PokerStars Grand Tour - a deep dive

ChickenArise

ChickenArise

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Seems there is little talk here about this new game format, a 4 seat NLHE PKO.

I think its one of the most innovative formats to emerge in a while.

Has anyone gotten into this? Have you found good reviews or strategies posted anywhere?

Game play and population tendencies vary greatly depending on the buy in level. I find it necessary to adjust strategy as you advance.

I have advanced to the final stage ($60) three times now and failed to score even one bounty at this level. All of the prize money is deferred to this level so you have to win at this level to 'cash out'.

I have currently managed to spin up from the $2 level and now hold another shot pending.

I think one of the big reasons for my failure to complete this level is that when you spin up from lower levels you will often start with less chips than your opponents who bought in directly, especially if you fail to capture every opponents bounty. Although in theory it appears you could start with more.

I would love someone to clarify this part of the game for me as no one has provided an explanation or formula for how this works.

From my perspective it appears your starting chips are based on the amount of the bounties you collected on the previous level. I have started this final level as the shortest stack every time I have played since I am always moving up from a lower level.

I have noticed a consensus among the pros many of which start at the $12 level. Some suggest the best value for the money is beginning at this buy in. Would love to hear different opinions on the matter.

Grand Tour. The innovative game that no one is talking about.
 
Last edited:
Joe

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I don't know much about how everything is worked out but I heard that the best value (buy-in against possible rewards I guess) is at the $1 level..

Winning a sprint seems to reward you with qualification to the next one (i.e. you don't pay the buy-in)..

I wish I had more information/answers for you, sorry pal!

Quite a few times after playing GT I've been surprised how much $$$ I'd won..

Gets a thumbs up from me! :icon_thum
 
toots babos

toots babos

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The amount of chips you start a round with is based in the value of your bounty so at the $1 level everyone will start with 1000, if you win that level and win all the bounties I believe your bounty is around $2.24 but if you buy in directly at the $2 level your bounty starts at $1.80 so in that scenario you will start with more chips than the players that directly buy in.

In theory you could start each table after the $1 buy in with the most chips each time, however, it's highly likely you will start a game or 2 with less chips than others.
 
Joe

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Most sprints I start with the most chips... :biggrin:

More often than not anyway.... :)
 
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I’ve played it a good bit, mostly for fun on my phone. I question the merits of buying in at the 1/2 limits because they’re just bingo. That said I did run all the way to a final table once (didn’t win) for $50 profit... so if you’re prepared to suffer a bit maybe it’s worth it.
 
Joe

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I’ve played it a good bit, mostly for fun on my phone. I question the merits of buying in at the 1/2 limits because they’re just bingo. That said I did run all the way to a final table once (didn’t win) for $50 profit... so if you’re prepared to suffer a bit maybe it’s worth it.
I find the first two sprints ($1/$2) the easiest to win... :wink:
 
ChickenArise

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Players gamble a lot at the $1/2 level. At the $1 level you will find some are just bad. As you move up the play gets a little more conservative, but players will still call wide when there is a bounty to win.

It is a fast and fun format. I have another $60 buy in pending that I spun up from the $2 level but it only has $50 of value so I will be starting short and looking to get it all in good early.

I also have a pending at the $12 level ($11.92) spun up from the $1 level.

I might play them later tonight after a few warm ups.

I hope this format lasts longer than their other new offerings usually do.
 
Joe

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Players gamble a lot at the $1/2 level. At the $1 level you will find some are just bad. As you move up the play gets a little more conservative, but players will still call wide when there is a bounty to win.

It is a fast and fun format. I have another $60 buy in pending that I spun up from the $2 level but it only has $50 of value so I will be starting short and looking to get it all in good early.

I also have a pending at the $12 level ($11.92) spun up from the $1 level.

I might play them later tonight after a few warm ups.

I hope this format lasts longer than their other new offerings usually do.

Interesting!

Didn't think about restarting at a lower sprint with an entry pending, do you know how many times that can be done?

Also, best of luck with your deep runs, hope the board is favourable to your initial move!

:flute:
 
ChickenArise

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Interesting!

Didn't think about restarting at a lower sprint with an entry pending, do you know how many times that can be done?

Also, best of luck with your deep runs, hope the board is favourable to your initial move!

:flute:
There is no limit that I know of and cant see why there would need to be. Thanks for the well wishes. Same to you.

I hope more will join in this conversation as well.
 
toots babos

toots babos

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Interesting!

Didn't think about restarting at a lower sprint with an entry pending, do you know how many times that can be done?

Also, best of luck with your deep runs, hope the board is favourable to your initial move!

