Cramming for the PPM

[modaddy]

With less than a week to go before the cruise (and $10K fixed-limit tourney), I want to cram in some last minute training & preparation.

A little about myself - I started playing poker seriously a little over a year ago, switching from mostly-online to mostly B&M about 3 months ago. Online, I've won about $25K in various (mostly NL) multis, and am beating 3/6 handily. B&M, I've been playing 6/12 and winning pretty consistently there. My biggest live tourney to date was a $1500 PLHE event at the Bellagio last December (in on satellites), in which I had $20K chips at end of the 2nd round (started with $3k, and $0 chips at the end of the 3rd round.

My "training" for the PPM to date has been to play a couple of live $20-40 B&M sessions (I'm not really properly bankrolled for a permanent move up yet), and to play as many limit SNG's and MTT's as I can get in, preferably at $50-$100+ buy-in levels.

Anyone have any other things I might do to prepare myself for this tournament? My basic gameplan is to take advantage of the ultraflat structure (pays down ~ 25% of the field) by playing extremely tight to get in the money, and then let loose to try to make the high money. I'm also trying to think about how to best use my likely image (geeky tight online player) to my advantage.

Any other suggestions? Specific live skills I should be working on? Books or online sites I should read or re-read? Things I should be thinking about or planning?

Thanks in advance...

[bugstud]

I'd play the wednesday special on party and a couple other decent buyin limit MTTs

[Dan Burns]

Hey Modaddy. I'm in the same boat as you. I've been just playing as much ring limit and MTTs I can to prepare. If you play with friends get them to tell you what they think your weaknesses and strengths are. Couldn't hurt to know how others perceive your game. Where did you get the payout structure? I haven't seen it yet.

[modaddy]

http://www.partypoker.com/news/partypoker_million/ppm4_factsheet.html

[Greg (FossilMan)]

[ QUOTE ]
My basic gameplan is to take advantage of the ultraflat structure (pays down ~ 25% of the field) by playing extremely tight to get in the money, and then let loose to try to make the high money.

[/ QUOTE ]

Keep in mind that this is going to be the strategy of many of the people in this field (admittedly, I'm just guessing at this, but others will probably correct me here if I'm wrong). Poker is definitely a game where a contrarian approach has benefits. If everybody else is playing tight, you can open up and steal from them, while if they're playing loose, you have to tighten down, play big starting hands, and value bet without ever bluffing. However, no matter what most of the field is doing at any one time, you only care what the 8 or 9 people at your table are doing, so you're going to need to monitor them all closely.


[ QUOTE ]
I'm also trying to think about how to best use my likely image (geeky tight online player) to my advantage.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm not sure your image, if you're known to be a mostly online player, is going to be tight. Most people I know consider online players to be loose and hyperaggressive compared to brick and mortar players. Again, it doesn't matter what most of the field thinks, only what the opponents at your table think. It's again important for you to monitor their view of your image, and play accordingly to take advantage of it.

Have fun.

Later, Greg Raymer (FossilMan)

[bobby rooney]

Hey MoDaddy,

You don't play at the Oaks (in Oakland, CA) a lot do you?

As to your question, I'm in about the same boat as you as I recently played my first few major tourneys. The thing I wish I'd known going in was the extreme amount of mental endurance required to keep focused for as long as these tourneys require. It's also a bit different than just playing a long cash game session because you have so much more riding on it, it tends to drain you physically and emotionally a lot more. Bring food, water, do breathing exercises during the breaks to bring the adrenaline down a bit, whatever it takes to keep your brain fueled and focused. Danny N. has said that his Mom's home cooked meals which he brings to tourney's is his "secret weapon." I don't think he was kidding.

As to preparation, I would say the best way is to cram in a bunch of limit tourneys and practice staying focused for long periods, maybe even stringing together several tourneys right in a row. However, just like you would in physical sports, you need to take it really easy a few days before the tourney.

Also, picking one poker book that you think has helped your game the most and reviewing it before the tourney couldn't hurt.

[Sponger15SB]

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With less than a week to go before the cruise (and $10K fixed-limit tourney)

[/ QUOTE ]

Its a $7,000 tourney

[Nick B.]

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With less than a week to go before the cruise (and $10K fixed-limit tourney)

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Its a $10,000 tourney

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you still have time to edit.

[MicroBob]

May I ask where you get off spewing advice on how to best approach a big-money tournament? Like you actually know what you're talking about or something. /images/graemlins/smile.gif



Good ideas. I had already been considering the idea that there will be a lot of people trying to crawl their way into the money because of the flat structure.

While I would like to just be able to weak-tight my way into the money (as I recall...180th place out of an estimated 700 entrants I think will get about $5k or so) I think it is very likely that there will be opportunities to get aggressive and build a bit of a stack. Whereas the weak-tights will all be keeping their fingers crossed that they can hang-on long enough to make it.


I guess this is a long-hand way of saying I'm going to wing-it and evaluate as I go along.


This is my first major tournament too and my experience is even less than the original poster.

