Help with odd tournament structure
Help. I am at my cottage. There is a tiny little casino nearby. I am going to play the local poker tournament on Tuesday, but the format is… well… unusual.
Three preliminary rounds.
Each round consists of one table of nine players. The players play 18 hands or one hour, whichever is shorter. Then, the three players with the most chips advance to the final table.
The final table is the same… 18 hands, top three chip-counts split the money, most for 1st, then 2nd and 3rd.
So… how do you play this tournament?
Three preliminary rounds.
Each round consists of one table of nine players. The players play 18 hands or one hour, whichever is shorter. Then, the three players with the most chips advance to the final table.
The final table is the same… 18 hands, top three chip-counts split the money, most for 1st, then 2nd and 3rd.
So… how do you play this tournament?
Comments
Is this a trick question? I think the best way is not to play!
If I were to play, I would play hyper aggressive and either lose first or make it. I don't think there is much else to do. You need to be pretty lucky in 18 hands.
Don't panic. We're sending beer.
Oh wait, there was more...
Hmmm...interesting question.
I would note that, for the preliminary round, simply folding every hand might be sufficient to get you into the top three. When I think of the first couple of orbits of a SNG at Stars, my $1,460 usually ends up being 3rd or 4th in chips by simply not playing a hand.
When only your rank after two orbits matters to the outcome, limping in for a single big blind once more than anyone else does may be FAR more costly than you're used too.
Also, the very last hand of the preliminary round is key. Bring your accountants and mathematicians along for the ride, because the optimal strategy for that particular hand can be pretty messy to compute.
"Okay, so if Seat 8 ends up winning side pot number 4 but losing the main pot, I would have been better off folding..."
I can't think of too many quick and dirty rules of thumb for the final hand, but I'd probably move all-in automatically if I wasn't currently in the top 4 or 5 in chips. And pay attention to the 1 hour time limit and the hand number as you go along.
ScottyZ
More seriously, I'm sure that these restrictions on who advances, and how, should actually create a heavily math-based 'optimal' strategy, as Scotty alluded to. The problem is that I'm not sure what that optimal strategy might be. If someone figures it out (ie: if 'x' number of players are at or below 'y' number of chips the correct strategy is 'z') please enlighten me.
A) Â Very tight play
So I guess your strategy would be based on what you get there
while I probably wouldn't play that tourney, I think I might just play ultra aggressive 2 card holdem. Â If I"m within 3 of the dealer all in with Ax suited (I"m assuming it's nl) or any 20 or better. Â steal a few blinds and come in the top 3. Â If you get called your probably a coin toss. Â
If it's ultra aggessive I'd just sit and watch.
400 starting chips.
9 hands of $10-20 limit hold'em
9 hands of $10-20 blinds no-limit hold'em.
Top three advance.
My first thought was that the 9 limit hands would be almost irrelevant. But, no. A BIG $10-20 pot would me a big difference to a $400 stack. The players were... well... not that good. In the limit hold'em section there was not a single pre-flop raise.
I played only one hand in the first nine, limping in with K-To and then folding.
In the first hand of no-limit I was the big blind with K-7s. Flop a flush draw and call small bets on flop and turn and then fold.
In the next hand, I call in the SB with 5-4o. Flop is Q-4-4. Woohoo. I lose on the river to a young guy who was really trying to play well. I called his hand EXACLTY when I priced him in on the river and then got raised for my last $50: "You have A-Q diamonds." I lost to his runner-runner diamond flush. So, at least I felt good about my read (o course, I still called, so I wasn't THAT sure).
First one eliminated.
Wonder if it would make sense to play very tight during the limit hands so players will think you play conservative, and then start firing once NL starts.
ha! first out? i thought you were supposed to be good?!
j/k, that's what my friends say to me whenever i go out first, my friends that suck.