:flute:

I think it is either 4 or 5 max games that you can have saved at the one time.
 
Joe

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I also hope GT sticks around, it can be a bit of a gold mine...
 
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These are quite addictive, I find it a little strange how the bouties work though.

Some games at the $1 level I take the first bounty for like 22c then others I have even had $4 for the 1st bounty. Seems to be very random what head prize you get for eliminating a player.
 
Joe

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These are quite addictive, I find it a little strange how the bouties work though.

Some games at the $1 level I take the first bounty for like 22c then others I have even had $4 for the 1st bounty. Seems to be very random what head prize you get for eliminating a player.
How much you can win for knocking someone out depends on how big the bounty is for that particular opponent.

It's starts at .22c - $33 (or something like that)..

If you click on the little drop down window next to the bounty adjacent to their name, it will show you what you can win for eliminating that player..

I'm still waiting for any kind of jackpot elim, but they do happen..
 
ramdon p358

ramdon p358

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It is a very funny game. If we are patient when playing a hand we would get a lot of value out of our entry, because being a game with only an elimination reward many desperately try to eliminate others with any hand and I think this would be a great advantage
 
CRStals

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I haven't looked at any of the responses to this as I don't want my view of this game to be altered so I'll give you my 5 cents on this game...

First off - I think the format is fascinating and a joy to play. I have gotten waist deep into this and to date been quite successful.

Game play I find to be very straight forward:
- Identify where you are in chips at the onset of the tournament
- Goal in the first two orbits / levels is to chip up to leader, even by a small margin
- Punish short stacks with extreme pressure
- Any two cards will do if there are two bounties up for grabs
- Hope variance holds

I have started somewhere between 30 to 40 Grand Tours from the $5 level (Note: all of the talk I've seen on this has stated that it appears to be most profitable from this point, not the $12's - I'll explain why I think that is shortly).
I have on three tours currently with a bounty greater than $60 - two of them greater than $70 but have not attempted the final stage yet
- I have won two gold jerseys - one for $23 and the other was $112
- To date I'm up a total of $177 - remove those two bounties and I'm still up $42 on roughly $170 worth of buy-ins - with 5 total tours in progress (3 at $60+, 2 at $20+)

The key is racking up KO's Chicken. I've noticed a huge difference in equity when I win only the last bounty vs winning all three and this is where your edge comes in at the next level.

I believe that the buy-in levels represent roughly the number of STT's you have to play to get to the end. With that in mind compare the profitability of starting at the $5's vs $12:

Each round I've played has roughly paid out 40% of the buy-in at that level, give or take (take the big jackpot bounties out for a moment). So if you only win the last one, you're winning 1/3 of that 40%.

If you start at the $5 that would win: $2.67, $6.40, $13.33 and $32 --> plus your own for a base win of $54.43 (Net $50.43)
If you start at the $12 your base win would only go down to $51.79 but your net drops to $39.79.

You could argue to go to the $2 level, but your risk/reward goes down as you'll only add $1.07 to your net plus the $3 difference in buy-in but you now have to play another STT to get to the end and at that level, play is a little more wide.

Obviously all of this depends on:
- Winning only one bounty per round
- No purple or higher jerseys are KO'd

Again, just a sense of what I've seen to date. Now if you win all three bounties in a round, not only do you tend to win back your buy-in or close to it, but your equity goes way up. Again from what I've seen, at the $5 dollar buy-in your bounty is roughly:
$7.00 if you win one
$9.50 if you win two
$11.00+ if you win three
Now - this means generally you go into a $12 buy-in shorter but if you are paired with three others that came from the $5's it's good. But again, you're not that different that it's hard to overcome.

Just remember - at the last level from what I've heard the play tightens up as there is a LOT more money on the line than a $15 bounty - chance to win over $100 will cause most players to play tighter. But earlier on be aware of the shoves on hand one - unless you have a hand or notes on them, don't be swayed by the bounty out there

EDIT: After playing the first final level can confirm that play definitely gets tighter but people are still willing to rip it in with any ace it seems. Ran K5 into QQ on a KQ5 flop but overcame it after to win the bounty. It definitely does not play like the other levels

Now...I'm going to look through what others have said.
Seems there is little talk here about this new game format, a 4 seat NLHE PKO.

I think its one of the most innovative formats to emerge in a while.

Has anyone gotten into this? Have you found good reviews or strategies posted anywhere?

Game play and population tendencies vary greatly depending on the buy in level. I find it necessary to adjust strategy as you advance.

I have advanced to the final stage ($60) three times now and failed to score even one bounty at this level. All of the prize money is deferred to this level so you have to win at this level to 'cash out'.

