Tropicana; Atlantic City; October 23, 2011

I found myself in the midnight tournament at the Trop, following an evening at a bachelor party.  I got there half an hour late and at the short-handed table of 5 people.  Great structure though:  10 minute rounds, $62 buy-in, $15k in chips.  35 entrants, apparently.  My late arrival had cost me about $1k.  No matter, I settled in quickly after not playing a hand in months.  I was back up in the game.  Long story short, I played my usual patient style.  Textbook would say completely wrong for this structure.  Aggression, aggression.  Long story short, I didn't get a hand all night.  My best was A-Q.  Where did I finish:  10th, at the final table.  I won 5 out of 6 hands I contested.  Would I have done better being more aggressive.  My sense is "no."  One good hand could have made the difference.  Without that, I'm not sure anything would have changed the outcome. 

NLH Tournament Patience

Ok everyone.  Despite my not having posted in some time, folks are still coming to the site.  So, I thought it was only right to start blogging again.  Despite my absence, I haven't abandoned No Limit Hold 'Em and, in fact, have continued to hone my game to the point where I've reached a number of tournament final tables.  Most of these have been small tournaments in Atlantic City.  I wanted to talk a little about tournament patience.  I've watched so many people go out on tilt or making a bad move because they wanted some "action."  Eliminating these mistakes will automatically improve your play, regardless of how you play otherwise.  Poker is very much like trading -- you have to be able to wait for the right situation.  There are not that many "right" situations during the course of a tournament and, if you can't wait, you won't find them.  Simple in theory, but not in practice. 

Playing Ace-Queen Pre-Flop: Hellmuth

Phil Hellmuth's book, Play Poker Like the Pros, doesn't have a great deal of detail on NLH but it does have some interesting things to say. He talks about playing A-Q pre-flop in some detail (Hellmuth, Play Poker Like the Pros, 141-143). Specifically, Phil lays out 3 ways of playing this hand.

First, Phil's basic approach is that A-Q is a good enough hand to take a flop with. He says you can call a small raise or raise with it about the size of the pot. Phil doesn't advise calling a reraise or even a large raise, however. The basic principle is that you want to win the pot outright or see the flop fairly cheaply. Although the advice for post-flop play is not specific, Phil seems to be looking for a set on the flop to continue with this hand. He implies that flopping another ace alone can get you into trouble, for reasons I've discussed elsewhere (Q kicker may give you second best hand).

Phil also discusses Frank Henderson's approach to playing A-Q. According to Phil, Henderson likes to limp with A-Q in the hope of flopping a set. As Phil points out, Henderson won't win any pots pre-flop this way but does build the pot in the event he hits a set. Presumably, Henderson folds if he doesn't hit a set.

The last approach Phil discusses to A-Q pre-flop is what he calls the megalomaniac theory. Simply put, a megalomaniac will raise and reraise pre-flop with A-Q in the hope of winning the pot before the flop. Hellmuth says this approach is effective in tourneys because it steals a lot of antes. Of course, when you play it and someone else is holding A-K or A-A, you can lose a lot of money.

When to Look at Your Cards

Phil Gordon says not until it's your play (Gordon, Little Green Book, p. 26). Cloutier/McEvoy say look at your hand as soon as you have both cards (C/M 121). Gordon's reasoning: if you look before play gets to you, you might lose interest in the hand and not pay attention to play in front of you. Or you might give the other players a tell if you have a good hand.

Cloutier/McEvoy's reasoning: if you look quickly, you'll be free to observe what's happening. Basically same reasoning as Gordon, just different approach. According to C/M, you won't miss what's in front of you and you'll have plenty of time to watch the players behind.

Holdemscholar tried it both ways at the Midnight Madness tournament at the Taj and found that, all else equal, he preferred looking immediately. This allowed me to interpret what was going on with other players in light of what I was holding. I could start thinking strategy immediately. This was particularly true when I was in early position, such as 2nd or 3rd to act. If I waited until play got to me, I felt like I was rushed to make a decision on my hand. This could just have been inexperience but, for now, I like the Cloutier/McEvoy advice. I have read elsewhere, can't remember precisely where, a pro saying that only novices look at their cards immediately. Well, apparently this pro has never played against Cloutier. I'll keep this an open topic.

