These articles are meant to be read in succession of one another. Click to review the articles on Endgame Strategy pt. I… Endgame Strategy pt II… Endgame Tournament Strategy III… Endgame Strategy part four and finally yesterday’s Endgame Strategy part five.

Endgame poker tournament strategy summary

Over the course of the past few weeks, we covered a lot of ground. For those of you who are new to poker, relatively inexperienced, or haven’t read much on poker strategy, the tactics covered probably made you a bit “uncomfortable,” thinking to yourself “this doesn’t sound right/feel right,” or “I can’t do that, what if I get called while having an M of five and am holding J10s pushing all in?”

step back from your comfort zone

The endgame series of discussions are meant to remove you from your “comfort zone.” These plays, by their very nature are not all supposed to “feel” normal. They are aggressive plays, made at the appropriate moments, under the appropriate set of circumstances and designed to propel you to the final table with aspirations to win, not merely to survive. If your goal is to WIN poker tournaments, not just bubble or crack into the money, then this indeed is your strategy. I’ve presented the “playbook,” no its up to you as the offensive and defensive coordinator to adapt such a playbook to your game. That being said, be mindful of other player’s M’s and how their game is changing based on the dynamics of that statistic.

Experiment, familiarize yourself with in-game adjustments based on M

Try this new playbook out in smaller tourneys, such as the $1 donkfest tonight. I experimented with it (when first reading on this) in sharky’s freerolls and buyin tourneys, even going so far as to “donk down” to a certain M so that I could experiment earlier in the tourney as opposed to later.

Use tools to test and check tournament theories

Download pokerstove. Open it up and play around with how different hands hold up against random hands (i.e. – 10-8 off suit vs. a random hand or two or j-10s vs AA). Get comfortable with trying to win tourneys, making the appropriate moves when you should be, and refusing to “accept” a coin toss when its not appropriate. Know your M calculation at all times, and those of your opposition at the table with you. Commit to memory when its appropriate to open up the red zone offense, or orange zone play. Know which hands are “playable” and which are “junk.” Determine when pushing, raising, calling, or folding with 3-3 or 8-6s is appropriate and when it just doesn’t line up with your “scripted plays.” Make peeps play YOUR GAME as opposed to playing theirs. And finally, I encourage each and every person reading this to purchase Harrington on Hold’em vol. 1 & 2. These books can be found on the Two Plus Two website.

Red Zone Play

Two choices and only two choices, all-in or fold. In the red zone, you lack any sort of betting power (read: you’re not gonna be able to push a brotha out of the pot with a continuation bet). That being said, you’re “better off” getting all your chips in the middle now (assuming you have a red-zone worthy hand), as opposed to waiting til the flop to bet out. The opposition on the flop will have more information on the flop. Why give him… or them a further advantage? You want to show strength, dissuade people from mixing it up with you. You’re completely satisfied in taking it down uncontested and you also welcome (though not as warmly) 1 caller to your power move.

All-in or fold

Now, if you’re doing this correctly, you’re pushing em all in in the red zone with big pairs, small pairs, medium pairs, big cards, suited connectors… pretty much all but the garbage hands. Wait a minute… I nearly forgot to add that you’re wanting to be the first to “open” the betting… meaning, action folds to you. Its often correct, and especially in the red zone to push with hands that are not suitable to call with. That being said, push with 10-9offsuit, don’t call with 10-9offsuit.

Keep pushing or folding

The underlying theme in the red zone push push push push push, and push some more… I know what is going through most reader’s heads right now…

1. Do I really want to push it allin with 10-9o, j-10s?

2. What about if I get AA? Don’t I want callers and lots of them?

I retort…

Red zone hand ranges

1. Over 2 million plus hands, as computed using pokerstove, 10-9 offsuit wins heads up a bit over 50% of the time when you push preflop like this vs a random hand. In the red zone you welcome a coin toss. Even three handed, you’re sporting a 35% chance against a random spectrum of hands 1.9 million hands randomly generated, once again using pokerstove.

2. AA and other premium hands gain more value in raising/pushing than they give up in being multi-way (Small stakes hold’em – Ed Miller et. al twoplustwo publishing). Plus, you’re pushing all the time! Peeps are catching on… or so they think. Let them run into the brick wall.

fearless poker play – chickens need not apply

Bottom line, you must turn your weakness (absence of postflop betting power) into a strength. Let your opposition take a chance in calling you. You’re the one wise to take the coinflip… and the added possibility of everyone folding to your antics makes this move ever profitable in the red zone.

