Hey guys and gals!
Welcome back to my ongoing journey into the world of online tournament poker. In this post, I'll break down my recent experience in the GGPoker $2.5 Bounty tournament, sharing both the challenges I faced and the valuable lessons I learned.
Late Registration and Short Stack Strategy
I made a late entry into the tournament, which meant I was playing catch-up with a shallow stack from the get-go. This scenario presents unique challenges and requires a specific approach to stack management and aggression.
Early Bust and Learning Opportunity
Unfortunately, my run in this tournament was short-lived, and I busted out early. But as I always say, "I never lose, I either win or learn." This setback has become a golden opportunity for growth and improvement in my poker journey.
AI-Powered Hand Analysis
To gain deeper insights into my play, I've enlisted the help of ChatGPT to analyze my hand history. This AI-powered review has shed light on several hands and situations where I could have played differently. As always with AI, some issues raised here should probably be analyzed further, but it definitely can point to the right direction.
Five Main Areas of Improvement:
1. Aggressive Blind Play:
- There were several opportunities where you folded instead of taking aggressive actions from the blinds. Particularly when opponents were attempting to steal, defending the blinds with a 3-bet or an aggressive call could have put more pressure on the raiser, especially if they were in late position. This approach can be crucial for building your stack in tournaments.
2. Shoving and Fold Equity:
- In multiple scenarios, you could have leveraged your short stack to shove over weaker players to increase your fold equity. When you have less than 15 big blinds, your shoving ranges should include not only premium hands but also speculative hands with good equity when called. This is particularly true in situations where you were close to being blinded out.
3. Defending with Marginal Hands:
- You often folded from the big blind in spots where calling with marginal hands like suited connectors or suited one-gappers would have been advisable given the pot odds. In some hands, your fold was a bit too tight, especially against a min-raise. Using the right pot odds to call with hands that have good post-flop playability is crucial in modern tournament strategy.
4. Post-Flop Pot Control:
- In hands where you held marginal hands post-flop, your approach was often either too passive or overly aggressive. Pot control was not effectively managed in several situations. Instead of making probing or value bets to understand your opponent's strength, you often folded or bet too large, losing value or creating an overly large pot with a vulnerable hand.
5. Stack Preservation in Late Stages:
- There were moments where your short stack could have been preserved with more conservative play. Pushing all-in is necessary, but identifying the best opportunities to do so is essential. Not every suited Ace or medium hand should automatically be a shove when you’re very short-stacked. Picking the right timing is key to ensuring you get a fold or end up in a favorable heads-up situation.
Biggest Leaks Identified:
1. Passivity in Blind Defense:
- Folding in the blinds too often, especially against small raises, allows aggressive opponents to chip away at your stack. This type of passivity can cost you in the long run. You should aim to defend more with a mix of calls and 3-bets to maintain a competitive stack.
2. Lack of Squeeze Plays:
- Opportunities to squeeze (raising over a limper and a caller) were missed. Squeezing is a powerful move that can generate a lot of fold equity, especially when you are short-stacked and there is dead money in the pot from players showing weakness.
3. Pre-Flop Overfolding:
- You often folded playable hands in late position when you could have attempted a steal. Recognizing that late-position raises can be made with a very wide range of hands is crucial, especially when you're at a shorter table or nearing the bubble.
4. Bet Sizing Errors:
- Some bet sizes were inappropriate for the stage of the tournament. Either the bets were too small, allowing opponents to continue cheaply, or they were too large, committing you without proper pot control. Proper bet sizing should reflect the strength of your hand and the goal—either inducing a call or forcing a fold.
5. Unoptimized Shoving Ranges:
- There were a few scenarios where you were very short-stacked and folded when shoving would have been optimal, particularly with Aces or Kings. Understanding the value of shoving and gaining fold equity when your stack is shallow is critical in tournament play.
Five Examples of Hands Played Differently:
1. Hand: [Ac Jd] – All-in from the Big Blind (against [Ad Qh])
- Situation: You shoved all-in with A♠J♦ after a late-position raise. The opponent called with A♦Q♥.
- What Could Be Done Differently: Given that you were out of position and facing a raise from a relatively deep stack, a call rather than a shove would have kept your stack flexible. Alternatively, you could have waited for a better position or a weaker opponent. AJ is a strong hand, but not against a potential premium range from the initial raiser.
2. Hand: [9s 2d] – Fold from Early Position
- Situation: You folded 9♠2♦, which was correct. However, from the small blind, you should occasionally complete if the pot is multi-way and your stack is deep enough to justify speculative play.
- What Could Be Done Differently: Against limpers, completing from the small blind with suited connectors or speculative hands can help increase the likelihood of hitting disguised strong hands. Here, the stack size allowed for more flexibility and a call to see the flop was warranted.
3. Hand: [Tc 3d] – Fold in Big Blind against Small Raise
- Situation: You folded T♣3♦ from the big blind after a button limp and another call.
- What Could Be Done Differently: Given the pot odds and the small raise, you could have considered calling. T3o is not a great hand, but considering the discounted cost to see the flop and potentially hit something strong, calling was justified here.
4. Hand: [7Ts] – Folded from the Cutoff
- Situation: In late position, you folded T7 suited.
- What Could Be Done Differently: From late position, particularly the cutoff, T7 suited is a hand that can be raised, especially when the table has been passive. The suited combination has decent post-flop equity, and raising can help accumulate much-needed chips or even steal the blinds.
5. Hand: [Kh Ks] – Small Pre-Flop Raise Instead of Shove
- Situation: You raised small with pocket Kings instead of going all-in when your stack was around 15 big blinds.
- What Could Be Done Differently: Given your stack size, going all-in would have been optimal to maximize value while keeping your range disguised. By raising small, you allowed for opponents to just call, potentially missing out on picking up more chips or eliminating a competitor.
Final Thoughts:
To improve, focus on a more aggressive approach from the blinds, understanding when to push pre-flop, and the importance of defending your position. Maintaining an appropriate balance of aggression and passivity is key—become a player who is capable of pushing opponents off marginal hands while also knowing when to pull back and maintain your tournament life. Use these examples to guide your future sessions and aim to improve your situational awareness and leverage in hands.
Live Commentary and Community Engagement
For those interested in a more immersive experience, I've uploaded a recording of my play on my YouTube channel. In the video, I talk through my thought process in real-time, giving you a seat right next to me at the virtual felt. I'd love to hear your thoughts as well!
Key takeaways for future games
Based on the AI analysis and my own reflections, here are the main areas I'll be focusing on to elevate my tournament game:
- Aggressive blind defense
- Leveraging short stack situations
- Defending with marginal hands
- Post-flop pot control
- Late-stage stack preservation
Conclusion and Next Steps
As I continue my "100 Tournament Challenge," each game brings new lessons and opportunities for growth. I'm committed to applying these insights in my future sessions and look forward to sharing my progress with you all.
What aspects of tournament poker do you find most challenging? Share your experiences in the comments below, or in our Facebook group and let's learn from each other!
Stay tuned for the next installment in my poker journey, and remember – every hand is a learning opportunity!
See you at the tables.
Alon Marcus