Was out of town for four or five days there so I didn't get a chance to play or write -- I was hardly ever at a computer.

However, the FTOPS is starting today, and while I won't be playing tonight's event, I will be playing some of them later on, for my first tourney action since the WCOOP. I'm not going back permanently-- I'm still playing HU cash-- but this seems like a good time to give tournaments a shot on the side in hopes of a big score.

I'll probably have something to say about what I observe returning to the tournament game; I have a hypothesis that people get too wrapped up in current trends on how to play, and forget how to simply play well. I plan to test that and report the results.

I have a couple of ideas for strategy posts; to be honest, I'm kinda waiting to play hands that illustrate them well.

And I'll have, as requested, a bit of a report on Austin, what I like about it, and why I live here now.

lakeoffire says

I understand about the trends and I think it has affected my play as of late. I have been trying too many things at once and losing sight of solid, aggressive, ABC poker. Let us know how it goes. Good luck.

11/08/07

nath says

Yeah, I plan to write about the trends more. Just as a for example of what was going on while I was in the tournament world... after everyone discovered what a powerful weapon squeezes were, all the regulars started squeezing, so the people ahead of the curve started 4-betting lighter and flat calling big hands to a raise if a squeeze-happy person sat behind them. Then the regulars all picked that up, so the people ahead of the curve started realizing that and would stop squeezing without big hands, etc. So on and so forth. Meanwhile, people are getting so caught up in how to trick other regulars that they forget things like playing hands for their maximum value and being aggressive in the right spots. There's a lot of focus on the forums on how to beat the better regulars you play, and it forgets that poker is a game of the individual player, and that tournaments are so full of bad players that you need to take lines to maximize the individual you are playing against.

11/08/07

lakeoffire says

I still think there is more value in getting it all in with your aa preflop vs some donks jj early in tournaments, I don't think you have to get too tricky because there are alot of people who still don't recognize what an EP raise means. There are plenty of bad players to beat them with solid poker early and mid tournament play. Advanced poker theory seems to work on better players but against bad players I think it is better to hold a good hand. My point is, save the advanced play for the advanced players in the later levels of the tournament. I will let you know how my basic theory shakes out.

11/08/07

harlem says

Players get wrapped up in the latest trends regarding the "how to" instead of just playing. Everyone is trying to find the next great system, even me.

11/08/07

jackbobby says

We look forward to reading about some of your adventures, mostly good we hope, in the FTOPS. Good luck.

11/09/07

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