I've played in 2 live tourneys before.
One was a $30 rebuy with 27 players (I finished 26th).
The other was last January...a $110 single-table satellite at the WPO in Tunica for a $1100 tourney-chip or something (I didn't win).
That's it for my live-tourney experience.


I've played live 3/6 through 10/20 as well as NL 1/2. I probably have 25 or so total live sessions. Likely less than 100 total hours of live poker play.


Online I've played in $100 and $200 buy-in tourneys before. Nothing higher. Mostly NL but I've been adding in some limit tourneys of late and have been doing okay.



I think my background has me naturally all set to make the final-table on the cruise.

[modaddy]

Thanks all for the input, lots of food for thought. I hope we can get together on the boat. Anyone else bringing kids?

No, I don't play at Oaks -- I'm a nighttime regular at Garden City and a lunchtime semi-regular at Bay101.

[edfilan]

My money's on modaddy.
Bring me back that 10%!

[MichaelOar]

I'm hardly a limit hold 'em tourney specialist, but I do have a Friday $200 MTT win on Party (back when it was still a limit tourney) and I cashed in the last limit tourney I played (WPO down in Tunica) so I'll give you my two cents:

1. Because MANY of the PPM satellites were NL events rather than limit, I think many of the players may be limit HE fish.
2. I don't think that many players are going to be trying to "weak-tight" themselves into the money. Some MAY play a level or two that way---but I don't think it will last, because . . .
3. Most people don't know what tight play is anyhow! KTo UTG. Sure! A5s? Yeah, baby. In limit tournaments, I think you have to play super-tight--or at least much tighter than you would in a NL tourney.
4. My only big buy-in event ever was the 2004 WSOP Main Event. Near the end of day three, I was sitting with enough chips that I probably could have folded my way into the money (instead, I busted with AK vs AQ on an AKQ flop), but there was no way I was going to do that. While 10K would have been nice for a struggling young law student like me, I figured that you only have so many chances to take a shot at really "life-changing" money. Go for it! I would go into the PPM with the goal of winning it all, not skating into the money.
5. Remember that you will be playing with a deep stack, and there is no hurry to start grabbing chips.
6. Everything that Tom McEvoy and TJ have written on tournament play is gold!
7. Good Luck!

Michael

[thylacine]

I got in last year on about a $20 investment. Starting with $7k, I got up to $25k after 4 hours, having good cards, a weak table, and feeling really sharp and alert. In the next four hours I faded to (purple) breadcrumbs, partly due to less good cards and tougher opponents, but the main problem was that I just hit the wall with utter fatigue. You need a lot of STAMINA to play these things. I had no experience of such a long event, and I just couldn't stay sharp.

(So in the end I made it through one day, but could not hold on for the money. Of course a cruise for twenty bucks is not bad, and wifey was more approving of me playing poker.)

[lighterjobs]

[ QUOTE ]

My "training" for the PPM to date has been to play a couple of live $20-40 B&M sessions

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I don't think moving up in limits in ring games is going to help that much. the ppm is a limit tourney, but you aren't going to get any better players at 20-40 than at 6-12. but good luck!

[Vince Lepore]

Read Ken Buntjer's book.

Vince

[Lamby2]

Hi,

I will bring my family with me including my little daughter.

If I bust out early I will have quality time with my family and if I hang on I will benefit from the flat payout structure I see it as a win-win :-)

CU all on the cruise
Lamby

[frank_iii]

[ QUOTE ]
3. Most people don't know what tight play is anyhow! KTo UTG. Sure! A5s? Yeah, baby. In limit tournaments, I think you have to play super-tight--or at least much tighter than you would in a NL tourney.

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Even in a big buy-in tournament like this? You have to be at least a decent player to win a satellite, even if it's NL. Or are many tourney players just gamblers throwing their money away? This is an honest question.

Any excursions scheduled for the cruise? I just went on a Caribbean cruise a few weeks ago and the trips to the beaches were excellent, even with a near 2 year-old.

Have fun guys!!

[_2000Flushes]

[ QUOTE ]
Thanks all for the input, lots of food for thought. I hope we can get together on the boat. Anyone else bringing kids?

[/ QUOTE ]

How old are your daughters?

-2kF

[modaddy]

I have a 6 year old daughter and a 4 year old son.

[3rdEye]

My (very limited) experience is that you will find many UBER-aggro players in a high-stakes HE tourney, but I'm sure you already know that.

I have almost no experience in this area, but the best advice I can give is to initially get seated at a table with a higher than average number of LAGs, and hope to build a big stack through them.

[3rdEye]

[ QUOTE ]
My (very limited) experience is that you will find many UBER-aggro players in a high-stakes HE tourney, but I'm sure you already know that.

I have almost no experience in this area, but the best advice I can give is to initially get seated at a table with a higher than average number of LAGs, and hope to build a big stack through them.

[/ QUOTE ]

In addition, I would think that a good intuition as to when to value bet with a mediocre/decent hand would be very important. I can't vouch for whether limit SNGs will help you here, though.

[_2000Flushes]

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How old are your daughters?

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I have a 6 year old daughter and a 4 year old son.

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Damn. How old is your wife?

-2kF