Stairway to Heaven or Highway to Hell

[Sam T.]

I decided to try on an aggro persona in a Party $10+1 tournament, and wonder if it's stupid play, or what it takes to build a stack early. This is all within the first ten hands. Comments appreciated (Converter is acting up - I'll do what I can.):

Hand 1:

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t15 (10 handed) FTR converter on zerodivide.cx

UTG (t1000)
UTG+1 (t1000)
UTG+2 (t1000)
MP1 (t1000)
MP2 (t1000)
MP3 (t1000)
CO (t1000)
Button (t1000)
SB (t1000)
Hero (t1000)

Preflop: Hero is BB with K[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], 3[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img].
<font color="black"> 7 folds</font>, Button calls t15, SB completes, Hero checks.

Flop: (t42.50) J[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], Q[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] <font color="blue">(3 players)</font>
<font color="red">SB bets t15</font>, Hero calls t15, Button calls t15. <font color="blue">I'm not drawing here, but t15 doesn't scream strength, and I decide to stay around to see if I can pick up the pot on a later street. </font>

Turn: (t87.50) 8[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] <font color="blue">(3 players)</font>
<font color="red">SB bets t15</font>, <font color="red">Hero raises to t60</font>...





Hand 2:
Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t15 (10 handed) FTR converter on zerodivide.cx

SB (t985)
BB (t1025)
UTG (t1000)
UTG+1 (t1000)
UTG+2 (t1000)
MP1 (t1000)
MP2 (t1000)
MP3 (t970)
CO (t955)
Hero (t1065)

Preflop: Hero is Button with K[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], Q[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img].
<font color="red">UTG raises to t40</font>, <font color="black">6 folds</font>, Hero calls t40, 1 fold, BB calls t25.

Flop: (t127.50) 2[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], 9[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] <font color="blue">(3 players)</font>
BB checks, <font color="red">UTG bets t40</font>, Hero calls t40, BB folds.

Turn: (t207.50) 7[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] <font color="blue">(2 players)</font>
<font color="red">UTG bets t40</font>, <font color="red">Hero raises to t125</font>, UTG calls t85.

River: (t457.50) 8[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] <font color="blue">(2 players)</font>
UTG checks, <font color="red">Hero bets t200</font>...



Hand 3:

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t15 (10 handed) FTR converter on zerodivide.cx

Button (t975)
SB (t985)
BB (t795)
UTG (t1000)
UTG+1 (t1000)
UTG+2 (t1000)
MP1 (t1000)
MP2 (t970)
MP3 (t955)
Hero (t1320)

Preflop: Hero is CO with A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], Q[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img].
3 folds, MP1 calls t15, 2 folds, Hero calls t15, 1 fold[/i]</font>, SB completes, BB checks.

Flop: (t57.50) T[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], 8[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], J[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] <font color="blue">(4 players)</font>
SB checks, BB checks, MP1 checks, Hero checks.

Turn: (t57.50) T[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] <font color="blue">(4 players)</font>
SB checks, <font color="red">BB bets t40</font>, MP1 folds, Hero calls t40, SB folds.

River: (t137.50) 9[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] (2 players)
<font color="red">BB bets t15</font>, <font color="red">Hero raises to t70</font>...

I know some of the flop calls were loose, but it was an experiment. Aggro post-flop seemed to work well, but I don't know if I should get in the habit of going this route early in tournaments.

Thanks,

Sam

[gobboboy]

There's a difference between laggy and stupid. I make tons of loose preflop calls but I get out if there's tons of resistance and I don't have a legitimate hand. All of these hands you can fold easily. Bluffing is -EV at this level of play ($10 tourneys) and this part of the tournament. If you want to get more aggressive, make sure you have at least a pair.

(I don't mean to sound harsh, I myself tried this kind of play for many tourneys and it didn't end well. Chip accumulation works well because you can get the money in easily with the best hand and you get paid off when you hit your draws. The only equity you have in these hands is fold equity, and that's not good.)

[TBone]

I'm no tournament expert, but I've played a fair share of low buyin tourneys and this does NOT appear to be the way to build a stack. The way I've built a stack is playing tight, playing hands where you have big implied odds, and playing your position. (don't ask me for advice on getting through the middle/bubble [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]) Attempting to bluff people off their hands early in the tournament is not a good thing. If there's one thing people in these tournaments love more than Jenna Jameson, it's calling with their top pair mediocre kicker.

Calling an UTG raise w/ KQs is usually not a long-term good play early IMO. If you really want to be aggro and you think you've got a better hand than UTG raiser, why not re-raise? (I'm not advocating this, just wondering where the aggro part went) Limping with AQs, checking a flop that's pretty good for you (you've got overcards, nut flush draw, nut straight draw, straight flush draw) is exactly how not to build up a stack early. Be "aggro" and bet your crazy gazilion out draw.

It almost seems like you're trying to just bluff people off relatively small pots w/ absolutely nothing rather than playing your strong hands strongly.

I'll defer to some of the more experienced people but in general I wouldn't recommend these types of plays early in a tourney when you have no reads unless you're showing your cards every hand and then tightening up to get the people at your table to call your Aces down. (in which case the poker gods will almost surely make sure they run you down by rivering them two pair to their JTo)

T

[AceofSpades]

[ QUOTE ]
I decided to try on an aggro persona in a Party $10+1 tournament, and wonder if it's stupid play, or what it takes to build a stack early. This is all within the first ten hands. Comments appreciated (Converter is acting up - I'll do what I can.):

[...]
I know some of the flop calls were loose, but it was an experiment. Aggro post-flop seemed to work well, but I don't know if I should get in the habit of going this route early in tournaments.

Thanks,

Sam

[/ QUOTE ]

Just a couple of thoughts, it's been my experience that "party 10+1" and early in the tournament, pretty much = you will get paid off if you hit your hand. On the other hand most of the time bluffing is pretty much just throwing your money away. So you have large implied odds to draw to strong hands, but not much folding equity. You might want to experiment with turning on the aggression/taking down pots when blinds hit around 25/50 or 50/100.

Hand two is bad though...your typical opponent has an ace or a premium pair with an overcard on the flop, and doesn't like to fold either, and you aren't drawing to anything decent and possibly pretty dead.