Assistanc3 Poker Blog

Quick Chips on the Bubble

Assistanc3 — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 01:30:11 +0000

Grabbing some chips to coast or boost into the money or final table. The bubble is the finishing place just before the money in a poker tournament. It can also be described as a finishing place where there is a difference in a payouts. Often times people will say they final table bubbled, they finished 1 off the final table (where the larger payouts are awarded). How can you put yourself in a position to gather up chips during this time of a tournament?

Poker is played different when it is the bubble stage of a tournament. Short stacks are looking to push to double up and others are looking to stay alive and crawl into the money. Those that are around the average stacks are less likely to get into a raise war or make confrontations that could make them bubble.

Playing with position is the key during the bubble stage looking to pick up and steal blinds and antes. Often you can get away with a small raise with marginal hands playing out of late to middle position, 2.5-3 bigblind bets will be enough to steal.

Your Looking to Steal Pots

vs players with smaller stacks then your own with the intention of putting pressure on them (out of position) that they could be sent to the rail on the bubble. At this point in the tournament if they (short stacks) have hand worth playing they have a hand worth pushing. The small raise will either be met by a strong re-raise where you can easily let go or a fold. A call is also possible which isn’t so bad because you have position.

Be aware that the larger stacks and players aware of the change of game around the bubble will make moves also which can put the pressure back on you with a re-raise. Average stack players who are oblivious to this time of game can also make things interesting. Pay attention to the players who make dramatic changes from their normal game.

Looking for opportunities around the bubble to steal chips is the difference from making it deeper into the payouts and having a decent amount of chips at final tables. Gather your chips with minimal risk by using position to achieve the reward of stacking them.

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Considering the Payout Structure

Assistanc3 — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 07:32:02 +0000

How the prize pool is distributed is different from site to site with 2 main differences in the percentage awarded. For the past 30 years the payouts have been about the same style known as the regular payout and some people prefer a flat payout structure.

What is the difference? Which do you prefer?

With a Regular Payout (most common) is 10% of the field (entrants) get paid which is very top heavy, rewarding those that play for first. A Flat Payout is 15% which makes it a easier to finish in the money.

I’m all for finishing in the money but at the same time I want my time and effort to be rewarded. With the way online poker now a days is played it really isn’t that hard to finish in the money with a flat payout structure. Play with patience and some understanding of the other players at the table and you will accumulate chips to double up your buyin.

Doubling up isn’t always worth that much time it takes to play, sure it is better then not making anything, no one wants to end the game busting out the money. A skilled poker player feels they will win every tournament they enter so why not get the most out of the prize pool.

Really the argument would be just that, for who is playing the game. If your a grinder or amateur player playing low level or online then the flat payout would be ideal. If your a pro having to travel to venues to play big tournaments then the regular payout is almost a necessity.

I was reading an article on Card Player Magazine that was dated back in 2001 how Barry Shulman (owner of Card Player), and T.J. Cloutier (the most successful tournament player in history) talked about the differences and their objections to the other payout structure.

Shulman prefers the flat structure and TJ prefers the regular structure.

The two bring up a valid points, personally I will side with TJ on this one because his view is about poker for the players, while Barry is all about marketing the game of poker.

Have a read over this article Payout Structure Debate by Mike Sexton
and lets talk about which payout structure you prefer.

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$2 4 Player HUSO Replay

Assistanc3 — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 10:11:52 +0000

This is a replay of a heads up shoot out match. Took a little longer then wanted to defeat the first player but he kept doubling back on me. The final was a little easier because while playing the first game I was watching the other table gathering notes.

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90 Player SnG Replay (2)

Assistanc3 — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 09:38:13 +0000

This is another SnG I was playing. Little more active then the other game but not much as this is still the same level of poker. As with 90 Player SnG Replay 1 I am looking for places to pick up chips and steal pots. I would have won this game if not for my flopped nut flush didn’t get rivered. I fought back hard actually from that point and kept composure.

During current Hold’em session dealt 265 hands and saw flop:
- 20 out of 44 times while in big blind (45%)
- 16 out of 43 times while in small blind (37%)
- 22 out of 178 times in other positions (12%)
- a total of 58 out of 265 (21%)
Pots won at showdown – 15 of 24 (62%)
Pots won without showdown – 39

Finished 3rd of 90

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90 Player SnG Replay (1)

Assistanc3 — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 09:24:09 +0000

I was playing 4 tables at once when this 90 Player SnG game started.
Finished in 6th place, although my last hand played was rather brutal decision but none the less I was shooting for first. This replay is to show you how to play with position and looking for spots to steal chips.

