Big Field & Jumbo Blinds

On Saturday I guested at the London Poker Meetup monthly £30 tournament. The day was enjoyable - most of the players were a pleasure to play with, and above average players to boot.

5,000 chips to start and 30 minute clock allowed for some latitude. I got up to double stack by the first break, flopping a straight when I got priced in to Q9 pre-flop, and also the following hand:

One limper for 100, I look down at KK and raise to 400. Only the limper calls.

Flop 2, 7, J.

Check, Check (for disguise)

Turn 10

He bets 600. I check raise to 2000 which he calls

River 10

He checks, I play it safe as I’m worried about the 2nd 10 and take down the pot.

The tournament continues along for another 3 hours or so, and then the whole dynamic of the tournament changes. Antes kick in, and suddenly there is very little play left. Any raise needs to be 4 times the big blind to cover the antes, yet for 80% of the players, this raise will commit 40% of their stack. As a result the game becomes a game of maths. If no-one has entered the pot before me, and I’m in mid position or better it becomes an insta shove with anything, and hope that if you get called you still have a 40% chance of winning. A few other players have the same idea however, so the spots available to do this are scarce. Some player don’t pick up on this changing dynamic however, and sit tight, letting themselves be blinded down to 2 big blinds in some cases.

The bottom line was that poker had gone out of the tournament, and it became a mathematical exercise in how to protect your chip position the best.

Hand histories are not particularly interesting here, but I won 52 v K10, K9 v AQ, A6 v QQ and 58 v KJ. Note that in each situation (apart from QQ) I was 40% to win, and was actually happy when they turned over their cards. A few people thought I was a donkey I am sure, but this tournament structure called for this approach, and if people want to call for their tournament lives with KJ that is their business. Add the fact that I am picking up 20% of my stack every time I wasn’t called and it was a sound strategy. One interesting footnote was the fact I doubled the same player up FIVE times during the course of the tournament! This totalled about 70k in chips in total, and given there were only 650k in chips in the whole tournament is a pretty amazing feat.

We got a little play back 2 tables out, as we generated big stacks. My key hand was:

Holding KJ Spades in the big blind. I get a raiser. Normally I chuck here, but he had only raised twice the blind. Due to this bet size I assume Aces/Kings so am ready to let it go if I don’t flop a monster.

Flop K high with 2 spades.

He puts me all in. I think I’m behind either to monster or he has me outkicked, but I call with the draw to back me up, and the fact that this pot is massive if I hit the spade.

He has K7 however, so he only has the two non-spade 7s to hit and he misses.

The final table was a complete crapshoot. I am 3rd in chips with 110k, but a standard raise would be 40k which would commit me. The smaller stacks are in push or fold mode. I end up 4th in the end, running AJ into AK short handed. £385 not a bad return on £30, but it was a very long day.

On the downside I toasted USD 960 on the Sunday tournaments last night. Played badly in some and was outdrawn in others. The worst was in the UB main Sunday event. All-in preflop between me (2nd in chips) and the BB (4th). KK v QQ and of course a Q comes on the river. I bust out soon after and win $600 when I’d have been chip leader with 60 left and the winner got $75k :(

Gutshot tonight…time to hoodie up.