Coast into the money or take a shot?

[Shilly]

I played yesterday at a 60 person, $50 buy-in no limit hold 'em tournament. I had an average stack with about 20 players left. The payout was $1750 for 1st, $900 for 2nd, $550 for 3rd and $50 for 4th-8th (strange payout, I know...).

A few players were quickly eliminated (about 14 remaining)and the blinds started to move around very quickly. With two players with large stacks at the table, it was tough to steal blinds or go all in without being called. So my question is, should I have picked a mediocre hand and gone with it to try to improve my chip position, or try to coast into the final eight?

[Lafortezza]

At that stage of a tournament its all about survival. If your stack went to 4 times the BB then the only move is all-in, especially when the blinds are moving around closer to you. Any ace, any pair or 2 face cards are enough, deperate measures and all that.
If you still have a little bit of comfort (10 times BB), then you can pick your moments to bluff and steal the blinds, late position with any Ace, or if you have a read on the players to act behind you.
But the closer you get to the money the better. You might play KK or AA or even QQ for a bit of value against a small stack but avoid the big stacks at all costs if possible.

[Roman]

matters how deep your stack is, and how deep other peoples stacks are. However, I always am willing to take risks to get to the real money.

[Shilly]

I ended up being blinded down to about 2.5x the big blind, but picked up QQ in the BB with everyone folding to the small blind, another short stack. He completes and I raise all-in, he calls with 66. I survive and move up to about 5000 in chips with the blinds at 400-800. About two hands later we moved to the final table, where I started at UTG+1. Two other players at the table had less chips than I had, and I would be able to outlast them unless they both won a hand. With no pairs / paint cards / suited connectors, I folded through my blinds (which were almost always raised before they got to me). Luckily, a medium stack was eliminated by the chip leader leaving nine players. Before my next blinds, the smallest stack was eliminated and I managed to escape the bubble. A few hands later I picked up 9 10 UTG, raised all-in for 2100, was called by the BB with J4o /images/graemlins/frown.gif and went out.

[StickyWicket]

Depends on where you are and how deep the stacks are with the players remaining. If you're in 1-10th, I'd chill a bit and see who busts out next, because there's likely to be some big stacks get cocky, some short stacks get desperate, and some serious chips swinging and people getting knocked out fast.

If you get a big hand, (AA, KK, AK, QQ) shove the chips in. If you lose, you lose and you forego your "rebate" prize money. If you hit, you're a contender and you're looking at real bucks, which are a helluva lot better for your hourly rate anyways!

Never underestimate the power of survival, tho. I'm more often one of the shorter stacks going into the final table, but I manage to eek out 4th on up more times than not by picking my spots and being patient...(except when you find out the AA does not beat JJ...oopsie!)

Best of luck

Sticky /images/graemlins/heart.gif

[betgo]

The 4th through 8th money is nothing , so I wouldn't worry about getting in the money, just the top 3. If you can find even or better chances to double up or bust out, I would take them. You need to improve your chip position. I wouldn't make desperate plays though until the situation really is desperate.

[Mez]

I think you played it right. Sounds like even if you double through you only have 8x-10x the BB with a few very large stacks around.

[Shilly]

I just remembered something funny that happened earlier in the tournament. I was almost out with about 40 players left, picked up AA in the big blind. A few limped in, the small blind (the guy who ran the tournament) raised to $1000 (one of the largest raises of the tournament). I reraised all-in, everyone folded to him. I swore he said call, and flipped over my cards.

He
1) Saw my aces.
2) Saw that my aces were the same suits as his pocket nines.
3) Still called.

He claimed pot odds when 90% of the money was ours...

[GrinningBuddha]

[ QUOTE ]


He claimed pot odds when 90% of the money was ours...

[/ QUOTE ]

Once it's in the pot, it ain't his anymore... /images/graemlins/blush.gif

If he had to call another 200 (for example) from your all-in raise, he's risking 200 more to win 2200. 11 - 1 is enough to call here.

[Nottom]

Finishing 4-8th in this is almost the same as losing. With such a top heavy payout, you should be trying to finish 1st not 8th. If it means bubbling out then bubble out.

[Beavis68]

I never want to go out with a mediocre hand I know will get called unless I am down to just a few x the BB.

[ron dogg]

With that type of payout structure, i'm going to be hyperaggressive with the blinds getting big in the attempt to acquire chips. You don't play these to get your money back or at least I don't. . .

That is all,
R-