Tomorrow, we’ll summarize that which we’ve discussed over the last five portions to endgame strategy.

These articles are meant to be read in succession of one another. That being said, click to review the articles on Endgame Strategy introduction… Endgame Strategy pt II…. and Endgame Strategy pt. III.

Endgame tournament strategy – Playing in the Orange

If we recall from earlier reading, we wish to spend as much time as possible playing in the Green Zone, having an M above 20. There our entire playbook is at our disposal. We can run any “play” we see fit. As our M decreases, due to volatility, bad beats, and ever increasing blinds, we must adjust our play. Yesterday we discussed playing with our M between 10-20… the Yellow Zone. Today, we’re covering what our playbook looks like in the Orange Zone, when our M is between 6 and ten.

Steal or double up

Just like in our yellow zone, small pairs and suited connectors aren’t “doing” it for us. Our implied odds are not great enough to justify such hands. Here the power of being first to open the pot is beginning to be of extreme importance. We’re not looking to play hands simply because the pot odds “seem too good to pass up.” Our goal in orange zone is to steal or double up.

conserve “energy”, move with “force”

We’re conserving our energy to make powerful moves. We want to act first and get all-in in one or two moves. Its straight forward and that simple. At tighter tables, when we’re near the bubble or low in the money, we’re going to do this quite often. We’re trying to break out of the orange zone, we lack betting power through an entire hand, so we want to take our absence of betting power, and our first in vigorish and turn that into an asset, a weapon… as opposed to letting it show up as a liability on our “tournament balance sheet.”

Think this one through a little bit. You’re sitting at a table, late in the tourney, you’ve got a decent chip stack and are in the cutoff. A person, who is second to act opens the pot with an all-in move. His chip count is approximately six times the pot he just opened. Action folds around to you. You look down at your hole cards and see sixes in the hole… maybe even A-10, A-9, KJs, etc. You think about calling as the clock is ticking. You think your hand has a shot at the pot, however, you’re not wanting to put your tourney life on the line here and raise up and over his move, fearing another caller behind you, either in the blinds or on the button. Additionally, you do not wish to be multi-way in this pot, in fear of the loose blinds getting correct odds to call, should the button also decide to get involved. You’re also not wanting to call, in fear of a reraise and being “stuck.” Time is a tickin’ and you decide to fold, as does everyone else.

The bottom line is that later in a poker tournament people do not want to make a critical mistake. They fear making these calls because they either wish to coast into the money, they fear running into a monster, or they wish not to be mowed down, crippled and/or drawn on. I’ve even witnessed incidents where players have laid down Queens, AKs, and once KK to a move of this nature. Being the first to push has its benefits, especially near the bubble and when the table is tight by nature.

First all-in wins

This first in, all in move is profitable because of the amount of times you’ll accomplish a steal. And additionally, when you are called, you’re called down with a monster (statistically, you’re not highly likely to run into a “monster”) and when you do, you’re not really that much of an underdog anyways. So picking and choosing your entry points and bringin’ it with “authorita” is the way to play in the Orange Zone.

We’ll continue our “strategery” talk next week, with more on the zones.

These articles are meant to be read in succession of one another. That being said, click to review the articles on Endgame Strategy pt. I… and on Endgame Strategy pt II.

For onlinel poker tourneys and money-added tournaments, or to learn how to maximize your poker deposit bonus join the Online Poker Circuit – The OPC!

Poker tournament Yellow Zone Play

Recalling from last week, we want to spend as much of the tourney as possible in the Green Zone. However, increasing blinds, in addition to volatility often push us back into lower zones. The yellow zone lies directly below the Green Zone. Our M (chip stack/(big blind + small blind) is between ten and twenty. We’re definitely not in “danger” here, but we’re definitely not in the most comfortable of positions here either, considering we’re looking to win this event, not merely “coast” into the low money.

More aggression and less standards

In the yellow zone, we’ll begin becoming more aggressive in our starting hands selection, lowering slightly our standards for raises and calls. In this zone, we’ll begin to focus more on higher cards (playing KJs, or A10s from the early positions) and we’ll be less likely to play our fours or fives early. In fact, we’re wanting to only play our fours or fives/other small pocket pairs when the pot is unraised, and there are three-four limpers in the pot, in addition to the big blind. Furthermore, should we not flop our set, we’re “off like a prom dress” at the first sign of action. Additionally, limping with smaller-mid suited connectors here no longer is suitable. Both of which are due largely in part to the fact that we must take down a huge pot in order for the sm pp/sm-mid suited connectors to be long term profitable. For these reasons, we’re wanting to lower our raising standards and calling standards, with respect to the minimum playing standards we maintain, yet we’re also at the same time, wishing to raise the floor of those hands which we will play and the situations we’re choosing to play in.