I have currently managed to spin up from the $2 level and now hold another shot pending.

I think one of the big reasons for my failure to complete this level is that when you spin up from lower levels you will often start with less chips than your opponents who bought in directly, especially if you fail to capture every opponents bounty. Although in theory it appears you could start with more.

I would love someone to clarify this part of the game for me as no one has provided an explanation or formula for how this works.

From my perspective it appears your starting chips are based on the amount of the bounties you collected on the previous level. I have started this final level as the shortest stack every time I have played since I am always moving up from a lower level.

I have noticed a consensus among the pros many of which start at the $12 level. Some suggest the best value for the money is beginning at this buy in. Would love to hear different opinions on the matter.

Grand Tour. The innovative game that no one is talking about.
 
Last edited:
CRStals

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How much you can win for knocking someone out depends on how big the bounty is for that particular opponent.

It's starts at .22c - $33 (or something like that)..

If you click on the little drop down window next to the bounty adjacent to their name, it will show you what you can win for eliminating that player..

I'm still waiting for any kind of jackpot elim, but they do happen..


I did get one for $112 so can confirm they do happen
 
CRStals

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It is a very funny game. If we are patient when playing a hand we would get a lot of value out of our entry, because being a game with only an elimination reward many desperately try to eliminate others with any hand and I think this would be a great advantage


Disagree - we can't be that patient as the blinds escalate every 4 hands and your stack in BB will shrink very fast. You have to take that into account as I've noticed passive play doesn't pay off here.
 
CRStals

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So I attempted my first final sprint...and let's just say it went amazing. Got all three final bounties for an enormous ROI on $5. The below speaks for itself
 

Attachments

  • First Final Sprint.JPG
    First Final Sprint.JPG
    122.2 KB · Views: 31
  • Grand Tour WIN!.JPG
    Grand Tour WIN!.JPG
    129.7 KB · Views: 31
  • Grand Tour Results.JPG
    Grand Tour Results.JPG
    140.3 KB · Views: 29
nuttea

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Seems there is little talk here about this new game format, a 4 seat NLHE PKO.

I think its one of the most innovative formats to emerge in a while.

Has anyone gotten into this? Have you found good reviews or strategies posted anywhere?

Game play and population tendencies vary greatly depending on the buy in level. I find it necessary to adjust strategy as you advance.

I have advanced to the final stage ($60) three times now and failed to score even one bounty at this level. All of the prize money is deferred to this level so you have to win at this level to 'cash out'.

I have currently managed to spin up from the $2 level and now hold another shot pending.

I think one of the big reasons for my failure to complete this level is that when you spin up from lower levels you will often start with less chips than your opponents who bought in directly, especially if you fail to capture every opponents bounty. Although in theory it appears you could start with more.

I would love someone to clarify this part of the game for me as no one has provided an explanation or formula for how this works.

From my perspective it appears your starting chips are based on the amount of the bounties you collected on the previous level. I have started this final level as the shortest stack every time I have played since I am always moving up from a lower level.

I have noticed a consensus among the pros many of which start at the $12 level. Some suggest the best value for the money is beginning at this buy in. Would love to hear different opinions on the matter.

Grand Tour. The innovative game that no one is talking about.
for me, this discipline does not beat, since there are restrictions on distribution and the speed of the pace of the game is too high for stable decision-making and earning, respectively. certainly interesting, but only for beginners / amateurs. at a distance, you are unlikely to add this game format, you can check it yourself by playing at least 500 of these mini tournaments. my opinion is that the game will not get along, because you cannot beat it. just for fun
 
ChickenArise

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On my $60 attempt where I only have $50 in value and will start short stacked, my strategy will be to fold until I have a hand that I can jam and hope to get called wide, before reverting to a normal strategy.

Sound good or should I play it differently?
 
Joe

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On my $60 attempt where I only have $50 in value and will start short stacked, my strategy will be to fold until I have a hand that I can jam and hope to get called wide, before reverting to a normal strategy.

Sound good or should I play it differently?
I'd say that might be ok as a default strategy but you should remain flexible depending on circumstances of course.

Generally if you fold for three orbits then open jam anyone worth their salt will be wary of calling wide but the format does encourage it so, you never know..

Best of luck!
 
ganbat

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Is it better to start from 5 or from 25?
 
5

5KINGLEO5

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I did not go further than the game for $ 5, but remained in the black with 15 dollars. I like it))
 
ChickenArise

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Is it better to start from 5 or from 25?

Most of the people I have spoken to have said to either start from $12 or from $5 level. However if you do start from $25 level you only need to win two in a row.
 
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