Posted by Dr Fro 11:09 AM
I am playing in a $200 tournement next week. Thats a lot of gidda. It is clear from the rules that this is not exactly a bunch of Vegas sharks. My first clue was the lengthy discussion of how to play Holdem. My second clue was the numerous rules that were very, shall we say, un-standard. The organiser must not have a lot of experience in playing in tournaments, or the rules would have been more, um, standard.

Of course, it is a leap to assume that the entire field will have an equal lack of experience. But it isnt that much of a leap, so I will make that assumption and make certain adjustments to my play. Specifically, I will apply the lesson learned from Hunter the Caller (aka Hunter the Straight Maker) that you cant make a move on an inexperienced player.

I may get knocked out, but I won't make the same mistake twice.

There are several other adjustments that I will need to make on my strategy based on the format. For instance, the top 2 from each table go to the final table. This is also known as a shootout. It is the format used in Maverick and it is also a pretty crappy format, based on personal experience. However, I am not here to complain, but to explain adjustments. I think the biggest adjustment is that I should lose the sense of urgency I usually have in tournaments. You see, usually, if you are doing fairly well, but a guy at another table is doing tremendously well, you are screwed. You usually have to build big stacks early so as to not end up at the final table short stacked, but not in a shootout. Nope, I have all the time in the world to win my table's chips and if a guy at another table shoots out ahead, he will end up sitting on the sidelines for 3 hours watching me bide my time and slowly accumulate chips.

This plays into the second adjustment...at the final table, there will be very little disparity in stacks, as every pair of players that came from the same table will (between them) have the same amount as all other pairs. Also, blinds are adjusted at this point so that they wont jeopardise the stacks. I think this makes it easier to sit tight, watch others duke it out, and slide into 3rd or 2nd place w/o really ever playing a hand. However, the discrepancy between 1st and 2nd is huge (4.4x) so, there is an incentive to go for the gusto. I will be weighing the pros and cons of my final table strategy for 24 hours leading up to it. I'll keep you posted.

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