I thought my decision-making and bet-sizing were pretty good in this one (for a change!). Things don't really get started until Hand 66 and then it ends quickly.
Very nice, Benko, and well played. I espicallu like hand 66, nice read. I'm trying this move every now and then, and it does work suprisingly often. I consider to switch to 6 max tables for a change, it seems a little "easier", meaning that you can still win a table without any miracle hands :-)
Thanks, MrE. It's only taken me a few years to realize that in this situation the villain almost always has a busted flush draw and it pays to fire out a river bet if your hand doesn't have any show-down value.
I find the 6-max tables to be a LOT more fun than the 9-player tables and my ROI is also much higher. Because the average hand strength is weaker, you get to play many more hands and see many more flops whether it's by open raising, flat calling a raise in position, isolation raising in position, limping on the button behind another limper, completing in the SB, defending your BB more liberally or 3-betting light (although I don't do that as much as I probably should). And you play more hands per blind level so skill is more of a factor but overall they take less time to complete than a full table SNG. Finally, as soon as you're ITM, it's already a heads up match for about half the prize pool and many of the players at the low buy-in levels are not very good HU players. All good reasons to give 6-maxes a whirl!
Indeed, you're completely right. I played quite a lot of 6 max tables on $3 level earlier, but switched to 9, T18 or 27 players, simply due to the fact that payout is much higher :-)) I'm certainly going to try more of these, especially with the nice starting game yesterday :-) If I were as paranoid as others, I would get really suspicious by the fact that ps lets you win the very first time you try a new tourney at a new buyin level. Thank good I'm not THAT paranoid :D :D :D
Nice game Benko, I was surprized by some of the limps you made early with pretty relatively weak hands, but great position. The first hand for example you had 108o on the button.
I need to get better at using position like you do. This is one of the points you mention in your own comment. Nice work!
I have a certain fondness for T8o after stacking MrE with it on the last hand on Sunday and coincidentally was dealt T8o several times in this $13 6-max. I used to fold unsuited one-gappers on the button behind a limper rather than invest 20 or 30 chips at levels one and two. But then I began noticing situations where I could have won a monster pot for that tiny investment and I started loosening up, at least on the button. That's also true of flat calling a raise on the button (although I would normally require a bit stronger hand than T8o) -- we all know how annoying it is to open raise in early or middle position with a big ace, get called by the button and then miss the flop (2/3 of the time). Having the button is just such a huge advantage.
I know I get pushed out of a lot of hands early in those situations: great starting hand but oop and missed flop. However, I need to get better at (and more willing to) take advantage of the positional power of the btn.
Very nice, Benko, and well played. I espicallu like hand 66, nice read. I'm trying this move every now and then, and it does work suprisingly often. I consider to switch to 6 max tables for a change, it seems a little "easier", meaning that you can still win a table without any miracle hands :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks, MrE. It's only taken me a few years to realize that in this situation the villain almost always has a busted flush draw and it pays to fire out a river bet if your hand doesn't have any show-down value.
ReplyDeleteI find the 6-max tables to be a LOT more fun than the 9-player tables and my ROI is also much higher. Because the average hand strength is weaker, you get to play many more hands and see many more flops whether it's by open raising, flat calling a raise in position, isolation raising in position, limping on the button behind another limper, completing in the SB, defending your BB more liberally or 3-betting light (although I don't do that as much as I probably should). And you play more hands per blind level so skill is more of a factor but overall they take less time to complete than a full table SNG. Finally, as soon as you're ITM, it's already a heads up match for about half the prize pool and many of the players at the low buy-in levels are not very good HU players. All good reasons to give 6-maxes a whirl!
Indeed, you're completely right. I played quite a lot of 6 max tables on $3 level earlier, but switched to 9, T18 or 27 players, simply due to the fact that payout is much higher :-))
ReplyDeleteI'm certainly going to try more of these, especially with the nice starting game yesterday :-)
If I were as paranoid as others, I would get really suspicious by the fact that ps lets you win the very first time you try a new tourney at a new buyin level. Thank good I'm not THAT paranoid :D :D :D
Nice game Benko, I was surprized by some of the limps you made early with pretty relatively weak hands, but great position. The first hand for example you had 108o on the button.
ReplyDeleteI need to get better at using position like you do. This is one of the points you mention in your own comment. Nice work!
I have a certain fondness for T8o after stacking MrE with it on the last hand on Sunday and coincidentally was dealt T8o several times in this $13 6-max. I used to fold unsuited one-gappers on the button behind a limper rather than invest 20 or 30 chips at levels one and two. But then I began noticing situations where I could have won a monster pot for that tiny investment and I started loosening up, at least on the button. That's also true of flat calling a raise on the button (although I would normally require a bit stronger hand than T8o) -- we all know how annoying it is to open raise in early or middle position with a big ace, get called by the button and then miss the flop (2/3 of the time). Having the button is just such a huge advantage.
ReplyDeleteI know I get pushed out of a lot of hands early in those situations: great starting hand but oop and missed flop. However, I need to get better at (and more willing to) take advantage of the positional power of the btn.
ReplyDelete