| here's the concept.
first the obvious part. the difference between tourny and cash games is finite time. you can't fold forever and wait for your best hands. at some point (unless you're very lucky in this particular tournament) the blinds will get to the point where you have to play (and raise) with hands you'd never play in a cash game. how do you decide when (and how)?
M
M = your stack/starting size of the pot (blinds+antes)
if your m > 20, you're in the green zone. you can play exactly how you would a cash game. that means playing your big hands aggressively, playing speculative hands once in a while, and making bluffs when you see fit.
when your m is between 10-20, you're in the yellow. you need to be a 'lil more aggressive with big card hands that aren't worth playing in cash games, and cut out speculative hands like small pairs and suited connectors.
between 5-10, you need to be more aggressive still.
when you're m<5, you're in the red zone. you should be looking to push if you're first into the pot with a wide range of hands if the players behind you are likely to fold.
pushing and winning the blinds and antes will increase your stack by 20% (if your m is 5); that's signifigant. and when you get down to 2 or 3, it'll be hard to get people to fold. so you need to make a move.
that's kinda it. he doesn't lecture too much on it, but there are about 80 pages of hands illustrating the points.
it's boring. i don't recommend it. oh no, not at all. |