Sklansky's Tournament Poker For Adavanced Players

[SeanM]

Just started reading and he tlaks about the Gap Concept. I dont understand why you should be playing less hands as the tournament goes on. Isn't this playing weak-tight. I can't help but notice game after game that players blind their money away. As players are eliminated I usually lower my hand strength needed to call or raise.

[DaNoob]

I'm nowhere near the smartest person I know, but I'll venture a guess at your question:

The Gap concept dictates that if you are the first person to bet PF, you can lower your standards slightly and should raise the hand. If someone has already limped or raised, you should raise your standards considerably for staying in the hand, as there is a good chance you are beat already. This applies to all stages of a tournament.

As you get short-handed in a tourney (4-6 players), you can lower the standards of what you would consider as a good opening hands. Calling hands, even late in the tournament, should be very good (ie, don't call an EP raise with Ax suited, UNLESS you are pretty sure he is stealing). Re-raise or muck are much better options in this situation.

Hope this helps. If not, hopefully somebody smarter will come along and give you the correct answer.

[SeanM]

I am familiar with poker. But for the life of me I can not understand what the hell this sentence means on page 46.
"You might have to take cards off that you would not have had if the pot had been smaller".

[cferejohn]

Hmm, I don't have the book here at work so I don't know what the context was here. "Take cards off" means to call a bet to see another card. Given that, I would *guess* that it means that you may not want to make the pot larger when there is little or no chance of getting anyone to fold (i.e. by raising limpers from the BB), even when that would be a winning play long term, because then you may be getting pot-odds to chase after the flop and you will either have to a) fold when you are getting odds or b) call with odds even though you are putting your stack (or a large portion of it) at risk. While you don't mind doing this in a cash game where it will make you money in the long run, you'd rather not do this in a tournament, especially when you are getting close to the money with a medium stack.

Like I said I don't know the context of the statement since the book is at home, but that's my best guess. Good advice anyway, I think...

[J.R.]

Just started reading and he tlaks about the Gap Concept. I dont understand why you should be playing less hands as the tournament goes on.

The Gap Concept only indirectly effects the number of hands you play. It is more concerned with how you respond to the raises of another player.

I dont understand why you should be playing less hands as the tournament goes on. Isn't this playing weak-tight.

Playing few hands is tight, but not weak tight. Playing few hands meekly is weak tight.

[SeanM]

Didnt know what take cards off meant. Thanks.

[SeanM]

In the NL section, he talks about turning hands into 27o. If this info is correct, how is someone supposed to play hands such as TT and AQs? With TT, specifically you cannot just call allowing any over cards to beat you, and if reraised you have to fold like he says. This hand and JJ, 99, 88 in particular give me alot of trouble. With 77 or less I usually just call and hope for a set or muck in certain positions.

[cferejohn]

This is a bit tricky. If it is folded to me in MP and I have TT, 99, 88, etc, I am raising for sure, especially after the first few levels; there is just too much equity in buying the blinds. I may have to fold to a big reraise. Its worth thinking about though when you have such a hand after several limpers. Then a big raise may not drive everyone out and may in fact get you reraised by a slow-player and then you are in trouble.

Another place I think this is applicable is if you have something like 99 in the BB and someone raises, but you only need to call off a little of your stack (say less than 5%) to call. In this case, calling may be a better idea because if you re-raise and then get popped back, you will probably need to lay it down. If you made a similar play with 72o, putting the other player on a steal, laying it down would be very easy.

I agree that when you read it, it sounds like "don't ever raise with TT", which certainly is not what he means.

[Magician]

What bothers me is that I hear in the WSOP Sklansky frequently blinds himself out.

Is that true?

[SeanM]

several people told me that this book is written with info being held back as opposed to hefap.