Deliberately Playing Slow so Blinds Increase......

CuttleFish

CuttleFish

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Was playing in a tourney on Friday night and toward final table one player at my table had a massive chip lead. Blinds were $500/$1000. Others at the table had average stack of about $6k, he had about $60k.

Once he built his stack to this level, he started slowing down dramatically. Blinds were increasing every 25 mins, so on each hand he would take ages to look at his cards, ages to make a decision, ages to fold. When it was his turn to deal, he shuffled for about 2 mins and then dealt the slowest 14 cards in history.

Was this smart play by him? Would others in CC take this approach?

He would have chewed through an additional 10 minutes of a 25 min blind level by playing slowly.

Interested to read others responses.

CuttleFish
 
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Aslama01

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At a home game, I wouldn't be caught dead doing this, for the most part. Slowing down when he is dealing the cards just seems to be real poor etiquette. However, if it were at a tourney in the casino, I would have no problems doing this as I'm just trying to make as much money as possible(, where as the home game should be more for fun with friends). If done in a home game, it cuold get you not invited back, so take caution if you do decide to.
 
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BluffYou123

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He was wasting his own time when he could have been using his stack to bully the table. Not a good idea. When I started out playing poker I used to use this tactic to get in the money or move up the money ladder but it's counter-productive if you're playing to win.
 
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NoOneYouKnow

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Higher blinds actually decrease the value of his chip lead so this is just dumb (think about having a 10bb vs 5bb or 200bb vs 100bb).

I prefer to see games slow down when I am the short stack, but no, never implement anything to make it happen.
 
CuttleFish

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This did work for him. There were 12 left, 6 at one table, 6 at the other. Top 3 were paid. by slowing down, he put 4 out of the 6 players at our table straight into shove/fold mode (maybe they should have been anyway). Net result,, they were reduced quickly to one, so he made the final table. He did keep an eye on the other tables chip leader and was about even with him when they joined us up.
 
Poker Orifice

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He was wasting his own time when he could have been using his stack to bully the table. Not a good idea. When I started out playing poker I used to use this tactic to get in the money or move up the money ladder but it's counter-productive if you're playing to win.
this ^
He should actually be abusing the others like a madman... not slowing the game down & wasting the time he could be using to build an even bigger stack
This did work for him. There were 12 left, 6 at one table, 6 at the other. Top 3 were paid. by slowing down, he put 4 out of the 6 players at our table straight into shove/fold mode (maybe they should have been anyway). Net result,, they were reduced quickly to one, so he made the final table. He did keep an eye on the other tables chip leader and was about even with him when they joined us up.
Guy sounds like a noob tbh.
 
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RamdeeBen

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For a home game this was quite lame of him. I'm surprised you or anyone didn't say anything? I'd of had to point I would be doing his dealing/shuffling now unless he sped up some what.

Limping in the money though seems daft considering his stack and like others has said, increased blinds doesn't really help him either.
 
OMGITSOVER9K

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lol it wasn't a home game, guy seems like a fish..

if you've got 10x average stack you should be using the lead to bully people and go for first, waiting here seems way wrong imo.
 
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RamdeeBen

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Not sure what none home games let you deal lol.

Or was it some pub game? If so, then I expect nothing less ;)
 
OMGITSOVER9K

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haha my casino back home in leeds (don't say anything) lets players deal if there aren't enough dealers.

(tbh I should apply for a job)

so I just assumed thats what it was. ;)
 
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redvulture61

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Was playing in a tourney on Friday night and toward final table one player at my table had a massive chip lead. Blinds were $500/$1000. Others at the table had average stack of about $6k, he had about $60k.

Once he built his stack to this level, he started slowing down dramatically. Blinds were increasing every 25 mins, so on each hand he would take ages to look at his cards, ages to make a decision, ages to fold. When it was his turn to deal, he shuffled for about 2 mins and then dealt the slowest 14 cards in history.

Was this smart play by him? Would others in CC take this approach?

He would have chewed through an additional 10 minutes of a 25 min blind level by playing slowly.

Interested to read others responses.