Tomorrow, we’ll continue on and discuss orange zone strategy.

Yesterday, I spoke of the “playbook,” being overly aggressive or picking off the sidelines with 10-15 yd passes while mixing it up with the long bomb, trying to go for higher risk, high reward plays while managing your game clock or grinding it out and running down the clock. Today, we’ll discuss how to know which version of your playbook you should be using, and when…

To implement the discussed strategies, be sure to visit one of the recommended poker rooms via the Online Poker Circuit.

Dan Harrington (Harrington on Hold em, vol. II: Endgame) discusses his concept on poker tournament “inflection points,” as mentioned yesterday. He goes on to state that two calculations, M and Q are essential to be mindful of at all times.

Poker tournament M & Q calculations

M is the ratio of your chip stack to the pot preflop and calculated by dividing your stack into (SB+BB+Ante). This gives you your “M” and serves as an indicator of how many times around you can survive if you played no hands. To demonstrate an example, your stack is 1500, blinds are 50/100, no ante. You’d divide your stack, 1500 into the total of the blinds and ante, 150. Doing the simple math, you can easily see that you have an M of ten. Q is simply an observation of your stack, relative to the average chip stack. Higher Q allows for more conservative play while lower Q requires one to open it up a bit more. We’ll focus on M today primarily.

Note: The higher your M, the more likely you are (and correctly so) to want to grind it out and run down the clock in a more conservative fashion. The lower the M, the more you’re wanting to pick off the sidelines for 10-15 yards, and or try the long bomb. Harrington describes his breakdown of M into different “zones.”

Zones of play in a poker tournament

Poker tournament Green zone

Green Zone: M is 20 or more. Ideal place to be. Your entire playbook is available here. You can grind it out, calling and drawing, you can checkraise, limp, raise, reraise, fold. You’re in the lead and can feel free to both protect it and take some chances here to further your lead. Your entire book of plays can be used as you smartly see fit.

poker tournament Yellow Zone

Yellow Zone: M is between 10-20. Blinds are beginning to pressure you here, and time is beginning to work against you, considering the blind structure of a tourney does not remain flat. It rises over time. Here, you’re needing to begin to open up your offense a bit, losing the ability to play conservative, grind it out ball. You’re wanting to play hands that normal, conservative play wouldn’t necessarily justify. Meaning, you’re probably wanting to utilize hands that might not have been previously playable, such as KJo, AJo utg. However, smaller pocket pairs become a throw away hand in this zone.

Poker tournament orange zone

Orange Zone: M is 6-10. You are totally absent the ability to come over top a raise and reraise here and gain a steal. Hand selection is important, but your timing is of more importance.

poker tournament red & dead zones – a.k.a. – danger zone

Red Zone: M is 1-5. You have 1 move… and only 1 move… “ALL IN” (read: the long bomb).

Dead Zone: M less than one. You’re looking for simply a spot to move, along with a prayer or two to be answered.

Tomorrow we’ll begin breaking down the poker tournament zones of play and respective sections of the tourney play books one by one.

Endgame Poker Tournament Strategy

Dan Harrington lists his “theory of inflection points” as the single most important aspect of a player’s poker game. This inflection theory dictates that when your chip count is x relative to the blinds, you should use y methods in your tournament play. Let me explain this in another way.

Playing Poker tournaments can be like coaching football

During the football season, I had offered commentary regarding Schottenheimer as a coach, and getting too conservative at the wrong times with his play calling. Harrington and I are obviously on the same page, as he discusses how when playing football, providing there is lots of time left in the game, and the score is close, the teams have the entire playbook to work with.

However, when a team is down by a few TD’s and the clock is winding down, the offensive coordinator really only has a few options available to him. Running up the middle is not a viable option, as it allows the clock to run. Additionally, passing short down the middle is not a legit option either, considering the receiver has to again get out of bounds, which is no easy task.

Most of the two minute offenses tend to pick the sidelines at 10-15 yards, in between throwing the bomb. And really, these plays are pretty much the only plays that make sense in the context of the game. They need to move the ball, and they need to move it both quickly and efficiently — lower percentage, higher reward plays.

