How do I win the Paradise Poker 100 player WSOP free-roll

[HiatusOver]

For those not familiar with this tournament, 100 Paradise players qualified through live game play. I would say the skill level overall is average at best. The format is 10, 10 handed no limit tables with the winner of each table advancing to a final table. The winner of this final table gets the WSOP package. The blinds increadse after every orbit, I think they start at 10-20 and everyone gets T1000 to start. So now the only question is, what is the best strategy to win this? Any help on theory in these single table no-limit winner take all tourneys would be greatly appreciated.

[2ndGoat]

winner-take-all formats take a lot of "tournament" out of the proper strategy... when there's no reason to play for 2nd or 3rd, you can generally play your best ring game, at least, more so than in "normal" single table tournaments online.

Someone smarter than me can elaborate, I suppose.

2ndGoat

[Guy McSucker]

I watched one of these qualifiers because a friend of mine was playing in it.

Here's the thing. All the players on there are reasonably good; much better than your average line-up in a one table tournament. These players all do the same thing when they play one table tournaments: they play tight to begin with and up the aggression when the table gets short-handed.

Trouble is, when everyone is playing like that, the table doesn't get short-handed for a very long time, and by then the blinds are large and it's a crapshoot.

I would recommend trying for some early gains. Play more loose and aggressive than you normally would in a one-table tourney in the early stages, to try to build a chip buffer to ride out the rocky road of luck that's coming in level 8 when all the players are still in and blinds are 200-400 or whatever.

Good luck!

Guy.

[punkass]

Since it's winner advances, and not 1,2,3 - it's truly going to be the short term luck driving the action. Whoever gets the better cards for those 80 hands wins.

But to increase your chances, I would be more aggressive in the beginning, because everyone else will be tight in the beginning, trying to just outlast. By far this is not a guarantee, and you may bust out when you run into something big. But I think it'll increase your chances.

IMO, the short term luck is about 80%. The 20% of skill will come into play when it gets shorthanded.

[RollaJ]

Play ultra conservative the first 3 rounds, its ok if you just hit the post and fold, or only play "Group one hands".
You cant win it in the first 3 rounds, so you may as well make sure you dont lose it.
Most participants are low limit players, who probably have almost never played NLHE. If I were you I would play 3 or 4 1 table tourneys (at least 10+1) to get a feel for one table tourneys.
After the first 3 rounds, play aggressive, attack short stacks, every one wants to win, so short stacks will usually be very aggresive.
Dont stone cold bluff the very short stacks if they are at the desperate point (ie. in the BB of $200 when they only have $176 left.... if they are pot commited they will have to call and rightly so). It wont be easy to win 2 1 tables in a row, but just your being at this site means you have at least a 2% chance of winning (double the average player).
So practice, and dont blow your wad early.
Good Luck /forums/images/icons/wink.gif

[HavanaBanana]

Some very good advice given here Arg! /forums/images/icons/smile.gif
I am playing, wishing I had good NL tourney notes on the other players so I could choose a fitting table for first round. But I guess the play in the qualifying is useless to gauge the play in the final.
I qualified easily by playing one 1-2 table and 1 NL 10 dollar tourney, the tourney gained me lots of points, the 1-2 was down to 45 hands an hour due to so many in every pot.
I even won some money qualifying, wonder how many of the qualifiers who did that /forums/images/icons/smile.gif