WSOP Limit Event 1500.00 (#4)
Hi Guys,
First post, long time reader (lurker if you would like). Now I am set to go play in the 1500 limit game, as I am a solid 10-20,20-40 live limit player, plus doing very well online with limit sit and goes and mtt. Now my question to all of you going to play in the tourney is how are you going to adjust to the blind structure. Now each level is 1 hour but it almost seems as though we are short stacked going into the tourney. From what I read the blinds start at 25/25 with only 1500 in chips, now playing most limit tournies online we usually start with double that.
My own stats have shown pretty me in the past 6 months you pretty much need to hit a big hand every 4-6 orbits to keep up with blinds and not get sucked out on (once again online blinds seem to go up anywhere between 5-20 minute intervals).Â
Here is my limit tourney strategy that I have refined over the past year to ensure I usually make the money or win the tourney. My SNG money finishes is close to 65% playing over 200 games this year...now I do not know if that is a valid % as I don't take into account the higher the buy in, supposedly the stronger the field (ie 6 dollar game vs. 77 dollar,etc).Â
SNG Strategy
First several rounds play only face cards, raising AA,KK, AK suited, calling or limping with QQ JJ, KQ, KJ, A10....sometimes a raise depending on position and texture of table...but 80% of the time is a call....40-60% a call to a raise....(recently dropped that percentage as I find junk seems to hit the flop most times when you call a raise when you are in late position with more than 2 people in the hand already.Â
Now the idea in these early rounds is to hit a decent hand a win a pot and coast to round 2 or 3. Then by that time some donkey has been knocked out as they are playing every hand....
Mid rounds I hit 1 or 2 more hands and usually have a chip count around 3500+. From that point, once the blinds get to 100-200 and up I play position with raises and steals (Due to my tight table image I get away with stealing).
Final 4 or ITM play....aggressive and raising or leading...that usually secures me a money finish or first place.
MTT Strategy
Usually works with the same idea but I try to double the amount of hands I want to hit in each blind level (just due to the field you are playing against, and the number of chasers in the lower blind levels)
The strategy stays the same and once again as the blinds increase I try to pick off the tighter players with some steal raises and occasional check raises only after I have shown down big hands.
I guess after all this, does anyone have an opinion on how this strategy would fair playing in a larger field and in as I have only played in larger NL fields which you can push more, steal more, etc.Â
All in all I would like to brainstorm with people going to play the limit game to see if we can hammer out some sort of strategy to push the canucks through the pack.Â
Thanks again, and be nice, its my first postÂ
First post, long time reader (lurker if you would like). Now I am set to go play in the 1500 limit game, as I am a solid 10-20,20-40 live limit player, plus doing very well online with limit sit and goes and mtt. Now my question to all of you going to play in the tourney is how are you going to adjust to the blind structure. Now each level is 1 hour but it almost seems as though we are short stacked going into the tourney. From what I read the blinds start at 25/25 with only 1500 in chips, now playing most limit tournies online we usually start with double that.
My own stats have shown pretty me in the past 6 months you pretty much need to hit a big hand every 4-6 orbits to keep up with blinds and not get sucked out on (once again online blinds seem to go up anywhere between 5-20 minute intervals).Â
Here is my limit tourney strategy that I have refined over the past year to ensure I usually make the money or win the tourney. My SNG money finishes is close to 65% playing over 200 games this year...now I do not know if that is a valid % as I don't take into account the higher the buy in, supposedly the stronger the field (ie 6 dollar game vs. 77 dollar,etc).Â
SNG Strategy
First several rounds play only face cards, raising AA,KK, AK suited, calling or limping with QQ JJ, KQ, KJ, A10....sometimes a raise depending on position and texture of table...but 80% of the time is a call....40-60% a call to a raise....(recently dropped that percentage as I find junk seems to hit the flop most times when you call a raise when you are in late position with more than 2 people in the hand already.Â
Now the idea in these early rounds is to hit a decent hand a win a pot and coast to round 2 or 3. Then by that time some donkey has been knocked out as they are playing every hand....
Mid rounds I hit 1 or 2 more hands and usually have a chip count around 3500+. From that point, once the blinds get to 100-200 and up I play position with raises and steals (Due to my tight table image I get away with stealing).
Final 4 or ITM play....aggressive and raising or leading...that usually secures me a money finish or first place.
MTT Strategy
Usually works with the same idea but I try to double the amount of hands I want to hit in each blind level (just due to the field you are playing against, and the number of chasers in the lower blind levels)
The strategy stays the same and once again as the blinds increase I try to pick off the tighter players with some steal raises and occasional check raises only after I have shown down big hands.
I guess after all this, does anyone have an opinion on how this strategy would fair playing in a larger field and in as I have only played in larger NL fields which you can push more, steal more, etc.Â
All in all I would like to brainstorm with people going to play the limit game to see if we can hammer out some sort of strategy to push the canucks through the pack.Â
Thanks again, and be nice, its my first postÂ
Comments
He would be the one to comment on how to play with such a big field.
All Aces response "Just wait around till you make the final table, then try to bet Aces out of the pot with your Dueces"
Here are a few things to consider regarding online tournaments vs the WSOP Limit structure. There is a huge difference and you are far from shortstacked.
1. An online limit tournament with 400 entries will last around 4-6 hrs. This tournament will last will last anywhere from 2-3 days. The 1st 2 days will probably be 12hr sessions.
2. In the WSOP you will only play around 1/2 the number of hands per hour compared to online play. Possibly even less which would not be surprising at all.
3. You will be playing 1hr levels compared to the 15 minute levels that you play online. The 1hr levels at the WSOP gives you plenty of leeway to play your game.