During current Hold’em session dealt 251 hands and saw flop:
- 22 out of 34 times while in big blind (64%)
- 9 out of 34 times while in small blind (26%)
- 12 out of 183 times in other positions (6%)
- a total of 43 out of 251 (17%)
Pots won at showdown – 10 of 13 (76%)
Pots won without showdown – 26

Finished 6th of 90

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Hole Cards in a Race HU

Assistanc3 — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 05:00:25 +0000

We have all been in the situation where we are either calling off our stack or making the push all-in. This entry is about the math and winning percentages of heads up.

Think of your favorite pocket pair and lets see how well it really does in the long term.

You might be surprised to see some of the numbers that follow.

Heads Up Races with Premium Hole Cards
What are Premium Hole Cards: AA, KK, QQ, JJ, AK suited, AK.
Already looking at the chart we can see how the numbers of how dominating these hands can be, and why we always would love to look down and see rockets every time.

These hands most of the time are the best hand going into the race in heads up, so it is your opponent that needs to improve to win.

Have a look at AKo vs the pair 66, premium doesn”t always mean better.

Heads Up Races with Pocket Pairs
When your hole cards already start off as a pair you are statistically favorite to win because you have a made hand, one pair. With the higher pairs compared to the lower pairs you can see how there is a difference in the winning percentage with a dramatic drop. This is because players with over cards need only to hit 1 of their 2 cards to improve. Now you will notice 2′s are 49%. That is because of times where the board 2 pairs and you are out kicked and you can only make the small end of draws and flushes.

The Hole Cards in a Race Heads Up was to show you the basic winning percentages of running the community cards in Texas Holdem, and not comparing them to what your opponent does have but vs all the other match ups that are possible.

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Position in Poker

Assistanc3 — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 13:25:36 +0000

Playing poker with position is the most profitable way to play winning poker, lets learn position to give yourself a better understanding of what it is and how to use it.

There are many poker plays that can be used at the tables, those are talked about below and will have other lessons branching off to better illustrate those moves.

What is Position

Having position is being the player to act last at the end of a betting round. Position allows you to set traps and force players to make tough decisions. It also gives you the most opportunities to draw to big pots that you can control.

Game Play How it Starts
After the two forced bets (the blinds) put in their chips the dealer deals 2 cards down to the players at the table, the first person to act on the pre flop (before the 3 community cards) is known as Under-the-Gun (UTG for short). All play follows clockwise after their play.

Under the Gun
Now because UTG is first to act they have no information regarding the other players hands at the table. Playing weaker hands from this position is a long term losing money play. Simply because of the action that follows after, where players Raise and Re-Raise and your looking down at a marginal hand out of position on the flop (the 3 community cards).

Early Position
Playing from early position is just as hard to make gains as playing from under the gun, with out any knowledge of other players hands you are always going to be forced to make tough decisions on the flop. That also goes with when you DO flop a big hand, with being one of the first players to act you actions tell other players about your hand.

Middle Position
Here is where things get interesting to play hands, weak or strong. Players can start to use information from the early position players and judge the strength of how to play. Many times you will have weak suited or low connector hand that gives you pot odds to call, also makes for a devolping pot with premium hold cards.

Late Position
Your last to act on this round and all other betting rounds when playing the flop/turn/river. Middle to Late position you can do some re-raising with marginal hands to try and steal against early callers or bets. You can even try to buy the button to give yourself THE last to act on betting rounds.

Blinds Position
When it is pre-flop the blinds are last to act, but on all other rounds with the community cards they are the first to act. Here players often will defend the blinds or play the odds, bluffing from the blinds is not uncommon but can in the long run lose money. Your expected value decreases, or better to term; your expected value increases with position, and the blinds are always out of position.

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Running on Empty

Assistanc3 — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 21:06:45 +0000

Rough day today and its only 5pm. It started off great after almost tripling up at a cash table, ended up leaving with two times my buyin and from there I thought today was gonna be another great day… turned out to be far from it.

Stress of waiting on people is something I never enjoy. I hate it, I don’t like depending on someone to get something. Grown up my entire life doing things on my own….grrr I should have took a break today, or at least got some sleep I’m cranky.

