Optimum Strategy in Home Tourney

[JC21]

I've recently started playing in a small weekly NL Hold'em tournament. It's a $10 dollar buy-in, with around 10 players (it ranges from 9 to 12 players). Basically, we each start with 40 chips, with blinds at 1/2. Blinds raise everytime two players are eliminated, and every 15 minutes heads up. 2nd place wins $10, 1st place wins everything else (ie, with 10 players, 1st place wins $90). What is the optimal strategy in this kind of tourney?

The chip structure is set so that there's not much room for aggression. I am a fairly tight player, but with such small stacks, I have difficulty determining when to charge, or to risk committing to a pot. The other players aren't horrible, but they are certainly not great (there is only one other player who has actually studied up on poker). How should I adjust my style, especially early in the game? How about when I'm heads up (given the payouts)?

[JC21]

Anyone?

[lastchance]

Well, you go to go for first, which means being very aggressive and somewhat tight. With only 20x BB, you don't have much room for a lot of loose play, so you've got to be willing to blind-steal and go all-in early and often.

[Scuba Chuck]

I have a home game that's got a better payout structure than this, but similar on the other fronts.

IMO, you're playing SNG strategy and hope for some luck. I wouldn't play any hands early except the big four. Limp in with small pairs in late position if it's cheap.

In early play, I don't play anything unless I'm going for a big hand. I'm sure you already know, but my friends are so bad, they call allins with bottom pair too often, and suckout. Avoid small edges. Conserve chips. With this payout structure, if you don't start out with the Big 4, you're playing for a set or better. No 2 pairs. Your objective is to accumulate chips, don't knockout players. If you have a monster, minibet and build the pot, they will call.

When the BB gets to about 20% of the total amount of starting chips, that's like level 4 on PP. Play position, push with any two when you're on the next higher blinds from CO and Button. Aggression wins this.

Edit: One last point. If you really want to dominate, focus on trying to sit in the right position. If you've got guys who are willing to gamble when you push, make sure they don't sit to your left. If you can identify a couple of guys who always fold. Get them to sit together, and then sit to their right. This will take a few games, but it's smart.

[Scuba Chuck]

On second thought, I think your best strategy is to convince them that the payout structure should be top 3 are paid.

[morgan180]

[ QUOTE ]
I wouldn't play any hands early except the big four.

[/ QUOTE ]

In a home game like this I'd probably play the opposite. Since you have so few chips, and everyone knows this, I would play most suited connectors, big stuff and stuff like KQ etc. FAR, FAR, FAR looser than I would normally play online. My thinking is the following: most people with so few chips are going to sit on big hands, and wait for big hands. when the blinds are low get in there with a 87s and when the flop comes "rags" you're in great shape. If you know people are going to sit on premium starting hands, you can loosen up your pre-flop calling standards (of course position is important and getting in cheaply is essential) but if you can get in a few cheap pots you can take advantage of people who don't want to play for their entire stack when the flop misses their AJ/AQ, etc.

later on blind stealing becomes critical. you need to have enough knowledge to know what sized bet will fold the table and blinds. you don't want to have to push to fold everyone because of the old "it only has to not work once" saying, but find that point and then steal relentlssly.

JMHO

[Scuba Chuck]

[ QUOTE ]
My thinking is the following: most people with so few chips are going to sit on big hands, and wait for big hands

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't know about others home game experience, but this is not the case with my home games. Friends come to 'play' poka. There is no sitting around and waiting.

In fact, I believe this is how they think...

"Ok, I got some beer, some cheetos, and I've razzed Bill a couple times already, and I'm gonna take one of this beeatches tonite!"

Hand 1. t20
K /images/graemlins/spade.gif 5 /images/graemlins/heart.gif
"Well it's only 1/2 chip, and I started with 20, and King is the second strongest card, I call. Besides i could get a monster, and take down a huge pot, no one will put me on King 5. Oooh, a raise for another 1/2, well I'm already in this far, might as well call."

Flop is 6 /images/graemlins/spade.gif A /images/graemlins/spade.gif 7 /images/graemlins/heart.gif

"well that didn't work, check."
"1/2 chip to play now, well it's only 1/2 a chip, and I might get the flush or a straight still."

