The Official KC Strategy

Thanks: To Cards chat in general for helping me grow into the player I am now, if it was not for this site and the members I have became friends with this strategy would never have been made! Also a big thanks to Inscore for helping add some things and helping also with fine tuning it.

Introduction: First let me start off by saying that this is my own strategy that may be similar to other ones, or somewhat slightly off and in some eyes not right....but that is their opinion and and it has worked for me so It doesn't really matter. I also want to let you know that I am open to making this strategy better, by being open to new suggestions or comments about the strategy, which can be done by commenting on my blog(www.kingcurtisblog.blogspot.com). Other than that I hope this strategy helps you to win money and be successful in poker tournaments!

Beginning until first break- This part of the strategy may be very similar to other strategies that you may have read about or followed. This is a very critical part of the path to the Final Table, although almost every section of this strategy is critical but this is where we build our stack in order to survive raising blinds, and eventual use our stack as an aggressive weapon, but I'll shed light on that subject later.
Small Ball Poker- This is a term used by many professionals including Phil Ivey, Daniel Negreanu, and many others. I actually learned this way of playing when first reading Daniel Negreanu's book. Here is my unofficial definition of "Small Ball Poker"- Playing more pots than usual, while being aggressive and taking down small pots to build a larger stack slowly but surely.
The definition explains that you play a lot of pots, well in my strategy I don't play as many, I actually play fairly tight, but when I do play a hand, I play like this. Also later in this strategy I use this Small Ball strategy almost exactly.

Starting Hands and Selection- These are the starting hands that are played in this strategy up to the first break.

(AA, KK, QQ, JJ, 10 10): These hands I'm raising in any position usually about 3x-4x the BB(Big Blind). I know it's different than in all the poker books, and from what all the pros say. Usually it's 3x the BB, but with these hands and my strategy I raise 4x or 3x the BB also so remember that! The main reason this is done is to prevent the weak hands from playing or maybe even stray low PP away and not from hitting. This is standard other than the 4x the BB raise, I only do this to keep the aggressive aura and betting strategy intact. The last and final thing is, if you are going to raise, raise either one all the time, if you raise 3 x the BB all the time it will be harder to read by others when your raising since you always raise with 3x wether you have AA or AK. Same as 4x the BB, if you do it once, do it the rest of the time.

(AK, AQ, AJ, A 10, KQ): These hands are mainly played in late position(one of the last three spots starting from the dealer button counter clockwise). With the exception of raising AK and AQ in any position. Another possible controversial play, but this is how my strategy is played. My thoughts on A 10, AJ, and KQ are as follows. Honestly I don't like them this early in a tournament and they can get you into some trouble, mainly due to kicker problems(hitting an A, K, or Q and not having the kicker to beat hands that are better. Any of these hands the standard raise here is 3x the BB unlike the high PPs talked about earlier. Try not to play these at all especially not in early position.

(99-22): With these low PPs(Pocket Pairs) I'm "limping in"(calling the same amount of the current BB), in any position, and never raising(at least at this point in the tournament). The best thing to do is just limp and hope others also get in, because the more people in the hand when you hit your set the better. These hands are also really nice to play since they are easy to get away from and usually you can't lose a lot of money, and you usually win a lot of money. There can be times where you limp in and someone else raises. In this situation you can call depending on position(mainly late) and how much the raise is or how many raises/reraises are done. There are numbers out there but I came up with my own for myself and this is what I follow for this particular strategy. Whenever you are facing a raise while holding a PP only call a raise up to 6% of your stack. The good thing about this is that usually people are raising 3x the BB and if you have an average stack you can easily call that. If you have a short stack it doesn't mean that you fold since its too much because usually your in the push/fold stage and push in that situation anyways. I like to call these the sniper hands, because usually they are not picked up on and no one sees it coming.

Raisng when faced with limpers- The general rule of thumb is to raise your standard amount plus one big blind per limper. So if you're raising 4xbb normally, then will two limpers in front your raise would be 6xbb (4 + 1*2).