Playing Ace-Queen Pre-Flop: Phil Gordon

In his Little Green Book, Phil Gordon advocates playing Ace-Queen from all positions, unless you've decided to play tight in which case he does not advocate playing from the first two positions (Gordon, pp. 262-67). Phil doesn't give a lot of explanation as to how to play A-Q in the face of action but does specify that his recommendations as to A-Q are based on the premise that you are first into the pot and raising, you don't know much about your opponents, all stacks are average size, and the blinds are small in reference to the stacks. Phil doesn't provide much more guidance than this on playing AQ pre-flop in his Little Green Book. I'll update if necessary after reading his little blue book.

Playing Ace-Queen from Middle Position Pre-Flop: Cloutier/McEvoy v. Harrington

What do Cloutier/McEvoy and Harrington say about playing Ace-Queen before the flop from middle position?

First, what is middle position? According to Harrington, it's seats three through six at a 10-seat table.

Cloutier/McEvoy advise folding A-Q in seats 3 through 5 before the flop in the early part of a tournament (C/M 128). There is no specific advice as to later levels of a tournament. As for seat six, Cloutier/McEvoy advise playing A-Q if there are no raises in front of you. If there is a raise(s), fold (132).

Ok. What about Harrington? Dan has you playing A-Q from middle position by raising 85% of the time and calling the other 15%. And what about if you get raised or called? Harrington provides some examples to guide you:

Harrington (190-191): You're in fifth position and the player in third position opens for 3 times the big blind. According to Dan, you call with A-Q suited and fold with A-Q unsuited.

Harrington (191-192) You're in fifth position and the player in third position calls. Raise with A-Q suited, call otherwise.

RESUME OF A NO LIMIT HOLD 'EM HOPEFUL

I thought that you might want to know the bona fides of this young buck trying to fight his way up. After all, who wants advice and analysis from a fool? Hold 'Em Scholar is a graduate of an Ivy League law school, has a minor in physics, has had editorials and think pieces published in various newspapers and magazines, has worked at two of the 100 largest law firms in the United States, is an inventor with two patent applications currently pending, and manages a small hedge fund. If I cared about such things, I could stroll into a MENSA membership on the strength of several standardized tests I've taken throughout the years.
What does all this add up to in the No Limit Hold 'Em world? Quite possibly nothing. There ain't no entrance exam for No Limit -- or the world. Just wanted you all to be aware of the mind behind this site.

And oh yeah, you might ask: what is your No Limit experience, Mr. Hold 'Em Scholar? Presently limited. I began training by playing a lot of hands against computer opponents. My first foray into the real word of poker was a couple of months ago. I played in the Midnight Madness Tournament at the Taj in AC. Midnight Madness began at 12 midnight on a Sunday night. I actually had no intention of playing in a tournament that night, had gone to AC to celebrate my brother's birthday and play some blackjack. But I'd been reading some books on No Limit and had played some hands on the computer, so I figured why not. How'd I do? I made it to the final four tables before being busted out with a short stack and a pair of 10's. Up until the Midnight Madness tournament, I'd never played poker against live opponents in my life. Give that some consideration in assessing my results. I'll do better next time, you can count on it.

MISSION STATEMENT: NO LIMIT HOLD 'EM GREATNESS

This website will track what will hopefully be my successful career in No Limit Hold 'Em tournaments. I am relatively new to the game but have read a lot of the game's literature (i.e. Harrington, Sklansky, Cloutier, Hellmuth, etc.) and notice serious discrepancies in what some well known players have to say about the best way to play. Obviously, skilled players can differ on strategy but I want to explore whether, at any given time, there is an optimal way to play a hand, taking into account the many factors that can influence decisions. This site will examine the contradictory advice provided by the No Limit stars and try to determine what the best strategies are. The site will also detail my progress as I try to win No Limit tournaments using the knowledge that I gain and share here. If I don't make it to the top, hopefully some of you will.

A final note: my work here will be aimed at tournament play because this is the area of the No Limit universe that interests me most. If you play in regular games, you may have to adjust some of the conclusions reached here. With that said, let's start this trip.