OrganicLemon
10 points
Sam, what did you end up doing, and, if you tanked for a long time, how was that received at showdown?
Oct. 22, 2015 | 8:46 p.m.
Hi Sam! Nice post, I love this type of question.
I'll answer from my perspective, being someone who didn't play the Oktoberfest because I found the structure too turbo for the buy-in of 550 EUR (5000 Chips, 30-minute levels on day 1). This obviously says something about my bankroll. I know several people, though, whose bankroll is smaller than mine and who played the event because it was the only one they could possibly afford and they just wanted to play at least one WSOPE event.
So, if I was sitting at your table and you took several minutes to tank over a clear decision, I would be pissed off. The reason being that knowing you're a pro, who regularly plays high buy-in tournaments, I would hate for you to steal time from me, only to ladder up for 145 more, when you've already got 1552 locked up. After all, we're not talking of a (near) bubble situation here or huge money! By wasting time here, you take away the opportunity for the others at the table to play a normal number of hands and build their stack in this turbo structure. So, I think tanking should just not happen here at all. Not in this situation and not by a pro like you.
In answer to your list of factors:
- very small buy-in for you and small pay jump = no fake tanking, it's inappropriate
- make-up of the table = mostly recreational players at this event, mood should stay positive = no fake tanking
- your net worth = no fake tanking because 145 EUR is so little money for you
- your experience as a pro = no fake tanking because you want to keep playing with happy opponents, not people who are (rightly) pissed off at you
What did you end up doing, and, if you tanked for a long time, how was that received at showdown?
Oct. 20, 2015 | 2:21 p.m.
A friend of mine played a crucial ICM hand, told me about it and we almost got into an argument. He thinks I'm a fish and I think he made a huge mistake (and that he's a fish). I'd love to hear what pros have to say on this.
Live satellite for WSOPE events. 3 players left. One of them is my friend.
1st place: 3250 ticket (decent structure)
2nd place: 1650 ticket (decent structure)
3rd place: 1100 ticket (turbo event, really shitty structure)
Stacks: 520k, 480k, 120k
Blinds: 12k/24k-3k
Button: 120k stack
SB: 480k stack, my friend
BB: 530k stack
Button folds.
SB finds 1010.
What do you do and why?
I would always push here. For ICM reasons, I don't want to get into a battle with the other big stack when the third guy has only 5 BB left. If I push my 20 BB, I put maximum pressure on the other big stack and he can only call with very few hands. He will have to fold lots of hands to my push, which would have decent equity on many flops, if he decides to defend. Even though my 1010 are of course ahead of the BB's random hand, if I raise, there will be lots of flops I won't like and I'm out of position. I'd still have to cbet but if I get called (or raised), I've got a problem, which only gets worse on the turn. So, to me this is a totally clear preflop push.
My friend says, pushing here is "total anti-poker" because my 10s are so ahead of the BB's random hand, and that I "should be willing to get it in on tons of boards".
Here's what my friend did and still believes to have been the correct play:
He raises to 52k from the SB. BB calls.
Flop 8d3d2d
SB has the 10d.
SB bets 137k.
BB pushes.
SB calls.
BB has Kd5d for the flopped flush and my friend is out in 3rd place.
Besides the general difference of opinion: If I had chosen to just raise preflop, I would have cbet much smaller and given up on the turn, if called/raised.
So, back to the original question: What's the correct play and why?
Is my question too boring to even get one single answer? I'd really appreciate one (or more...). I urgently need to learn!
Nov. 2, 2015 | 3:42 p.m.