Cant seem to build enough chips
Hi everyone
As you probably know im new here, so i'll give you a little background. I've been playing NL Holdem for just over a year, im 29 years old, and i have dark brown hair........that should about do it.
Two weeks ago I thought I would try out the 250,000 at poker stars, I placed about 139th, this week I place about 105th (in the money).There was about 1900 entrys, so I'm not totalyy disappointed with my finishes but I want to do a lot better. I can usually get above the average stack at the start and then try to pick my pots. But around the 175 spot I seem to be sucking wind. In late position should I be tryin to steal blinds with K10 off or K9 off ..... or is this to risky? What about A6off?
Thanks In advance
Wade Graham (Wader)
As you probably know im new here, so i'll give you a little background. I've been playing NL Holdem for just over a year, im 29 years old, and i have dark brown hair........that should about do it.
Two weeks ago I thought I would try out the 250,000 at poker stars, I placed about 139th, this week I place about 105th (in the money).There was about 1900 entrys, so I'm not totalyy disappointed with my finishes but I want to do a lot better. I can usually get above the average stack at the start and then try to pick my pots. But around the 175 spot I seem to be sucking wind. In late position should I be tryin to steal blinds with K10 off or K9 off ..... or is this to risky? What about A6off?
Thanks In advance
Wade Graham (Wader)
Comments
You should steal EVERY SINGLE TIME THAT IT IS FAVOURABLE TO DO SO.
To get over the hump in a tournament and "build some chips" you will certainly need to steal. You will also need to re-steal (more judiciously).
Off the top of me head, here are some things that I consider when looking at stealing the blinds. More or less in order of importance (to me):
(1) The size of the BB (and SB) stacks. If they are too small then you cannot steal and you need to make sure you are the favourite over a random hand before moving on them.
(2) The type of player that the big blind is. Does he routinely defend his blinds? If so, does he routinely check and fold when he misses the flop? There are frequently situations in which you shouls stea with ANY TWO CARDS.
(3) My cards. Generally, before the hand is dealt I have assessed #1 and #2 and I have decided "what I will do with what cards." It is mosly a case of randomizing my hands appropriately. My gradations are "Any two;" "Extended Six handed steal pack" "Six handed steal pack" "Late position attack pack" and "Rock rock rock"
(4) As the cards are dealt, look for tells. Many players look at their cards before it is their turn to act and you will know what they are going to do. For example, a reliable rock in the big blind peeks and then cocks his hand to fold... go with "any two." He places his card gaurd on his cards, go with "late position attack pack" or "rock rock rock."
A small contribution. I have won enough tourneys etc. and I must say, in the ones I do best in there is usually a moment when I steal around 6/9 hands in a round. Once I stole 7 in a row in the 400 800 blinds round in a stars rebuy. That was crazy (mind you I had some hands) In the Wcoop tourney i came 5th in, my stats where something stupid like pots at showdown 53%. I did so well because 13% of all the hands I played I won w/o showdown.
STEALSTEALSTEAL is what I say... It's certainly an extremely difficult thing to master in poker, this "art of the steal" but I LOVE IT.
Oh, and if your playing me, I never steal, I only play the nuts.
PEACE
I noticed a guy from Vancouver--Bonsai--came 6th in the 1K limit event for 27K USD. Was this you? If not, which event was it, and how much did it pay? Congrats on making it that far in a WCOOP tourney... very nicely done.
Regards,
all_aces
My appologies, but I dont quite understand what you are meaning here Dave:
(3) My cards. Generally, before the hand is dealt I have assessed #1 and #2 and I have decided "what I will do with what cards." It is mosly a case of randomizing my hands appropriately. My gradations are "Any two;" "Extended Six handed steal pack" "Six handed steal pack" "Late position attack pack" and "Rock rock rock"
Also harthgosh,
Do you steel blinds with absolutely anything and just look for the right opportunity. 72o I jsut don't have the Kahoonahs.
Thanks again
Wade Graham
(1) BB is SUPER tight player who will not call with anything other A-A to J-J or A-K I will raise with "any two."
(2) The BB and game generally has gotten too tight (near the bubble) I will put in the "extended six handed steal pack." Any ace, Any suited king, Any two cards 9+, andy two suited 7+, any suited connectors (or one or two gap), or any pair.
(3) Game is a little too tight and you have a reluctant BB -- the "six handed steal pack."
(4) Game is about right and you have some skilled movers in the blinds "the late position attack pack" and
(5) Very tough and tricky player in the big blind with lots of chips "Rock rock rock."
If I have been very active I will tent to tighten up. Even the most unobservant players eventually notice if you ALWAYS steal their blind. Poke a weakling in the chest enough times and he eventually -- and against his better judgement -- will throw a punch.
There are FREQUENTLY opportunities in tournament play in which you should steal with ANY TWO CARDS. I was busted out of a tournament last night at the Emerald in Saskatoon moving all-in pre-flop with 9-4s. I got called by the big blind's A-Ks (in my suit). Doh! I am pretty sure, however, that this was a proper time to move "with any two."
Dave
Im just curious, what position where you in, and when you say your pretty sure this was the proper time to move, was this against an "any two" opponent. Sorry for dragging this out but I want to really work on this part of my game.
Thanks Again
Wader
Blinds were 200-400. I have 1100 left after posting my small blind of 200 so he had to call 900. There was also 200 dead money in the blinds because the button (who had folded) was also a 200 small blind.
This is precisely a situation in which I an fairly certain that moving with any two will be profitable. He had a fair number of chips, but a 900 hit would have hurt. The problem that the big blind finds himself in is that there are LOTS of hands that are positive EV to call my liberal raising range with, but it is VERY HIGH VARIANCE. The all-in move here with any two give the BB a very difficult choice. You could even announce to him "I am going to move all-in blind if it is folded to me" and then do it and it would, I think, be a very postiive EV play. I don't recommend it if you have lots of chips, but I was (1) getting low, (2) still had enough that my raise was not inconsequential to the average stack, and (3) was in danger of getting blinded down too far in the next lap of the button.
Sometimes you gotta make your own opportunities.
Suppose, for sake of argument, that my opponent would have called with any ace, any pair, K-Q, and K-J. Against that range of hand my 9-4s has a 38% chance of winning.
So, he will call with 240 out of 1326 hands (somebody check my math). That means that 82 % of the time I win the blinds no contest. Of the other 18 % I win 38% of those.
So 82 times I win 800 = 65,600
6 times I win 1700 = 10,200
And twelve times I lose 1100 = -13,200
(65,600 + 10,200 - 13,200) / 100 = 626 per hand positive EV. Wow.
[There is probably a more elegant way to figure this out, but I have always done my work this way because it is intuitive to me]
Losing is catastrophic, but it only happens about on in ten attempts. Shove the chips in.
To turn the tables on me and make this a negative EV hand he has to call with a WIDE range of hands, but he is loathe to do so since even though it is positive EV for him it is marginally so.