The team that are up by two TDs late in the game, however, wants to run the clock down. Consequently, they run up the gut. When necessary, they can throw in the middle, lay out a screen play, or pretty much anything they choose. Their goal is to run out the clock in the most efficient manner possible. And hell, they’re in the lead, thus they can afford to play conservatively. They don’t need the bomb to work for them. They must sit on the lead and select their plays carefully and efficiently, the ones designed to both move the ball and burn the clock — high percentage plays.

Relating back to poker

When late in a tourney, is this not the similar problem you have? When you’re short stacking, the blinds and antes eating away, don’t ya need to pick the sidelines and convert the long bombs? When way ahead, do you really need to get mixed up in running a low percentage high reward play?

Tomorrow, we’ll discuss the logical play-book for different poker tournament scenarios. Ponder the above, and reflect on how it relates to your late game play.

A Trifecta of prize-infested tourneys spanning the globe with a bunch of Shark Souljas throwin down. This event was huge in my mind. But it is merely the beginning. Not that I’m a gambling man (lmao), but I’d bet Sharkfest II dwarves the first. Keep your eye on the calendar for the next. Bigger and better to come…

On a side note, we had our monthly tourney on the home-front. I was only able to play the first Sharkfest event and “donated” entry fee to the final Sharkfest event of the evening, due to this prior commitment. The group I play with monthly, I must say I absolutely love. Great, fun loving poker playing peeps. My career began online, but anytime I can get face to face n play, especially with quality people such as them, I’ll take it in half a heartbeat.

By the way, your hero recaptured his role as “Bubble Boy,” finishing fifth and just out of the money (broke through in the main event last month, taking third after several bubble finishes prior). I’m actually quite surprised I made it to the bubble. I got there, had a tough draw, and didn’t have the cards to support play, given said tough draw.

I did get the opportunity though, to sit with one of my favorite “characters” in the group who we’ll refer to as “chip slinger.” One of my favorite moments in our monthly game took place where he was the main character 2 months ago. “Chip slinger” is hyper-aggressive, and he brings one hell of a game, fully equipped and trained in pressing both chip stack and psyche. The story two months ago was when he pushed and pushed and pushed, and talked one of our players into setting down his set of queens, which I do believe had “slinger” beat. It was hilarious watching him just totally knock my friend off his set.

So, since that day, when I sit down with the slinger, I make sure I make it just as expensive and as cerebral for him as he makes it for everyone else. I really enjoy going at it with him. Very entertaining! He likes raising me in my big blind too, which places us both in “any two card” territory when I choose to play along.

One hand, featured three way action, Slinger, SB, and your drunken hero. Slinger limps uncharacteristically, SB completes, I’m sittin with J-10s on the big blond, so I raise it up. Blinds were hefty at this point in the tournament, so I raised 3x. Slinger calls, SB folds. Flop comes Q-10-x. I check, pretty certain a bet is going to be rained in on my “bombs over Baghdad” style. He bets 1/2 the pot. I quickly think it over, get a chip count (he has me covered at this point), and I raise to all-in, putting the thinking, or tougher decision to him. He ponders out loud (knowing all the while he’s going to call me), he calls. I love seeing what he’s playing, as I am always surprised. He flips over J-10 also. Thus, we push.
I ended up going out in a blaze of glory shortly after, KQ suited short stacking it on the big blind raised to an all in versus the SB’s A-7 off. I’d have blinded out within a hand or two if I didn’t push.

Second game, the chip slinger was three to my right and on the SB. I limped with Qc-10c.  As usual, he raises and I call in position. Flop comes Jc-9c-xs. He throws out his standard bet with 2-4 blinds ($200), I think it over, carefully counting outs. Needless to say, I couldn’t place him on a hand, as its damn near impossible to get a read out of him (unless he checks to me). I do feel though I am either ahead, or will be before the hand is over. Counting outs, I have 9 clubs, 3 Ks, 3 8s, possibly 3 more queens or tens…

I’ve got lots of outs. I can either push allin here (300 more on top of the call), or I can call his bet. It would have been out of character here to simply call. We had the spotlight, and I prefer to rise up in this situation. So, your hero pushes all-in. Chip Slinger once again ponder out loud, thinking over what my hand is. He caught a piece of the flop, top piece actually, which equates to a call, flipping over J-4 of spades.

Turn comes 5 of diamonds, river four of hearts, giving him two pair and the pot, knocking your hero out. Had the outs, the odds, but not the finishing cards. Loved the rush of butting heads with him and looking forward to our next epic battle.

Poker Haiku of the day:

“Slinga Props”

Slinger throwin chips,
Knockin me out of tourney
Mad props to ya bro!