4 replies to this topic

[avesher]

I like to play online tourneys (stud, pl hold em, nl hold em). I was looking for advice on how to play the smaller fee tourneys--I tend to play 5+1 entry fee tourneys only. I lean to Phil Hellmuths Play Poker Like the Pros strategy but my luck has been midrange at best. Any advice is greatly welcomed. Thank you.

[bdluss]

For God's sake read a different book, Hellmuth's writing and style he advocated (mind you he doesnt play that style because it is not a winning one) is horrible. Read something by Skalansky on tournament poker.

[DCWildcat]

Some players like to play very aggressively early, trying to take advantage of new players ("oh my god! I'm in a tournament! I won't play anything but aces!") and building up a chip stack to cruise with. I don't see anything wrong with that, though it's not my strategy.

[naugie]

Hellmuth's book is good for beginners. Once you learn to read the situation better though, he did say introduce the lessor hands like connectors. He also said alot of stuff in the advanced section that you need to look elsewhere for explanation. Theory of poker is very good in this, as well as Holdem for Advanced players, though the latter is a limit book, and only it's theory should be adapted to nolimit, not it's starting hand requirements or how it suggests to play certain hands, although much of it is helpful in understanding how to think. It's getting to the point that Top 10 hands in the small sitngos is getting so used that an adjustment needs to be made. Quite often lately i've sat in a small buy in one-table sng where no one would play a hand to a point that the blinds were 100 200 with 10 people in, successfully making the game a crapshoot and you most likely will be rolling snakeeyes. If your site is like this, you must find a different game, or play the Hansen Farha and Negreanu route. Surprise them with that low 2 pair in a cheap pot against their top pair, as well as lots of draws, and you will take their money. Of course, your swings will be much bigger, but after a while, your post flop play will improve, and your play will draw alot of comments about how horrible you are, effectively helping your image while simultaneously causing lots of tilters in the ranks of these top ten hands players. Learn and remember the gap and sandwich theories though, or you will quickly give your money away.If you are adamant about not loosening up preflop in holdem, then you ABSOLUTELY MUST read Dan Harrington's book. It combines lots of things from Sklansky's tournament book, the theory of poker, and Holdem for advanced players in a nolimit format with his own thought processes in a simplified format. In other words, he doesn't force you to read all the math equations that Sklansky outlines, which is very good if you are not already used to thinking about hourly rates in tournaments compared to ring games and analysing your EV in each hand (i'm not to this level either).And in my experience, $5 buy in stud tourneys are absolute crapshoots. Gap theory= you must have a stronger hand to call a raise than to have been the original raiser.Sandwich theory= You must have a stronger hand to call if people are able to act behind you. The more people behind you, the stronger it must be.