Raising when faced with raisers- Try and make a good read on your opponent especially if you have KK or QQ as they may have AA or KK. Also remember the small PP rule of percentage, usually you will be folding to reraises or even big raises.

1st Break-2nd Break/3rd, 4th, etc.- By this time the blinds are getting higher and the average stack is raising also. This part goes for all the breaks that it takes to get to about 10-20 people before the bubble. I'll explain why it stops at 10-20 people before the bubble in the next part, let's just focus on this time period for now. By this time hopefully you have built a nice stack which is either over or around average. Obviously being a big stack is nice but if your around or at average your still doing well and have a good shot at making the final table.

Stack Sizes- This is the way that I learned to calculate where I am at stack wise compared to everyone else in a tournament. If you have less than 12 BB: Short Stack, 12-16 BB: Mid Short, 16-22: Mid., 22-30: Mid High, 30+ : Large. The math is simple, take your stack divided by the current BB(grade school math lol)

Starting Hands and Selection- Same as the starting hands for the first hour. I would also like to note that this strategy does not contain the use of suited connectors, which many love and can get attached to. Although many pros say to switch gears by raising in position with suited connectors and such, but this strategy does not! Suited connectors can be used to hit multiple different combinations of hands but can also get you in trouble if you do not know how to play them correctly. For now stay away from them and don't even limp with them in late position.

Pocket Pairs during this period- This is different than the beginning until break, since now is when I actual raise with 99-77. Although only raise in late positions. This is mainly to switch gears and keep others guessing, so limp in late position every once and a while too.

10-20 people away from ITM(In the Money)- Here is where we start to loosen up more than ever compared to any other point in the tournament and at the same time become ultra aggressive. You ask why, well it's simple but you must be careful at the same time and pick your spots. The reason why we do this is because many, especially the smaller stacks or average stacks wanna make the money and do not wanna risk losing their stack right before it hits. So you can take advantage by being aggressive and raising with a wider range of hands in position and also UTG(under the gun). Raising under the gun may sound bad but it is not, in fact it can be very effective in stealing blinds, NOT IN STEALING POTS ON OR AFTER THE FLOP(remember that) for you are OOP(out of position) and have a less advantage. If you have a small stack you are usually push/fold anyways so this doesn't apply, only to average or big stacks(which you should be by playing this strategy). Here is when you play all the hands in the last two sections plus suited connectors in position, and also raising in position with hands like (KJ, QJ, K 10, Q 10)
Remember other players, especially big stacks will also take advantage and many player in which you are bullying wont just take the beating, so pick your spots and try and spot out all the folders or tight scared people. On another note, make sure to take notes if possible throughout the tourney or now, if you can pin point a couple tight players, ATTACK! Also if you have a poker manager software you obviously can tell who is who through stats. The main point is to be more aggressive than ever at this time of the tournament.

Final Table: Alright, the infamous Final Table. From Studying actual videos of my own final table finishes, I've put together the best information, not only to get higher in the money, but to win the whole tournament!

The Final Table, Just like the bubble is extremely tight, just like right before the bubble, but It seems every time I played like I do before the bubble(LAG), I end up getting knocked out way too early(9th,8th,7th, etc.). I've noticed that by playing tight I have gotten farther, as the goal is to win or get maximum prize money, but at the same time I still steal blinds.....

Stealing Blinds: Please be careful and follow these instructions carefully. While stealing blinds, you can run into a hand, which is usually calling or re-raising, which means you obviously have to slow down. Now in some cases, if you have been repeatedly stealing from the same person/people a re-steal can be made, therefore looking like a big hand but is most likely weaker than yours. This brings us to when and who you actually steal from during the final table....
As was said before taking notes can be a huge advantage in the way you make plays or steal blinds from certain players.
My main concern for anyone willing to put there neck out there and steal some blinds is that many do it too much or do it in a certain patter to the same people without realizing it. Try and switch it up in a random order on the people you know are tight, make no common pattern, even make the raises different sizes, but not enough to seem strange.
I have noticed through research and studying that blind stealing is crucial in order to survive the blinds growing higher since the play is tight and few are getting knocked out.

