The tournament started with over 2,000 players and there was approx. $5,000 in the prize pool which started payouts at 330th place. Tables seated 6 instead of 9, which I prefer because it allows more complex moves and quicker action. One last thing is that the starting chip stacks were 3,000, instead of the usual 1,500. Early on during the first 5 stages of the tournament, I chipped up to 6,000 with out having to showdown and did not have too many difficult decisions to make. Due to a few bad hands, my stack dwindled back to 3,000, but now, with the blinds having just got to 200/400 with 50 chip ante, I had no other options than to fold or get all in (either to win the blinds, or win a showdown).

The blinds are posted, ‘under the gun’ (UTG) folds, and I look down at A 10 of diamonds. My two options- Raise or fold- what would you do? (Limping in is not an option due to the size of blinds and opponents stack size).

First, think about the opponents. How are their stacks in relation to yours? - I was the short stack at the table, and currently, 720th of 730 players- nearly at the bottom of the field. The average stack size at this time was about 10,000.

What cards have your opponents been showing down? Have they been showing bluffs or AA? are they calling stations, hyper-aggressive, or passive? My table was mostly loose and betting and raising a lot, but not with many hands better than A 10 suited.

What seat are you sitting in? In relation to the other players, I was in early position, but with 6 people at each table, there is a better chance of winning with an all-in play to steal the blinds because there are less opponents than at a 9 person table.

What would you do? Fold or raise (and how much)?

So, I decided that I would play the A 10 of diamonds, all in, in order to either win the blinds, or win the showdown. The all-in from early position looks like a big hand and the only cards that can call are monster hands like AA KK or QQ, maybe AK or AQ. The player on the button re-raises my 3,000 bet and the blinds fold. We are now isolated to the flop- he turns over Kh Kc, and my A 10 d’s is in serious trouble.

The flop- Axx- all hearts. I caught my ace on the flop to take the lead in the hand, but the hearts gave my opponent the 4 flush. I was still in the lead at this point.

The turn- a 9, which missed both of us, and it wasn’t a heart. I have 1 more card to dodge. In order to win the showdown, I need to dodge on of the remaining Kings, or any heart (15 outs).

The river- the 3 of hearts.  My opponent hits the flush on the river and knocks me out of the tournament for the $750.00 top prize.

If I had folded, maybe I would have picked up a stronger A, or been able to make a steal and chip up that way. But the all-in play was my strongest option because I could possibly profit by winning the blinds. Had I called (limped in), the other player would have raised and I would be put to a difficult decision, but I could probably get off the weak A with a big late position raise. (remember, don’t limp in in these spots.) I should have folded and looked for a better spot to commit all my chips (closer to, if not on the dealer button), even with A 10 suited- This is a clear example of entering a pot, for all my chips, out of position, with a weak hand. No wonder I got knocked out!

Understanding this will help you to not make this same mistake and instead, observe this happening to players in your own live and online online games in order to profit and knock someone out at the same time.

I hope this helps you in your tournaments! please comment or post any questions you may have!

JArgiro

There are two very important things to pay attention to when it comes to choosing what hands to play in Hold’em. As a card player, these are aspects of the game that can help you to put the ‘puzzle’ together and master your cash game or tournament.

First, pay attention to all the ‘action’ that is taking place around you, because your position, or where you are seated in relation to the dealer, has much to do with what you can do with the cards you are dealt. The common name for this is the ‘texture’ of the table. Through observations, you can make classifications of what the texture is of any given table. It is made up of each individual players’ tendencies, behavior, and what they’re communicating with their body and bets- loose, tight, aggressive, passive, are common characteristics- but, there are many other ways to characterize players, such as creative, hyper aggressive or passive, scared, and any card sharks favorite, a fish. (We will discuss how player tendencies influence the cards they play in a later post.)

Knowing your tables’ patterns is the first step in picking hands to play in Hold’em. (Again, because it will help you identify the hands of your opponents.)

Next, how much money do you have in your chip stack? In a tournament, the ‘critical’ period starts when players get down to 15-20 big blinds. This is a good time to stick to what Phil Hellmuth calls the ‘top-ten hands’. (AA,KK,QQ, AK suited, JJ, 10-10, 9-9, 8-8, AQ suited, and 77). Pick up any of these hands and try to win a showdown for all your chips, or get out of the tournamant. If you have a very large stack, then protect it (no matter what stage of the tournament). Sticking to the top ten hands is crucial, but knowing when to fold them is more important. If the action is on you and there is a raise and a re-raise before you, fold 77. There is no need to get involved with a small wired pair. These are the kinds of hand that you use to put pressure on other opponents as the initial raiser. It is often more profitable to play suited connectors, suited semi-connectors, and small pocket pairs for a cheap price because these hands can counterfit hands like AJ, A 10, and even KK, QQ, etc. once the whole board has been dealt. Playing these cards cheaply also allows you to get out of the hand with out much investment if the betting becomes too big, or you miss the board. Remember- Once you get knocked out of a tournament you’re done! (unless there are re-buys allowed).

Cash games can be approached slightly different but it is still important to pick your hands in ‘good money’ situations. The beauty of cash games is that if you lose a hand and have no money left on the table, you can buy back in and continue playing on the next rotation. Just like in tournament poker, the Top-10 hand technique is a great starting strategy but it is not everything. Since the blinds are not increasing, players have the opportunity to sit back and wait for premium hands like AA and KK but this wont go unnoticed. Other players will pick up on all the folding and know that when you enter the pot you only have a premium hand, and they fold. Cash games are a great place to experiment with a wide variety of hands, you just must know how to ‘get out’ of certain ‘bad-money’ situations and this comes with understanding the ‘texture’ of the table, and of course, experience.

So, good luck! and please post questions to the blog. I will address questions and offer tips to help you in your home games and tournaments.

JArgiro