CuttleFish


If this was not a home game i am very surprised they got the players to deal other than hiring dealers to deal. Geez, this must be a pretty dog live tourney if there were no dealers and they were getting the players to do it. As for the purposely slowing down while playing is concerned, i cant say i have never been guilty of this especially online and close to the bubble. Is this ethical? In a home game no, this might not ever get you invited back.
 
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RamdeeBen

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Using your time bank is fine in general online, even live. However, being no dealers or anything then who's keeping a clock?

I don't mind people timing online tournaments if they wish to use it up, their choice. This sounds just lame though, but the whole set up seems weird anyway.
 
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NoOneYouKnow

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This did work for him. There were 12 left, 6 at one table, 6 at the other. Top 3 were paid. by slowing down, he put 4 out of the 6 players at our table straight into shove/fold mode (maybe they should have been anyway). Net result,, they were reduced quickly to one, so he made the final table. He did keep an eye on the other tables chip leader and was about even with him when they joined us up.

Sometimes it works for fish to flat 4bets to set mine. Doesn't make +ev.
 
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momfight

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In poker stars when you are deep in, they have a pause after each hand so each table plays one hand at a time, so slowing down doesnt do anything but slow everyone down equally.
 
Colbefc

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Must admit I have slowed down my play in MTT's on Poker Stars when I am short stacked and it gets near the bubble, purely to try and cash, but lots of players do this, but I would never do it in a home game or a CC tourney
 
Tino11

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Sounds a real sad b*****d to me. he should be using that stack to his advantage, live, online, home game, the situation remains the same.
 
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momfight

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sorry I didnt read the question properly.
 
Arjonius

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That this approach worked out alright in this particular situation doesn't mean it was a favorable strategy. It seems like something an inexperienced player might do instead of taking advantage of a great opportunity to accumulate even more chips and thereby give himself the best chance to win. Or at least to cash given there was another big stack at the other table.

Why slow the play down and wait for the opponents to feel more stack size pressure when you can accomplish that and also grow your stack at the same time?
 
CuttleFish

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Wasn't a home game, was a local pub/club game. Players deal until it gets to final table then they put a dealer on. On that, can't believe how many people are not used to players dealing cards! You do know the button is the "dealer button" right? :)
 
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I'd just call clock on him the second it was his turn to act on every single hand if I felt like he was affecting my edge over the rest of the field. I'd also put a few sly jibes in about his seemingly non-existant understanding of the game.
 
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redvulture61

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Wasn't a home game, was a local pub/club game. Players deal until it gets to final table then they put a dealer on. On that, can't believe how many people are not used to players dealing cards! You do know the button is the "dealer button" right? :)

You are playing some of the doggiest tourneys i have ever seen... Any reputable game will have hired dealers to sit at the tables and deal the cards. Geez, weren't you the one who posted saying you were down to heads up in one of your local tourneys where blinds were 7.5k/15k at 2bb effective stacks?
 
CuttleFish

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You are playing some of the doggiest tourneys i have ever seen... Any reputable game will have hired dealers to sit at the tables and deal the cards. Geez, weren't you the one who posted saying you were down to heads up in one of your local tourneys where blinds were 7.5k/15k at 2bb effective stacks?

Welcome to Bunbury Western Australia. Population 80,000, nearest city is 240km away, and even then it's Perth which is one of the most remote cities in the World.......... not a great deal of choice.

Maybe I do need to look at playing online after all......

CuttleFish
 
CuttleFish

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On the plus side, we do have nice beaches.................. :)
 
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redvulture61

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Welcome to Bunbury Western Australia. Population 80,000, nearest city is 240km away, and even then it's Perth which is one of the most remote cities in the World.......... not a great deal of choice.

Maybe I do need to look at playing online after all......

CuttleFish

It's all good buddy. I just found it a bit comical when i heard that. I'm surprised you are not already playing online. It's unusual to find members who don't here.
 
CuttleFish

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It's all good buddy. I just found it a bit comical when i heard that. I'm surprised you are not already playing online. It's unusual to find members who don't here.

I would play online but have a thing about putting credit card details on the net. Maybe I'm old fashioned? I have went to open a few accounts but they all want credit card details to register. So that leaves me playing against one-armed Bob and Max Flush down the golf club on Friday nights...................
 
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