Joined: Oct '09
Location: Spain
Age: 60 (M)
Posts: 2851
I've won a couple of step 2 tickets on FT, and wanted to see how the competition plays the higher steps. I watched a 9 player step 5 S&G ($209 buy-in) turbo. I saw 10 flops, about 1 for every player that got kicked. in 1m45s 3 people were already out. By the time the blinds were only 40-80, the game was over (about 13min.). An FT pro was also playing.
I don't get it! NO raises, NO playing position, NO poker.... It was just a HUGE coinflip with people going in with things like J-10 (3 players got kicked that way), and any small pair.
Is this the way high buy-ins are played, really? OK, it was a turbo, but the blinds never got beyond 40-80!
Can someone please explain this to me? Really, I need to know before I try stepping up.
Joined: May '09
Location: Estonia
Age: 35 (M)
Posts: 777
Posted by IslandJack: I've won a couple of step 2 tickets on FT, and wanted to see how the competition plays the higher steps. I watched a 9 player step 5 S&G ($209 buy-in) turbo. I saw 10 flops, about 1 for every player that got kicked. in 1m45s 3 people were already out. By the time the blinds were only 40-80, the game was over (about 13min.). An FT pro was also playing.
I don't get it! NO raises, NO playing position, NO poker.... It was just a HUGE coinflip with people going in with things like J-10 (3 players got kicked that way), and any small pair.
Is this the way high buy-ins are played, really? OK, it was a turbo, but the blinds never got beyond 40-80!
Can someone please explain this to me? Really, I need to know before I try stepping up.
Wow, that sounds crazy. I played steps in Pokerstars, and at level 5-6 were really decent poker.
it's just a suggestion but don't you think it was one of those superturbos where they only start with 300 in chips. Although it still sounds weird, also playing superturbo at those stakes
Joined: Mar '10
Location: Greece
Age: 54 (M)
Posts: 505
well Jack, I think this is a perfect example of what I meant in your Monthly Million post by encouraging you to play SUPER AGGRESSIVE in the later stages if the circumstances demand it....
I guess it's a friggin' game of power in these higher levels and higher stakes. EVERYONE after a while feels his stack is commited to an all-in if he doesn't fold his cards and gets to play the hand. And it's obvious that you show better strength if you shove first and let the others decide if they want to call you rather than calling another one's all-in....
By shoving first and not doing the 3x raise you have the opportunity to knock a couple of players off the hand that you feel they would normally call you... and this way you go only with one or two opponents to the showdown, which gives you better all-in odds, even if you shoved with middle pairs...
Another thing that I've given it a lot of thought is that such players really don't feel that the buy-in they paid is A LOT OF MONEY, so it's like they're playing small stakes and are not afraid to gamble and do coinflips... So what SEEMS to be donkey play my friend, is actually the result of DEEP METAGAME of them... knowing what the others on the table would do and adjusting perfectly to it and doing it FIRST!...
In one $20 SnG I've folded a set of Tens on the turn after being all-in raised and another one called the all-in... the board was scary for a flush and had two Jacks, so I said it's very possible that another one of these two all-in callers has the nuts... Just imagine my surprise when I saw the one had K-9 offsuit and the other who made the first shove had 2-6 suited(!!!), but NOT the suit that was flush drawn on the board... I learnt a lesson that day... Super Aggro is maybe the only way to scare the tight players and get their chips...
Of course these are just personal thoughts, but this is what I have concluded so far after having spent some thoughts on it... Good luck!
Joined: Oct '09
Location: Spain
Age: 60 (M)
Posts: 2851
@ILI_002
I understand the theory as you explain it, but it still seems to me that I would be risking the tournament with too much agression. I agree that, for them, $209 might be peanuts or small change, and that's all I could think while watching that S&G. Thanks for your thought. I'm going to have to do a lot of reading and "thinking" before the big tourney.
Have a look at the post "I went another way" again.
I wrote you some things about how I qualified in the freerolls to the MM.
Joined: Jan '10
Location: Germany
Age: 32 (M)
Posts: 1379
Posted by IslandJack: I've won a couple of step 2 tickets on FT, and wanted to see how the competition plays the higher steps. I watched a 9 player step 5 S&G ($209 buy-in) turbo. I saw 10 flops, about 1 for every player that got kicked. in 1m45s 3 people were already out. By the time the blinds were only 40-80, the game was over (about 13min.). An FT pro was also playing.
I don't get it! NO raises, NO playing position, NO poker.... It was just a HUGE coinflip with people going in with things like J-10 (3 players got kicked that way), and any small pair.
Is this the way high buy-ins are played, really? OK, it was a turbo, but the blinds never got beyond 40-80!
Can someone please explain this to me? Really, I need to know before I try stepping up.
i dont get it either. it only sounds like blewing away some money ô.0 !
Joined: Jun '09
Location: France
Age: 43 (M)
Posts: 670
Hello everybody! Sure, it's strange as hyper aggressive. Why not wait to have a better power to put their stake in the first blinds. See you soon for new posts lol!
