Posted Tue May 09, 2006 1:04 pm GMT by Dave B
I started doing something different when a big stack on the bubble of SNGs. Not only has it helped (in the short run anyway) 1st and 2nds, it has increased my 3rds too.
If I am a big stack (say 10 handed, I have 4xbb, others 3, 2, 1 or so) I dont raise the short stack. I leave him in the game, and 2/3 of the time, I put the other 2 all in. If I get a monster, I just limp and hope someone goes over the top.
Now, I dont do this everytime w/ any hand, but anything marginal or with potential is a good candidate.
Reasons:
1) 4th has to take a chance at some point-so he is more liable to call if I just push w/ random cards
2) 2nd and 3rd have no incentive to play a pot. If they do, and they win, now we have 2 big stacks to pound away at the 2 shorties. If they lose, I am ITM w/ 70% of the chips in play.
3) On the hands I fold (shortie's big blind), the other 3 players see this as their only chance to gain chips, so they are more aggressive against each other.
4) After 2-3 rounds, I now have over 1/2 the chips on the tournament and no one can harm me anyway (5x, 2x, 2x, 1x)
5) Once a player is eliminated, the remaining player(s) are so handicapped that they get blinded away in a few hands.
Thoughts? Does anyone else do this? I used to just pound on everyone, but for now, leaving the shortie in the game seems to be paying off.
The best is when 2nd or 3rd gets sick of being all in each hand and call w/ A9 and are beat by 76 off. Now I have 70-80% and there are 2 remaining w/ nothing.
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Posted Tue May 09, 2006 1:12 pm GMT by BeerWench13
I do this quite often. I usually don't bully at this point. I try to let the others beat each other up unless I have a monster. Then, though it's backfired a few times, I play it softly hoping that one or the other will sense weakness and push. Even if they don't push, they're likely to lose a portion of their stack which will make them even more desperate.
Basically, I try to stay out of the way and let them eliminate one another, well, at least eliminate bubble boy.
Posted Tue May 09, 2006 3:30 pm GMT by BeerWench13
The hubby fusses at me all the time for this though. He says I should be pwning the table, not sitting back. "The first one to 10,000 chips wins."
Posted Tue May 09, 2006 3:30 pm GMT by arras
Ive seen this strategy used and wish I could be better about using it. It seems to work well, and you are definitely right about the times you fold the players who have been sitting back do relax their requirements because they feel its the only time they can take control of the betting.
Posted Tue May 09, 2006 4:57 pm GMT by Orcy
yeah Unless i have a hand i really dont mind going all in with pre flop, I usually dont like raising the short stack unless he is really weak and is waiting the the perfect hand. Like you said most of the time the 2 other prefer not getting involved with the big stack unless they have a monster so its an easy fold is they call/reraise.
Posted Wed May 10, 2006 10:56 am GMT by mangothebear
I dunno about this Dave B.
If the short stack can't really hurt me much, then why should I worry about him calling with marginal cards?
Do you mean to say you lay off from stealing his blinds with all but the strongest hands or would you raise him with A-low? Cuz if I'm on the button or SB with only short stacks behind me, I'm always pushing with an A in my hand.
Sure they're more likely to call than the middle stacks, but either they're calling with an even worse hand or they'll have to wait for the right spot, in which case I'm probably making more off the blinds then if they ever do get a good hand to call with.
Posted Wed May 10, 2006 11:32 am GMT by Dave B
With an Ace, I might go after him anyway, but w/ Q10 decent hands that are likely the favorite, I dont pick on him.
The point is, I want the small stack in the game for as long as possible while I push really hard against the other two players.
It used to be my goal/plan to get into the money as fast as possible. This usually meant leaning HARD on the short stacks.
I am still not going to give them a break if I have a hand worth of stealing blinds, but I will push the 2nd and 3rd place players much harder than I will the short stack and with much lower rated starting hands.
Like I said, I have only been doing this for about a week, and I only do it w/ big chip leads, but I have finished 1st or 2nd every time and I have many more 1st places than 2nds (about 2:1 so far). You might say that is just because I have the chips to start with, but I dont think so.
Posted Wed May 10, 2006 11:37 am GMT by tame_deuces
I think this sounds pretty good actually. The medium stacks often want the bigstack to take out the small stack, while they themselves would rather not tangle with the bigstack.
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