I spent a little time this weekend writing down how I play the 5 handed single table tournament. I only see 4 positions in the shorts. Every round, you're the BB, SM or button 3 out of 5 hands. This means you're gonna see flops, and in my opinion, you need to see plenty of them to get the best chance to get to headsup, which is my objective. I give myself a 40% chance of a win when I'm shortstacked going in heads up.
Early play - BB: $10 to $100.
BB:
Almost a free look every time. If there is a double of the BB from under the gun, and one caller, pot odds dictate a call with any two cards.
SB:
You see the flop for half price, almost every time. I'll only give it up if there are no callers and I don't have anything of a hand, especially early in the tournament. If there is a double of the BB and two callers, again, you have pot odds to make a call with any two cards.
Button, and next to button:
Oddly, even with position, I'm much more apt to call only with better cards. I have no reason to to play here, and I need something in the way of cards for a looksee. Even though the button is position, I tend to believe that position matters less in these games than in full tables.
Third from button or Under the gun:
Here, I like to see something at least pleasant; Ax, two cards 19 or more, High suits. suited connectors.
This all sounds like a recipie for disaster. But my goal is to see a lot of flops. I've got to do this as cheaply as possible. I've spent very little money seeing the flop, and given I get no pair or no draw on the flop, I'm done. On the other hand, Top pair, 2 pair, or a great draw to 1st or second nut straight or flush is worthy of a half - to pot sized stab at a win. Anything less than a reraise is little cause for concern. Your superior powers of observation will let you know if you're in trouble from a superior hand.
What this accomplishes is enough catches on the flop enough to make up for the loose play, and your aggressive style should steadily increase your ammunition. If your stack dwindles too much, fall back into a tighter mode.
Because you're only watching 5 people, you should get excellent reads on every player relatively quickly. Pay less attention to your weaker opponents: the poor bettors (oversized bets), the rocks and the pure maniac. Pay more attention to an aggressive tight player, or a controlled maniac, because these will likely be your competition when it's heads up.
Mid Game - BB: 100-200
Once your stack hits 2500, you've reached a good goal. Change gears, revert to a more conservative style. Try to maintain/slowly increase untill heads up. The blinds should increase and make folks desparate enough to whittle down the competition by the time blinds get to. Worst case, you will be against an opponent who thinks you will be a docile, easy target, who has a stack of about 4k.
late game - BB:200+
If you still have 3 players, the situation is becoming more volatile. It will be tougher to maintain a lead or a decent stack. Use your mid game conservative image for successful selective aggression. Keep an eye out for stealing oppourtunities. Avoid doubling the shortstack at all costs.
Heads up: Worst case, you catch second, and you've paid for your game. I think this is the proper attitude to have when playing here. Keep in mind to be patient, but remember to be bolder, the shorter your stack. I find an opponent is much more likely to call an all in rather than a nearly all-in bet.
All this said, at heads up, instantly change gears. Be a controlled maniac. Raise with any face, Trap with the top 10 hands. Always call the big blind and a simple raise even with trash (if the flop comes trash, have a crack at it, even if it misses you), but never call a truly raised pot with nothing. When you raise prelop rarely go more than 3x BB. You need action. Drop the fight quickly if it will damage you and you don't believe you have the best hand. Victory, (or something well worth your time) will be yours soon.
Early play - BB: $10 to $100.
BB:
Almost a free look every time. If there is a double of the BB from under the gun, and one caller, pot odds dictate a call with any two cards.
SB:
You see the flop for half price, almost every time. I'll only give it up if there are no callers and I don't have anything of a hand, especially early in the tournament. If there is a double of the BB and two callers, again, you have pot odds to make a call with any two cards.
Button, and next to button:
Oddly, even with position, I'm much more apt to call only with better cards. I have no reason to to play here, and I need something in the way of cards for a looksee. Even though the button is position, I tend to believe that position matters less in these games than in full tables.
Third from button or Under the gun:
Here, I like to see something at least pleasant; Ax, two cards 19 or more, High suits. suited connectors.
This all sounds like a recipie for disaster. But my goal is to see a lot of flops. I've got to do this as cheaply as possible. I've spent very little money seeing the flop, and given I get no pair or no draw on the flop, I'm done. On the other hand, Top pair, 2 pair, or a great draw to 1st or second nut straight or flush is worthy of a half - to pot sized stab at a win. Anything less than a reraise is little cause for concern. Your superior powers of observation will let you know if you're in trouble from a superior hand.
What this accomplishes is enough catches on the flop enough to make up for the loose play, and your aggressive style should steadily increase your ammunition. If your stack dwindles too much, fall back into a tighter mode.
Because you're only watching 5 people, you should get excellent reads on every player relatively quickly. Pay less attention to your weaker opponents: the poor bettors (oversized bets), the rocks and the pure maniac. Pay more attention to an aggressive tight player, or a controlled maniac, because these will likely be your competition when it's heads up.
Mid Game - BB: 100-200
Once your stack hits 2500, you've reached a good goal. Change gears, revert to a more conservative style. Try to maintain/slowly increase untill heads up. The blinds should increase and make folks desparate enough to whittle down the competition by the time blinds get to. Worst case, you will be against an opponent who thinks you will be a docile, easy target, who has a stack of about 4k.
late game - BB:200+
If you still have 3 players, the situation is becoming more volatile. It will be tougher to maintain a lead or a decent stack. Use your mid game conservative image for successful selective aggression. Keep an eye out for stealing oppourtunities. Avoid doubling the shortstack at all costs.
Heads up: Worst case, you catch second, and you've paid for your game. I think this is the proper attitude to have when playing here. Keep in mind to be patient, but remember to be bolder, the shorter your stack. I find an opponent is much more likely to call an all in rather than a nearly all-in bet.
All this said, at heads up, instantly change gears. Be a controlled maniac. Raise with any face, Trap with the top 10 hands. Always call the big blind and a simple raise even with trash (if the flop comes trash, have a crack at it, even if it misses you), but never call a truly raised pot with nothing. When you raise prelop rarely go more than 3x BB. You need action. Drop the fight quickly if it will damage you and you don't believe you have the best hand. Victory, (or something well worth your time) will be yours soon.
No comments:
Post a Comment