4. If you have never played in a casino or in any live big tournaments your biggest challenge will be you. What I mean by this is that you will have to be extremely patient and your concentration levels will have to remain very high for a long period of time.
I had planned to play this same event this year. Unfortunately work commitments will make this impossible.
Best of luck!
One of the bonuses with the longer blind levels live is I will be able to pick up on tells and betting tendancies (I plan on bringing a notepad and making notes to refer to as the tourney goes forward)
My overall strategy for day one will be to play big cards in 2-3 way pots, and if I am able to build up a safe stack expand a bit to suited connectors and such for the drawing hands, obviously I need to be careful as you can quickly start to dump chips as I have read in All Aces trip report from last year, that was quite a good synopsis.
Keep the suggestions/tips coming!!! Thanks everyone,
Good Luck and keep us posted.
Thanks! That would be the extent of what I would have to say about LHE tournaments... pick your spots, bluff sometimes, make the big calls against the right players, and try to make the final table!
Ass.
Well being my first time to Vegas it was unbelievable. So much to do, so little time. Got to my hotel Wednesday night, hopped over to Rio and finished my registration. Walking into that convention center takes you back....I walked in during the pot limit game, watched Freddy Deeb and the Grinder at the same table....spoke with both of them during their break in hands.Â
Then saw Carlos with his monster stack from the NL game. It was definitely interesting. They had day 1 going for one game, day two finishing for another game and when my game started the next day, they had all 3 going on (the final table from the NL, day 2 from PL and our day 1 for the limit).
Onto the action....
Got over at the Rio at around 10:30 am enough to settle in, look around and watch some cash game action. Noon hit and we took our seats. I was on table 6 seat 4...good seat actually because you get to watch the table. Within about 5 minutes I had profiles set up on the entire table (well except for 2 late people, who conveniently were beside me and I stole blinds
2 guys were Vegas regulars playing all WSOP events, one cashed in the NL game the day before knocking out Helmuth (so I kept my eye out for him...). There were a couple of other look to be internet players, a guy who didn't move at all, and a young guy who came with his G/F (poor guy couldn't play to save his life) along with an old rock who sat on my other side.
The 25/25 blind length was actually quite easy...my early worries of getting chopped away at were easily gone after about 20 minutes when I realized people wanted to exchange blinds and were respecting a certain amount of raise re-raise mentality. I didn't play a hand although until 45minutes in...sorta forced action. KQ off in late position, made a raise, (hoping for a fold) however sb called...flop came all under cards...I did a continuation bet after the check...turn came a blank, SB checked again I bet out and took the pot down...first hand under my belt I was good to go....
The next hour the same slow pace (well fast dealing) slow chip movement saw me move to around 1350...for the most part I didn't move up or down past 1100-1200 chips for the first 3 hours....which was good..I liked hovering around even knowing the others at my table were playing very aggressive and playing way too many hands, showing down bluffs and draws which was good information I used later
Finally a key hand....I picked up JJ in late position. UTG,3,4,5,6 all called. YUCK....with the blinds at 50/100 this was a bad point. I had two thoughts, raise and show strength as I was already getting respect from my rock image, or smooth call and if a AKQ hit I could excape with minimal damage. I called. Flop came 10,4,7. No flush draw. But at this point it is checked to me. I check (incase the trap is being set, and watching what was being called I expected a set or 10/7 off from mid position.
Turn comes a 3. Now I think about a possible straight but once again it is checked to me, and now I know I am good with my JJ as anyone with a piece of the board would have bet. But I get two callers, not bad, but now I know there is a draw or K/10 or A/10 out there. River a 3. checked to me again, I bet, and get called...I flip the JJ and the other two muck.
Now I am in control of the table, people are starting to get knocked out from my table as they are missing draws and betting bottom pair. I build my chip stack up to 4000.00 and the blinds move up and I hit the 200-400 mark. I am in 3rd on my table, top has 5500 and 2nd has about 4500-4800 (I was trying to keep track without making it look that obvious that I was watching)
This is where disaster strikes....
Late position I get dealt A7 diamonds. I raise, and BB a short stack (about 2500 calls). Flop comes A72 with a diamond on the board. BB bets, I raise, he re-raises, he re-raises me, and I cap. In my head I am thinking A2 or a possible set. Which scared the crap out of me...as if he has a set I am screwed. The turn is a diamond. BB checks???? Now I realize I am ahead, he has an A but doesn't know if his kicker is good. I rule out the set because he was short and with the turn bet being 400 he has 3-4 bets left and knowing my aggression with big hands he is stuck. So I bet out 400, he raises 800, I raise 1200, he just calls....NOW I KNOW I AM GOOD....river J.....BB bets out.....JEEEZZZZZ....he hit his J and I know his cards right away, I muck my cards up and say nice hand as he flips AJ.
That kills my stack going into break and we start 300/600 and I am crippled. My ending hand mid way through 300-600 is 10/10 called by AK and KK....needless to say, no set for me. If my A/7 had held up I would have been in total control...
In hinesight two errors I made
1. Playing a hand before the break (dummy...could have had 20 minutes relaxing)
2. Playing A7 diamonds (trying to steal...it also went against what I had been doing (playing late position and playing only cards adding to 20 or better...)
Would I play again, most definitely......but instead of buying straight in I will be playing all their satelite games as they are really soft and you can either take the 1500 or 3000 in cash or a buy in.
:ah :ah
Cameron
I will definitely feel confident going back next year and probably playing all the limit wsop events but satelite my way into them for 175.00 instead of the 1500 buy in...even though I made my money back from side games and SNG tournies at Luxor and MGM Grand.