship ($1,352,224)
The Final Hand: Turkewitsch moves all in
from the button and Sagle calls all in for $3,260,000.
Sagle shows A5 and Turkewitsch turns over K2.
The board comes 7 6 2 4 J and Soren Turkewitsch
eliminates Jason Sagle and wins the tournament
earning $1,352,224 and a gold bracelet,
Sudbury Ontario native Jason "Big Bird" Sagle
finishes in second place and wins $676,107.
Sagle also finished 12th at the WPT Canadian
Open event.
Crowd favourite James "Krazy Kanuck" Worth of
Oakville Ontario finished in 4th earning $289,760.
10/30/2006
Wild Card Winner
Congratulations to BARTON MUREITHI
who won Sundays Wild Card event.
Barton gets an automatic seat in the
Poker In Canada Tour Championship
on December 3rd.
Upcoming Wildcard Events
November 6 - Powerhouse
November 12 - The Collins
November 13 - Bradley Roadhouse
November 22 - Mexicali Rosa's
November 23 - Black Bull
who won Sundays Wild Card event.
Barton gets an automatic seat in the
Poker In Canada Tour Championship
on December 3rd.
Upcoming Wildcard Events
November 6 - Powerhouse
November 12 - The Collins
November 13 - Bradley Roadhouse
November 22 - Mexicali Rosa's
November 23 - Black Bull
10/29/2006
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