5-3 handed: Play here tends to get loose, as others know at this point that the odds have changed. My suggestion is to again play tight but steal when possible. Don't forget, your not the most unlucky person here, you will get a nice hand from time to time and could possibly double up or knock someone out, stealing isn't your only option to survive. If you are up against all the loose/stealing type of players, then let them hang themselves and kill each other. It would be better to have a big stack take out 3 people to make it HU than you being knocked out in 4th or 5th, think about it.

The only time you should play aggressive here is if the others or the majority are tight players, then be hyper aggressive! Take control of everything, make them pay to see anything, but don't get caught bluffing!

Heads Up: One word: Aggression. Depending on if you are a big stack, low stack, or even, some things could change for this strategy. But if you are even in stacks or if you are the big stack especially, be the aggressor, and ATTACK! Raise in position, with a wide range of hands. I don't want to go through the fundamentals of HU, but you should all know any Ace, PP's, or face cards, are good.
If you are a low stack, congrats for getting this far, and don't give up, you still have a chance here. My suggestion here is to pretty much push when you have any of the hands above obviously, but also try and steal in some situations. Depending on how low of a stack you are could be dangerous since the big stack could be calling with almost anything to win. Obviously don't push with any hand, wait for your spot, you'll know!

Never be scared in this situation also, no matter what your stack size is either. Just be confident and play with your instincts, the other player doesn't have a hand every time so don't be afraid to raise your middle pair on the flop, or semi-bluff with a flush draw or straight draw.



Extra Strategy(Advanced): C-bettting and beating the C-better

C-betting can be and cannot be profitable, depending on when and who you use this bet on. Obviously scouting your opponents while playing at the same table can maximize this strategy. Using a Poker manager or a Poker Tracker type software is best since it shows whether they are tight pre flop, or make c-bets themselves. If you are not using software like this like I do, then you must pay attention to everything, from betting patterns to bluffing, always, ALWAYS pay attention. This means no distractions during a tournament. If you are serious about making money please follow this rule.

Now for the actual strategy. First we will start with C-betting. If you do not know already C-betting means: Continuation Betting: and it is exactly what it sounds, for example:

Here is a hand FR(Full Ring) with two player to the flop.

Hero: AK

Villan: AQ

Hero raises 3 x the BB on the button and Villan calls in the BB.

Flop: 10 J 3

Villan: Checks

Hero: Bets 3/4 the pot this is a text book C-bet. Hero doesn't have a made hand, but since he has position on Villan, he bets and takes down the pot in most cases...........this is were stopping the C-better comes into play.

Lets say we are the Villan, in his position with the same hand scenario. In this case if you have a good read, or think that since Hero is on the button he has a hand like AK or AQ and is just C-betting, we could try a re-steal.(this is a very advanced move and isn't used a lot). Remember if they re-raise or just call on the flop we must slow down. This can be done to aggressive stealers, which hopefully you have spotted by now through your software or notes by paying CLOSE attention. This is also a nice thing which will pay off later, when blinds go up even more, they won't try and steal your blinds and make moves constantly.

Wow took me 10min to read and i usualy hate long posts but its a very nice article Curtis and im looking forward to reading more from you.

Oh and with the SC are u reqamenting dumbing them all together or just after the 1st break? Just asking because early in tourney i like to play every single hand that haves potenials and SC have big potenials.

Why is this in the lounge? If not in the beginners section, at least in poker general.

He was worried about advertising his strategy, maybe he followed my advice (or decided himself) to post somewhere with resticted access.

This is cool, Curtis, thanks. Maybe this will help me make the jump from STT to MTT.

By the way, the link to your blog in the post is broken.

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Yeah, sorry I was a little worried about exposure, and it not being read but if a mod thinks it would be better, than please move it to tournament strategy or poker general thanks!

Also DJ you didn't say anything else, only that, I'm gussing its not that good than?

Thank you!