Was in chat and flushop was playing a $10 Omaha Hi/Lo on FullTilt and asked to join him, sure no problem. I see its $10 I click to register and take my seat.. grrrr Its a stupid 6 seater, no skill at all. Bad enough weeding through donks when its 10 seater.

I started off great, but much like today with this blog good things just don’t last do they? I was up to 4th ten hands in and the next time after that I looked at the leader board and seen I was 15th. What? After around 4-8 hands dropped that far.

Ended up getting reamed in the end but not as bad as MiniSOP Event 36 $20.

Again, started off great with my second post of the big blind, I did register late for this event. So I got T2 and under the gun limps in they fold to me I check. Ended up having pocket 9′s call me down with a T33 board that I was betting. Finished that hand off with a full house.

Then the fun stuff starts.
I limp in with JJ for 120, mid position re-raises to 500 I push for 3k, he calls with A9 and hits a set. All in A9 vs A5…. all out with the 5 on the flop.

Glad everyone else is having a good time

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Satellite $50,000 GTD

Assistanc3 — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 10:09:27 +0000

Went on to Full Tilt and looked around for a bit as I was rested from my nap earlier in the day trying to find a decent game to get into, there was plenty but I opted for a 200 FTPoint satellite to the $50,000 next weekend. I didn’t have anything on my schedule so trying to fill-er-up.

It had late registration open and a number of players had already been railed, when I got in there was 32 remaining with 10 gone. The tournament finished with 51 entrants and top 10 got an entry and 11th got there 200 points back.

We started with 300 chips and being it a super turbo marginal hands move up in value and with that being said first hand I got KJo and under the gun goes all-in. It gets folded around to me and I had auto call clicked, we go heads up KJo vs 44.
I turn a straight and double up and score the blinds.

The next hand I got pocket eights and its folded to me and I open shove and take the blinds, so now I look like a maniac which is great if I pick up a big hand. Which I do…..
Dealt to Assistanc3 [Ah Ac] vs A5 vs QQ won (825)

*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Assistanc3 [8d 3d], Assistanc3 calls 210
Assistanc3 wins the side pot (100) with three of a kind, Eights
Assistanc3 ties for the main pot (385) with three of a kind, Eights

*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Assistanc3 [As Jd]
player folds
Assistanc3 raises to 1,425, and is all in
flop / turn / river [2d Jh 5s [Td] [3s]
Assistanc3 shows [As Jd]
calls 95shows [7c 4c]
calls 1,400 shows [2h Ks]
calls 210 shows [Ad 8c]
*** FLOP *** [2d Jh 5s]
*** TURN *** [2d Jh 5s] [Td]
*** RIVER *** [2d Jh 5s Td] [3s]
Assistanc3 shows a pair of Jacks

Assistanc3 wins side pot #2 (2,330) with a pair of Jacks
Assistanc3 wins side pot #1 (495) with a pair of Jacks
Assistanc3 wins the main pot (380) with a pair of Jacks

I was a huge chip leader after that hand and basically folded the rest of the tournament where I ended up 2nd in chips which is meaningless as the top 10 pays the same.

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3rd in the $250 GTD

Assistanc3 — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 15:38:35 +0000

Was in the chat room this morning with ftw2009, Gnn56 and Vince who had already registered for the $250 GTD Turbo $5 buyin, I decided to get in on late registration which topped out at 41 entrants. It wasn’t a rebuy which I thought it would be, I thought I had seen ftw2009 mention that earlier….

I didn’t really play poker since it was a turbo tournament. When I had a hand or position I shoved my chips in preflop. Made some solid folds showing some patience with hands like ATo and KJs because I wasn’t the aggressor. Ya, I like to be in control…. of the action.

Rough Bluff and Tough
We got to final table where I picked up a couple ladies (QQ), they both held my hand as I re-raised all in called by AJo that didn’t improve and gave me enough chips to breath a bit. Was a little rough going in but was smooth release on the end.

Six hands later it gets checked to me on the big blind with 2 limpers while I am holding the always dominating 84o. The flop is 656, I’m thinking if I check this I probably check the flop and they bet and I have to fold and ruin my no fold stats. So I bluff at it and take it down with my table image.

That is back to back tournaments with basically the same stats.

Well some tough luck for me as my short stack holding J4c couldn’t get a break as A7o hits top pair to my 2nd pair, I only needed another heart on the river to make a turn around but it wasn’t meant to be.

In all it was a quick couple buckaroo’s that didn’t require much effort.

Taking down 3rd place and out lasting everyone in the chat room…
and not having to use 72

gg kids

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