Turn: 3 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif

"All right, I got a straight draw going. See, good call on the flop. And this is cheap, it's only 2 chips to play now. If the 4 comes on the river, I'm allin baby. This pot is mine. I call."

River: K /images/graemlins/diamond.gif

"Oooooh, I now have the second highest pair. Not as good as the straight but pretty good. Bill always bluffs, and it's only 2 chips to call, I call."

Hand 2: t14.5
J /images/graemlins/diamond.gif 3 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif
"All right this hand is sooted. You got to play any 2 sooted cards. And it's still 1/2 a chip, it's almost free. I call."

Flop:
Q /images/graemlins/heart.gif 5 /images/graemlins/club.gif 3 /images/graemlins/spade.gif

"All right, I got a pair. Man I hope no one's got a pair of queens. I'm calling for sure, besides, I might get a jack on the turn. Ah Bill bet 1.5 chips. I know he took me last time, but he can't have two good hands in a row. I call. Sweet, it's just me and Bill.

turn: 8 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif

"Man, it's really too bad a diamond didn't come on the flop, then I'd really have a good hand to play. Bill checks, all right. I probably got a chance here. I check."

River: J /images/graemlins/spade.gif

"All right, I got the nuts! This pot is mine"

This may seem comical, but I really think this is what is going through their minds. Which is what you want of course, when you've got solid hands. That's why I advocate avoiding leaking chips early in the game. If your game is otherwise tight, loosen up.

[The Yugoslavian]

The optimal strategy for *any* home tourney is simple.

Just arrive packing heat.

Yugoslav

[Insomnia]

I play in a home tourney game every week. Each player gets 1000 chips, blinds start 20-40, and go up as players are eliminated. usually 6-8 players in the game. my biggest problem is this: If i wait for a big hand it will almost ALWAYS get paid off, players are very loose/aggresive. but if i dont get a big hand very quickly, chip leader will have rougly 3x my chips, because everyone is loose and the chips move around quite quickly. Players will push on a flop they completely missed, and others will call these all ins with bottom or mid pair witha low kicker... Usually the chip lead is VERY aggresive and it becomes very hard to play on a shorter stack. and suggestoins on starting hands, and how aggresive i shoudl be playing?

[JC21]

Thanks for the replies. In the games I'm in, my opponents will play any two face cards, any pocket pair, and suited connectors, regardless of position.

The low startling stack means I get blinded out if I play too aggressively without a strong hand (ie, I can't risk 25% of my stack just to try to steal the blinds, but that is what it would take to get people to fold pre-flop). I can afford to play slightly looser than normal (and still have better hands than my opponents), but it is usually fit or fold on the flop, early in the tourney, because I don't have the stack to charge with, and it's too hard to predict what cards my opponents have. Most of the time though, I'm just waiting for a strong hand to charge with.

[Scuba Chuck]

How well does a semi-bluff or bluff work in your home game. Are there a lot of good laydowns?

[Elem100]

Fantastic post I had a really good laugh reading this, its so so true!

[The Yugoslavian]

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How well does a semi-bluff or bluff work in your home game. Are there a lot of good laydowns?

[/ QUOTE ]

Bluffs and semi-bluffs are okay if you follow my initial advice. However, string bets definitely don't work in the home games I play.

Just watch that episode of Tilt for an idea of how it would go down.

Yugoslav

[JC21]

Semi-bluffs and bluffs can work against some of the players, but since they are all so loose, it would take a big raise (players are mostly unwilling to laydown). And that's the problem, because I don't start with enough chips to play aggressively with. One call or reraise against my bluff would ruin my stack.

[Scuba Chuck]

JC, IMHO, I believe Morgan was insinuating that your buddies would recognize that there is such a short stack that they should tighten up. If that's not the case, and they loosen up...

Well, some general thoughts going into the first hand. Play the opposite of what the table is doing. If they're loose, be tight. If they're tight, play loose. Then watch for changes, and alter accordingly. It's important to recgonize a change as soon as possible!