[TenPercenter]

I am playing in a 100 person NLHE tourney Thursday night. The winner gets a $10,000.00 seat at the WSOP main event. Second? A set of steak knives. Third place gets thrown out into the street.

So I really need to take first.

I have a bad habit of not winning tournaments. So I decided to go out and look for HOH yesterday, but couldn't find it in stock anywhere. So I bought a $30 Sklansky book, Tournament Poker for Advanced Players.

I've read other Sklansky books and found them nearly useless to me since they focus mainly (or completely) on limit poker. No one I know will play limit anymore and frankly I dont want to either. I remember playing nickel ante, quarter limit dealer's choice, always thinking "this isn't really poker because you can't scare anybody."

The Sklansky books are also dry and mathematical. I need "dumbed down" explanations of why you should do X in XX situtations. I have heard that HOH was better in this regard... but I couldn't find it anywhere.

Well, I figured that since this Sklansky book is called "Tournament Poker" then it should be focuses on NLHE, hat everyone plays now (everyone meaning me and anyone that Iknow, play with, or see laying on TV). Checked publish date and it was 2002, updated 2003. That's good.

Well, it turns out it's much like other Sklansky books. And the math really started lcoking down my brain early. Like in the Chapter headed "Prize Structure Implications." He tells me in a few sentences about how you basically want to be careful and let OTHER players go broke without taking too much risk.

Now I can understand that concept pretty easily. Let others go broke; be careful. But what does he do? He procedes to go into EQUATIONS about it! Literally, There are four equations following that first two paragraphs, the fourth equation being this: "$948 = (.46)($300) + (.36)($1,800) + (.18 )($900)"

Now I'm no dummy, but I can't do that kind of math on the fly. I can't even see how that helps me understand that I want to let other people go broke first, and be careful that I don't go broke. Just explain it to me like I'm some guy that plays poker, not like I'm a math major at MIT.

(I had to change the title of this topic since I started out wanting tips on a 100 man tourney, but it turned into a rant on Sklansky)

Now I'll continue my quest for a copy of HOH (and HOH2).

[SpaceMonkey]

Nice GlenGarry quote.

Browsing through both BN and Borders locally, I haven't seen HoH on the shelves much. A couple do have copies of SSHE, but not all. Which is both a bit surprising, and a shame considering the two of them are far superior to most of the crap that the local stores carry.

I haven't read TPFAP, nor do I see the need. ToP is great, but it's also enough for me.

[Wooderson]

I agree on the massive over-thinking of Sklansky. I own three of his books. I can't say I've read one of them. I've tried to and always fail about halfway through. It's like running in molasses.

BTW, what was the GlennGary quote? I missed that.

[dad604]

Sklansky's book are kinda of dry. They are hard to read but the info is there, you have to just hunt for them. Also he is not noted for NL tourney writings. I have read over half of his books.

HOH is suppose to be one of the best NL tourney books around.

[jojobinks]

TPFAP is the best tourny book, after Harrington's two books, and there aren't any books that come close.

yeah, sklansky's mathematical, and sometimes boring, but that book rocks. i'll tell you why now.

-the gap concept is the single most important tournament concept
-the section on all in strategy is sound and important
-the quiz section is superb

all that being said, once again, HOH is the nuts. but there is no book besides harrington's and this oen that i recommend for tournaments.

[Q10 soooted]

Some off the cuff suggestions:
1. Aggressive NLHE tournament poker is winning NLHE tournament poker
2. Don't put all your chips in unless YOU want to
3. In order to follow both 1 & 2, you have to be prepared to bet a lot pre-flop and aggressively post-flop with a wide variance of hands, BUT also fold a lot of hands post-flop that don't hit. The key is to look very aggressive, steal more blinds/pots with aggression than you lose from having to fold to a post-flop raise when you don't hit, then let people walk into you when you have a monster
4. Don't limp with good hands
5. Don't make small raises with good hands pre-flop (go at least 3x-4x BB)

Basically, please don't be the guy who sits back waiting for his AA, KK, QQ, AKs just like you would while 8-tabling 0.25/0.50 NLHE online and then complains after the tournament that he had to go all in with JJ because he was shortstacked from the bad blind structure and someone sucked out with 109.

P.S. - If you read this Jojo and I end up playing in a tournament with you please note that I would never play this aggressive approach. No, really...I ALWAYS have a huge hand when I bet.

[Q10 soooted]

Oooooops, I forgot RULE 1:

Position is more important than your starting cards.
Position is more important than your starting cards.
Position is more important than your starting cards.

(and don't fall in love with AK or KQ, they both are horrible)

[Q10 soooted]

I should have asked this first - How well do you expect to do in this tournament?

If there are 100 seats, you only care about #1, & think that you will probably finish around 20th I think playing tight then loosening up as the blinds increase is a horrible strategy. It's a good strategy as a general rule, but not if you are playing for #1 and aren't a poker professional who also stacks the deck while dealing. If you really only care about #1 and there are better players you need to take chances throughout the tournament but taking a chance early is your best opportunity. If I thought I was a big underdog to start out with in something like this I'd push with any AA, KK, QQ in the first hour and cross my fingers. No slowplays, no checkraises - just push em in and hope you get called & win a big pot. Of course you need to adjust if the table is tight and you won't get callers, but if that's the case I'd start pushing with JJ, TT or AK too.

[vanquish]

Originally Posted by Q10 soooted

Oooooops, I forgot RULE 1:

Position is more important than your starting cards.
Position is more important than your starting cards.
Position is more important than your starting cards.

Yes, and this gets more and more important as you get closer to the end.

Originally Posted by Q10 soooted

(and don't fall in love with AK or KQ, they both are horrible)

I completely agree with you about KQ, but AK isn't horrible and I like to play it agressively. If you can raise and get it heads up, it's a great hand. And depending on the other player(s)' actions and my reads, I don't have any trouble laying it down if I miss on the flop. Check out what Super System (2) has to say. I really like how Doyle advocates playing AK.

[vrecksler]

If you cannot get your hands on HOH/HOH2 before your game I like Q10's idea; if you reasonably expect that you will NOT win this tournament the way you normally play you must be more aggressive and play riskier. I always hear announcers on TV say it, and Harrington also mentions that in order to win a tournament you are going to have to get lucky, and probably more than once. The closer it gets to the end the more it will tighten up, but early on there will probably be several people looking to double up quickly and will take chances on more marginal hands. You are going to have to suck out a couple times if you are to stand a chance I think.

But whatever happens, keep us all posted and GOOD LUCK!