My personal checklist: Why did I not finish ITM?

Except for the inevitable suck-outs by the other guy, on the 'rare' occassion when I finish a SnG not ITM, I can usually identify the breaking of one or more of my personal playing rules as the cause. Of course, the beauty of any rule is that you must know when the RIGHT time is to break it... anyway, here is the list-in-progress:

1. Don't get involved in a hand unless the cards DEMAND that you do.
2. Full value from a hand is NOT as important as surviving until the next.
3. Don’t be PASSIVE and let the other guy catch his hand.
RESPECT early position raises, especially late in the game.
4. You need a BETTER HAND to call with than to raise with.
5. Don't call when you KNOW you are beat.
6. Don't call raises with Ax against a full table.
7. Treat playing poker like you are playing for a living.
8. Don't bluff too much.
9. Play to Survive.
10. Don't bet on the river when only a better hand can call.
11. Don't risk a lot to win a little.
12. Don't put advanced moves on novice players.
13. Don't play while tired or distracted.

Comments, additions, mockery, etc?

14. No fear, only respect.

[45suited]

I agree with your checklist in general but overall it seems like you're playing with scared money.

In particular, rule #1 is a bit much. If you can run a table or if you're the bigstack, go ahead and play some hands, buy some blinds, etc.

Also, rule #10 is overused a bit. There are times where only a better hand will call. There's also alot more times when this seems to be the case, but yet your river bet will be called by hands that you wouldn't dream of.

I would add one more rule: "Value bet relentlessly."

Disagree on #2. As a part of surviving, you HAVE to get full value for your winning hands.

#3 Depends on levels and stacks. E.g. a shortstack in a late level will go all in from EP with any paint or ace. EP raises in early stages normally indicates strong hands.

I think you're #1 is too tight. There are plenty of spots where the cards you have truly have nothing to do with your play, such as "push any 2" situations.

As for "Play to Survive," I think that might be adapted to play to survive ITM, then go balls out for the win.

[pergesu]

Cool list, and at least you're thinking about the game.


[ QUOTE ]
2. Full value from a hand is NOT as important as surviving until the next.

[/ QUOTE ]

That's total crap. Maxing your value is how you win the most money. You just need to make sure you're maxing your $EV rather than your cEV, which are pretty much the same early on but can be drastically different later on. Maxing value in any tournament hand is going to account for the risk of going broke.

15. People who dream the most do the most

16. Success finds a way; failure finds an excuse

17. Nobody ever woke up on top of the mountain; sometimes you just got to go climbing

[tigerite]

18. Ship it. Holla

[ QUOTE ]
Except for the inevitable suck-outs by the other guy, on the 'rare' occassion when I finish a SnG not ITM, I can usually identify the breaking of one or more of my personal playing rules as the cause. Of course, the beauty of any rule is that you must know when the RIGHT time is to break it... anyway, here is the list-in-progress:

1. Don't get involved in a hand unless the cards DEMAND that you do.
2. Full value from a hand is NOT as important as surviving until the next.
3. Don’t be PASSIVE and let the other guy catch his hand.
RESPECT early position raises, especially late in the game.
4. You need a BETTER HAND to call with than to raise with.
5. Don't call when you KNOW you are beat.
6. Don't call raises with Ax against a full table.
7. Treat playing poker like you are playing for a living.
8. Don't bluff too much.
9. Play to Survive.
10. Don't bet on the river when only a better hand can call.
11. Don't risk a lot to win a little.
12. Don't put advanced moves on novice players.
13. Don't play while tired or distracted.

Comments, additions, mockery, etc?

[/ QUOTE ]

is this a joke?

Was this post generated as the result of a prop bet?

[zoobird]

Although most of the individual items on your checklist are reasonable, I don't like the whole approach of looking at your checklist after each time you're eliminated without finishing in the money. This seems like really extreme results oriented thinking. How about making a checklist that you look at after every time you play - regardless of results. Same general idea, and many of the same items, but less focus on why you lost this particular time. After all, you're often going to place in the money despite mistakes, or get eliminated early despite good play.

[ QUOTE ]
1. Don't get involved in a hand unless the cards DEMAND that you do.

[/ QUOTE ]
Play the player and situation, not just the cards. Sorry, I can't agree with rule #1.

[ QUOTE ]
2. Full value from a hand is NOT as important as surviving until the next.
3. Don’t be PASSIVE and let the other guy catch his hand.
RESPECT early position raises, especially late in the game.

[/ QUOTE ]
The trick is knowing which one is which (ie, when you aren't getting full value and when you are being too passive)

[ QUOTE ]
4. You need a BETTER HAND to call with than to raise with.
5. Don't call when you KNOW you are beat.
6. Don't call raises with Ax against a full table.

[/ QUOTE ]
4 and 6 go hand in hand - you can call with a worse hand than you think your opponent has, as long as its a hand where you know where you are at (which Ax, Kx aren't, but small/medium pocket pairs are).
[ QUOTE ]

7. Treat playing poker like you are playing for a living.
8. Don't bluff too much.
9. Play to Survive.
10. Don't bet on the river when only a better hand can call.
11. Don't risk a lot to win a little.

[/ QUOTE ]
Corrollary to 7, play to have fun, too.
8. But don't let your opponents (get away with a) bluff too much either.
9=11
10 - unless you are bluffing and know he can't call.
[ QUOTE ]

12. Don't put advanced moves on novice players.
13. Don't play while tired or distracted.

[/ QUOTE ]
Yup, yup.

[GtrHtr]

[ QUOTE ]
on the 'rare' occassion when I finish a SnG not ITM,

[/ QUOTE ]

ahem.

[skipperbob]

A "One-Post" Wonder that "rarely" doesn't ITM; Cool /images/graemlins/cool.gif

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

Don't get involved in a hand unless the cards DEMAND that you do.


Personally, when my cards begin making demands, I know it's time for a break.

[tigerite]

Oh I dunno, if SuitedSixes would make some card mods where the Queens were all pictures of Shakira, I wouldn't mind them making demands.

[GtrHtr]

[ QUOTE ]
Don't get involved in a hand unless the cards DEMAND that you do.


Personally, when my cards begin making demands, I know it's time for a break.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is funny.

[Gigabet]

If you took most of the items on this list, and changed them around, you would have the same list that I would use when playing, if I were a list maker, that is.

[Bill Poker]

[ QUOTE ]

13. Don't play while tired or distracted.

[/ QUOTE ]

[bluefeet]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

13. Don't play while tired or distracted.

[/ QUOTE ]

[/ QUOTE ]

I would have to quit poker & life in general if this were the case /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[ QUOTE ]
18. Ship it. Holla

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree, this should be #1. /images/graemlins/shocked.gif

"REPSECT early position raises, especially late in the game"

WRONG WRONG WRONG.

Not at low level buyins.

[bearly]

ok, just 2 questions: 1) by 'rarely', we can assume you finish itm about 90% of the time, right? 2) are you stanzee's brother, or stanzee w/ a new acct?........troll away...................b

[11t]

I agree, value betting is key

You said: By 'rarely', we can assume you finish itm about 90% of the time, right?

I say: Heh - I figured that putting a smiley after that tounge-in-cheek comment would not be necessary...

My SnG proceeds pay for the occasional toy, but my ROI is not good enough to finance the mortgage (yet)

[SpeakEasy]

Decent guidelines, in general, especially for early levels. You'll probably see better results if you loosen up a bit more. Your guidelines suggest that you probably play too tight in certain situations, and especially if you follow these on the bubble and when you're the big stack.