How do youdeal with this type of table?

[winky51]

I've been doing well in the live tournaments ($65-$200), making no serious mistakes, placing at the final table about 1/4 of the time. Played about 12 of them.

Finally I decide to take a step up and try the $350 tournament. A little nervous at the cash amount but I forgot about it when I sat down.

Anyways I was expecting decent player with a mix of 20-30% good players. I was at the Indian casino waiting for the tournament to start. I got there early to get a low # table so I dont get moved around. I was cold and felt sick from all the smoking in the poker room after an hour.

After the tournament started I noticed a lot of aggression from the players at the table. I felt I was at a tough table full of LAGs... till I started noticing the hands and plays these players were making. Basically I felt like I was at an limit 1/2 game with calling stations and bad LAGs.

I couldnt put anyone on a hand.
I could only read if they had weakness or strength.
Their plays made no sense, they called raises with crap that you could'nt put them on. I was lost on what to do?

If I raised I got 3-4 callers. The variance was unbelievably high like a no foldem holdem game.

EXAMPLE of play: UTG calls, CO raises, SB reraises, UTG goes all in, CO folds, SB calls. UTG shows 55, SB shows QQ.

UTG raises, CO slams his chips on the table yelling "I call" Flop comes K 9 7 rainbow. UTG bets, CO raises all in, UTG calls showing AA, CO shows K9s.

Players were pushing all their chips on just draws, and sometimes bottom pairs. Players calling a bet and raise on the flop with middle or bottom pair.

It was nuts! I expected better players not worse from the $150 tournament game I am used to.

Anyways from all the casino banter, people on the rails yapping it up, people playing the slots right next to the table, the players at my table, me feeling cold and sick from the nasty smoke I did not play my best. I played 7 hands getting out drawn of beat by some rediculous hand.

But looking at this tournament how do you play the early rounds when your whole table is acting like a no foldem holdem game with a little LAG within each one???

1-2 crazies I can handle, but a table where 7 of the 10 are nuts?

[betgo]

Sounds like an online tournament. Play tight and peddle nuts. Get aggressive later when the play tightens and the blinds go up.

[winky51]

Thats what I figured. In a no foldem holdem ring game I dont care, I can always get more money. But in a tournament like this where you can raise 3-4 times and be called by 3-4 players having to fold you start running out of chips.

That happened to me 4 times reducing my stack to a pitance as I was unfortunatly outdraw each time. These players had no concept of odds. So I finally had to go all in with a good but not great hand and of course 2 players with lessor hands called and I lost anyways. I know better for next time.

Play tight, but try to see as many cards, as cheaply as possible. Players like this are usually very poor post flop. If you can beat top pair once, youll double up more than likely.

[schwza]

yeah, beating really bad players sure is tough.

[Bobby Cannoli]

[ QUOTE ]
yeah, beating really bad players sure is tough.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm not sure this is really a fair comment.

I know all the arguments about playing vs. poor players (and I agree). But there's a huge difference between ring and tourneys. In ring, I can fold all day until a favorable situation comes up. Also, more people play limit ring than NL, so you can make more speculative plays against a bunch of maniacs, waiting for the right hand.

In a tourney, like the OP said, if you have a few hands that don't work out, you can become incredibly short stacked very quickly. Especially since most tourneys don't start you off with >100 BBs.

And as the OP stated, this was a big buyin for him. Sure I can brush it off if I get some cold cards at a maniac table, in a tourney that I play 5-10 times a week, and that the buy-in is nothing to me. I would hate to go to my first big buy-in tourney, and get stuck at a table like this >AND< simultaneously get crappy cards.

Obviously, if I'm getting good cards, this is EXACTLY the kind of table I want to be at /images/graemlins/wink.gif

Bobby