Well for a while, before I started playing like this, I would play SC in position, and like you said they would have potential, but ever since I dropped playing them since they can be a little more advanced to play CORRECTLY, I started doing better and going deeper, since I don't really know the full way to play and there actual potential. Now when i get down to the 10-20 before the bubble and so on, SC's are gonna be played. The funny thing is I will eventually play them early on, but would rather wait untill I am at higher stakes/buyin, and another funny thing is that 10 9 suited( a suited connector obv) has the best percentage PF to beat AA more than any other hand........

Well honestly let me know what you think, and if you do make the jump and play MTTs please let me know how you do while using this, results, stats, etc.

Can a mod please fix the link? Thanks!

Well it is working on you guys but you haven't said what you think!?

that goes for you too^^^

Just got done reading this, I think its very nice. I know a few things that could be added to it and it's more for advanced players and for my 2k post I will make something special so just wait and see.
PS: I really like how organized that was and really easy to understand

Oh yeah, watch out for me next time we play hehe, I'm probably not going to use this strategy since I developed my own over the years but this would be a great strategy for whoever doesn't have one and reads this.

thanks bob, and like I said, you can either comment on my blog or pm me it doesn't matter if you wanna help add some things, just let me know!

Wow KC great strategy really really god reading thanks for taking your time to write it and thanks for sharing it with cardschat users

thankyou, there for a second I thought I was going to get no feedback, I guess many just haven't seen it yet or like DJ said it is in the wrong place.......either way tyvm

I didn't say what I thought because I hadn't read it all yet . Well put together article, Curtis. I have my own strategy, I just wanted to know how to play against you j/k. My strategy needs some work and I'll be borrowing from this article for the second hour, bubble and beyond. 3/5 handed will have to wait as I haven't made it there yet . The few final tables I've made I see AQo and lose control.

Great post KC. I haven't really established a strategy myself yet that works. But I just learned to play last year, so I have a LONG way to go.

well KC im glad to see you posted it

i think it's a great read and a good strategy for beginners to read and build upon in their own way

to me this is more of a blueprint for building your own strategy using the principles you laid out for them

i think all in all its a great strategy and an awesome post and would love to see more like this in the future

i also liked you explained how to deal with/take advantage of C-betters

LOL, actually, and this is the truth, I am only now ready to read it. I started a few lines when it was fresh, and got sidetracked by thinking it was in the wrong place. You're reasoning for it being here is OK. It's been so long I didn't realize the lounge was restricted.

I'll comment after reading if there is something I think is worth commenting about.

Great strat KC, and thanks for sharings despite your woes. Ill def. be checking back to this when i play tournies. loads of great advice for a rookie tournament player like myself.

Thanks again

Amazing. Very nice post KC. Thanks for sharing.

Nice thread, KC.

Your strategy seems very tight indeed, and therefore very card dependent. What do you do if you are running cold and not getting those premium hands ?

As regards the size of your pre-flop raise, I am inclined to agree that 4x BB (or even 5x) may be more appropriate than the standard 3x, depending on the tendencies of your opponents. Online MTTs are often full of loose callers.

I`d also suggest that you should probably adjust your standard raise if you have limpers before you. Is that something you have considered ?

Thankyou, and your questions are exactly what I was hoping to eventually get, you see I totally forgot about what to do when faced with limpers, and you as a player have a good hand to raise.

Also on a side note about me being possibly card dead in a tourney, obv this happens, and I don't always follow this strategy exactly, so sometimes I make some good bluffs and play small ball like I said, but I was faced with the problem about how to explain that to some rookies.......I mean it is really hard to explain how you know when to bluff and you got them on nothing, or when you know they are stealing, which I tried with taking on a c-better, it is extremely hard to teach someone that gut feeling you have sometimes, which i think is gained from experience, and is almost impossible to teach......

thanks to all for the kind words

Nice post Curtis. I've added the info to my player notes on you.

The general rule of thumb thrown about is to raise your standard amount plue one big blind per limper. So if you're raising 4xBB normally, then will two limpers in front your raise would be 6xBB (4 + 1*2).

If you decide to update/add to this strategy, you can post in this thread and just let a mod know so we can merge them for you.

Also, I am going to move this to the Poker Strategy section as that is where it really belongs. It won't get any more or less exposure there as both sections are open to all members.

