Cmw3011

@14:00 you talk about how you think his range is 'inelastic' and that you don't see the point in betting larger, adding that you wont get 3 barrels.

Surely the fact that you wont get 3 barrels should encourage you to actually bet larger OTF to ensure you get more value. When he has a hand that can call a AKx vs UTG, sizing shouldn't make too much difference. If he has Ax or Kx I would guess he is calling 140 almost as often as he is calling 90.

Betting this size and continuing to barrel large allows you to maximise value and also apply pressure when you're bluffing on a board which is almost impossible to call down on with medium strength hands vs a UTG open pre ante.

Great video Ben.

You addressed the limitations of ICM perfectly.

One assumption (that you highlighted) is that ICM assumes your opponents are calling correctly according to ICM. This seems to be brushed over rather swiftly by most discussions on ICM that I have seen. I believe it should play a far bigger part in one's decision making process.

At mid-stakes, where I play, it is fair to say that a very decent proportion of players aren't doing this. So in your shallow stack 3 handed example (a situation that will b every familiar to most players, particularly in turbos). Given the huge advantage having 12x vs 7x and 8x is I think it is incorrect to be shoving the 80 odd % on the BTN that ICM tells us we should be. Obviously this all depend on your reads of your opponents' goals and understanding of the game.

While my explanation wont be anywhere near as clear as yours are; this leads me, in general, to be tighter than ICM when shoving with CL at stacks this shallow.

Does this make sense?

Nice vid mate.

At 26:20 you raise AJo UTG+1 in the Party $200 from a 14x stack. Just interested to hear your thoughts on this. I'm always shoving here and expecting calls with worse sometimes. Raising looks so strong I can't imagine what worse hands you're inducing a shove from that aren't just going to call pre if you jam. And r/f seems to be giving chips away with this stack when you're going to be shoved on by medium pairs. By shoving you may also sometimes get folds from 22-55 that will be 3b shoving a lot over your open.

If I have 16x+ I think this is a r/f vs most opponents' re-shove (or a r/c vs the very short stacks).

Ok this was posted quite a while ago and, as with everyone, poker (and my game has moved on a lot in 4 months).

Looking at this with afresh perspective I really like my play pre flop.

The guy was looking to give his chips away, was on  uber tilt and was going to level himself into a bluff/overplaying a weak hand. Vs a good, thinking opponent my 4b UTG out of this stack looks too strong; and I'm always going to be 4b shoving QQ to keep my range wide. QQ is too strong to shove here and have him snap fold 89 or A4, or even KJ. He may tilt call with a lot of these hands if I 4b shove but it's too much of a stretch. Given this opponent and the current history and gameflow I think a 4b induce is easily the correct play. 

Now to address sizing. I actually think the sizing is great 24caliber. The reason it is good, is because I've gone small enough that he might think I have given myself room to 4b/f (which obviously most opponents wouldn't and would see this as strength). Because I am relatively shallow the fact that a peel from him means I have a 1.2:1 SPR is kinda completely irrelevant. One way or another, on one or more streets he is either going pick up some equity (a pair or a draw) or bluff. So depending on the texture and his timing the chips will be going in.

If the flop is AKx? So be it. I check 3 and let him trying and bluff me off with 9 high. If he outflops me, then gg; but I'm not folding.

Overall playing the hand this way against such an opponent who is on tilt gives him the most chances to play his hand badly. By shoving pre we reduce the varaince but allow him to play perfectly vs us. 

I agree this is a crucial spot in the tournament. But crucial in that you cannot be wasting the opportunity to accumulate chips with your premium hands. This guy will spew to someone soon and if you give him a chance to fold when you have the near-nuts you're giving someone else the chance to take those chips.

WRT the river; I'm still undecided. Still looks really weird.

Thanks for your feedback.

I hate shoving because I think he's folding so much. Given his tilt and the recent dynamic I really think he's gonna be super light so often.

After speaking to some other decent players they advocated shoving and hoping to get called by hands that shouldn't by someone who is tilting and avoid these awkward spots post. I don't mind playing post oop in these spots because I think I have a huge given the dynamic, his tilting, and my hand strength.

I'm still in two minds though. Thanks for your comments.

Please excuse my horrendous sentence construction.

YEh, I didn't shove river even though I had 1/2 pot because I ranged him at JJ/99/Tx and figured when I shove river, to a less experienced player it looks weaker and might get a crying call from one of those hands. Obviously vs. a competent opponent I'm not betting 50k into 140k leaving 27k behind and might check to induce a shove repping JJ or KK.

*Clearly INexperienced

At 23:00 with the 45cc:

I love this line and it's one I'm going to take lots (I prefer it to checking turn, hoping for a check back then leading river as he can be pot controlling with so much OTT planning to snap river). 

What I can't understand is why you said "I wouldn't bet again on the river if he called, most likely". Why not?

There's too many hands he is calling turn but folding river: KQ/QT/KT with a heart, some Ax, Khx, Qhx. Given how many snap folds he has on rivers your river bluff need not be more than 30-40% pot and I think it's elementary.

The small number of times he does turn up with Jx or better and calls or shoves river we have just opened our ranges up and did a good job of advertising for later hands.

Yo Nick,

Really appreciate your content. I've found your videos genuinely brilliant.

I started playing live in 2004, and had a lot of success in live cash games and small MTTs in the UK. I had always struggled to transfer that success to live tournaments due a wide range of things:

-NO BRM

-Bad fundamentals

-Playing too many tables

-Conciously resisting taking part in the wider poker community and thinking I knew best

I've always been a profitable player in MTTs, but with the standard sharp downfalls every BRM-manic gets after a decent score.

Recently I've realised that my meta game was very very advanced and I was considering and using very complex plays right from the outset. As such I kind of skipped the fundamentals; because I played so deep in live cash vs. people I had such an edge over, it didn't matter in the beginning.

Now I've realised the error of my ways and have gone back and started working hard on my game. For years I'd always given randoms in MTTs credit for thinking on the same level as me; the biggest lesson I've learned is to play only 1 level above the players you are facing.

I have a specific request for a video and think you would be the best bloke for it given your willingness to post about concepts that surround poker, rather than the actual play itself.

I would really appreciate a short video on your set up. Both physically and 'on screen'. 

So, you use pokertracker. How do you use it? How do you set up your HUD, and what stats are important? How many tables do you play and why? Which sites and tournaments do you play? BR advice, shot taking, satellites.

 I saw on one of your videos you had Poker Tracker and a number of tabs on there (Tilt Breaker, Ninja etc.). I'd love to know what software you use and why.

I appreciate it's a big ask, so no sweat if you can't manage it.

Keep up the good work