What was Phil Ivey thinking?

[JimHammer]

[ QUOTE ]
No there are times to bluff. But this isn't one of them.

Yeah you have to pick a spot when you get short stacked but this isn't it. When i am short stacked(severly short stacked) i look for any ace , any pair and 2 faces to move when 1st in. I think this would have bee a much more viable option for Phil I as well.

[/ QUOTE ]

Personally, I try to bluff when my opponents have exhibited weakness and are likely to fold to a show of strength.

In tournament poker (as opposed to a ring game), you can't always wait for a strong hand to go in with. The blinds and antes will eat you up. If you see an opportunity to steal a small pot, you have to take it. And your stack has to be large enough for your opponent to respect the raise. Granted, Phil Ivey picked a bad spot to make this move, but I'm sure he wasn't the first one to do it and he definitely won't be the last.

[jojobinks]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
No there are times to bluff. But this isn't one of them.

Yeah you have to pick a spot when you get short stacked but this isn't it. When i am short stacked(severly short stacked) i look for any ace , any pair and 2 faces to move when 1st in. I think this would have bee a much more viable option for Phil I as well.

[/ QUOTE ]

Personally, I try to bluff when my opponents have exhibited weakness and are likely to fold to a show of strength.

In tournament poker (as opposed to a ring game), you can't always wait for a strong hand to go in with. The blinds and antes will eat you up. If you see an opportunity to steal a small pot, you have to take it. And your stack has to be large enough for your opponent to respect the raise. Granted, Phil Ivey picked a bad spot to make this move, but I'm sure he wasn't the first one to do it and he definitely won't be the last.

[/ QUOTE ]

see, now there's a sensible post. thanks, mr. hammer.

p.s.: no sarcasm was included in the writing of this post. i'm just tired of the old "he made a donkey play" posts. ABC players don't have ivey-like results. ABC players, that wait for monsters, get blinded to death. strong pros do what senor hammer describes above, and keep their heads above water until they get their monsters. in the meantime, other players at the table have to 1)find a hand and 2)have it hold up if they expect to eliminate the shortstack.