I see this thread has been moved to get more traffic. I don't think you're giving too much away anyway KC. Like jewboy said, its a good groundwork for people, but specific plays/reads that you have are still your own.

What is your win and money finish percentage?

Check my OPR for FT and PS as full tracking, or check my SharkScope for PS (kingcurtis67)

I love your strategy! You help remind me that tournament poker is about! Really just grinding it out and patience.

Lately I have been experiementing a little with LAG and it hasn't really been working for me. It works for awhile and then... well, I guess I run into players like you!

Just today in the freeroll I had made a medium-high chipstack past first break with LAG play, and I might of kept it if I switched to your strategy! LOL Instead my play just got me on the rail.

Anyways, very good post. Interesting and helpful stuff. A simple strategy for any beginner to learn.

Thanks!

tyvm hope it makes you do better....please post on my blog or here if you do do well with this!!

Nice post KC!

I have to agree with a point JD brought up, the amount to raise. There's a reason for this standardised patern and it's simply to make it harder for the villian to get a read on you.

JD also mentioned another good trick. Have updated my notes on you at Stars


Keep up the good work, it's all ready helped a few and will continue to help more players out in the future! (esp. new players learning the game)

lol well that's a small fraction of the strategy, gl to you hopefully the rest help you out in the future!

Nice Read KC... I should maybe write down what I am trying to do for my own sake..... Not much different from your approach

Thanks

I agree with a lot of what you're saying, but i fell you left out some important points.
At the start of all tournaments there are a lot of players willing to play any Ax or Asuited, try and spot these fish who cant fold an A and milk them on the flop when you hit with your big A. There are plenty of these players online and most call to the river, so take advantage.
In the mid stages of a tournament i feel you left out a very important piece of information. I agree with stealing the blinds as often as you can without ruining your table image but, there are lots of players who cant help themselves and are constantly stealing. These players should also be targeted for preflop reraises. It takes a bit of courage to do it but its very effective against lose aggressive players. Only do it from very late position or the blinds unless you have a monster. Slow playing can be talked about in another post. Even if they call they will nearly always check to you if they miss the flop and fold to your continuation bet, whereas if you call and miss, you can be guaranteed to have a continuation bet coming on top of you and you dont know where you're at in the hand and folding is usually always going to follow.
Another usefull tool to have in your arsenal against aggressive players is calling with nothing and then bluffing on the turn. Its my favourite move in the game and i will do it about 1 in every 3 hands i miss on the flop with someone betting into me, provided the board is not dangerous. It often works in my favour, most players who are bluffing are only willing to take 1 stab at a pot. If you get called on the turn check fold is the only move on the river. Its highly likely your opponent has something and only a big bet on the river will take it down but its not a spot you want to get into. Way too risky.

P.S. If you rarely get bluffed you are calling way too much and no doubt a losing player. On the other hand if you rarely get caught bluffing you are not doing it enough. Choose your spots and opponents wisely before committing a lot of chips.

Ty for your input as is said above this is a little bit of a guideline for beginners/intermediate searching for a good solid strategy. So knowing how to stop a constant stealer is portrayed a little at the end in my advanced strategy if you read that part.

Also the turn bluff can be successful(as I am writing a bluff strategy as we speak) but for these players it could get them in trouble so it is best to leave that out for now....some of those things come with experience and gut feeling and can not be taught. Once again thanks for your input!

I disagree with you, I think what Curtis was trying to do was lead you in a good pre flop strategy, there are so many cases post flop that he can't tell you how to play each. What you are talking about 3 betting and floating people, takes skill and I think it was smart that Kurtis left that out, you may ask why? well the beginners or unexperienced players shouldn't be trying this stuff without experience.

Nice stratagy KC helped me out some this weekend, Im going to try it out again sometime this week on a X2 chance at pokerstars.

Placed 9th in Absolute FR last night with this strategy!

Used some of my own gut of course on when I could bluff (which is ALOT when poeple tighten up in the end and are way short stacked)

But in general just played patient poker as KC suggests.