But here's the thing: In order to get optimal results, you need to be able to play short, medium and big stacks, although some players are certainly more skillful in one than the other.
Now, if you just don't get cards (or, really worse, flop decent hands on your good pockets) early, then at some point the blinds catch up with you. So, you play short-stack and try to double up. I had one last night where I did reasonably well after a long early dry spell. May have tried playing 2 hands that didn't hit until the blinds hit about 50/100. Well, then I doubled up, and before long I was in a pretty nice stack and made a good finish.
But, unless you get in a really bad way early, you can see a lot of hands to find your opportunities. And, of course, if your hands do hit early, you want to play them to the hilt (e.g., this morning I had a nice set early and tripled up--certainly not a bad start), as the big stack is certainly an advantage.
I guess what I'm really saying is that the early part of the tournament, with equal stacks, is simply the time to play "real poker"--not trying to artificially boost yourself into some kind of stack that you just "must have."
And, as to these river all-in-ers (after Flop's posted hand, I think I'm probably in error putting him into that category. What I'm talking about are these guys who suddenly move in their stacks of T1,200 on a river pot of T300 or so), I think the most important thing is to identify them quickly so as to be able to judge whether you can call that bet or not with your overpair or TPTK, etc. If they're doing it repeatedly, you probably actually can and should if the board hasn't gotten too crazy (like 4 cards to the flush or something).
Anyhow, this "river all-in" style is simply one I don't care at all to emulate without cards (and a pot) to justify it. If sizeable overbets aren't +EV in cash games as a rule, I see no reason why they should be in an early tourney context. The only real difference is that at certain tables you can actually get callers for your set, etc. with an overbet. But you also can't bank on making set, straight, flush, etc. early in the tourney. These hands are just rare, and you have to make do with what you get.
So, basically, I think you need to just play your cards early--as a rule (although here is where Flop and I probably do disagree somewhat) a little tighter and a little more cautiously than in a cash game. Then play your stack according to whatever the results may be after this phase. The most important thing, for me anyway, is just not to try to force it if the cards aren't falling well early. If you get crap, just fold it and buy yourself enough time to see some nice hands later, which, as a rule, eventually do hit.Statistics: Posted by Aisthesis — Sun May 08, 2005 4:55 pm
]]>