Ashley Sleeth (Vegas MTT pro)- Ask Me Anything About Playing Poker

[bermejoga]

Hello Ashley. In your opinion what is the best strategy late in MTTs when you get absolutely no good cards att all and your stack is getting smaller and smaller. What to do in these situations? Maybe bluff to get some chips and survive?

 

[DarkFore5t]

As a professional poker player, what do you consider to be the most difficult aspect of the game, and how do you overcome it?

 

[joesta]

Hey Ashley, welcome to CardsChat! It's fantastic to have someone with your level of experience and passion for the game join our community. I'm eager to learn from your expertise, and I have a few questions for you:

1. With your extensive experience playing cash games on the Strip, what are some key factors or strategies that have helped you consistently succeed at the $5/$10 stakes?
2. Could you share any memorable moments or interesting stories from your travels to poker events around the world? Is there a particular location that stands out as your favorite?
3. You mentioned encouraging people to fulfill their poker bucket list items. What is one item on your own poker bucket list that you haven't accomplished yet, and what steps are you taking to achieve it?

Thank you for sharing your journey with us and look forward to hearing more!

Cheers,

Joey

 

[zingbust]

Hi Ashley, I have a very specific question about a specific tourney offered now in LV. At Caesars, there's a $100 buy-in with 15K starting stack and an add-on at the break that only gets you 10bb for $50. Levels are 20 minutes. The antes don't kick in until late registration is over (after 6 levels). My theory is that taking the add-on is a bad idea (yet most people that make it to the break do so), no matter how short, medium, or big your stack is. Do you agree?

Also, might it not be a good idea to enter during the break, taking only the buy-in for $100, and start the tourney short-stacked but with 2/3 of the field busted. 15K in chips would be less than 7m but with a good short-stack strategy, ICM and the works, is this a good idea or a terrible idea?

I'm only looking to do break even or a little better in the long run if you say it's a fairly good idea. I have trouble building a stack during the first 6 levels.

 

[nasty bent gorilla]

How do you view baby pairs at the early stages of an MTT? Should you bin them from early position; do you raise against limpers or limp behind when in late position?

Thanks

 

[Kurchina]

What percentage of hands do you typically play?

 

[ramorleans]

What was your biggest downswing, and how did you recover from or cope with it? Have you ever broken your bankroll? What was your mindset during that time?

 

[x patrice x]

Hey Ashley!

If you ask yourself the question: "What does a life as a poker player look like?", most people have a more or less good idea of what it means to make a living from poker.

On the other hand, what is not so obvious is 'how the path to life as a poker pro begins'!?

What I mean and what interests me above all is the point 'how does the beginnings look like', to a way of life as a Poker Pro, like you do it. After all, you are not born into it!

'What would such a project look like'? 'How to go about it'? 'What needs to be considered'? 'What are the requirements'?

Even a poker player has monthly living expenses. In addition to the usual costs for accommodation, meals, additional costs, etc., the expenses increase due to investments into poker (bankroll).

'What asset should be securely available through equity'? 'Does the approach of using equity that did not generated through poker make sense'?

How was it with you? (that’s the actual question; all the italicized questions before are thought-provoking ideas intended to clarify what I'm getting at)

 

[Adan7799]

Hello a greeting

What difference would you highlight between online poker and in-person poker?

 

[mattiebumpo]

Hi Ashley, What do you think of players who bring their own card protector? I've always thought it was important to protect your cards, but recently someone told me they thought it was the sign of an amateur.

 

[seiya1989]

WHAT is the essential thing to know to try to make a living from poker?

 

[Atararo14]

Hello Ashley, I hope you are doing well. I need a small precision concerning a point please.

I did my own analysis on sharkscope (winning players having several thousand tournaments over a few years) and I noticed that the percentage of their ITM is between 20 and 25%

I would like to know is making ITM 20 to 25% enough to be a winner in poker on the long turn ?

Thank you.

 

[kley126]

In which country have you felt more like playing poker?

 

[Mr. stonks]

Hi, is it better to play tight or not in knockout tournaments?

 

[Ashley Sleeth]

In single raised pots, checked back to you in position, how many c bet sizes do have for different flops

i usually use two sizes for this spot: 33% or 66%; you can go smaller on paired boards or monotone boards along with other rare exceptions

Well my question is what I need to become a professional player

good bankroll management! any bankroll is good enough to start, even $0 if you don't mind playing freerolls. If you play online, you can work your way up from any stake.

Hello Ashley, with a bankroll of 100 dollars, what tournaments would you recommend to play?

I would play $1-$2 tournaments online or freerolls on this bankroll.

Hi Ashley,

Do you have any bracelet bets for this years WSOP?

Not this year! I would only make bracelet bets if I was a mixed game player. The variance of multiple-thousands of player No-limit fields is too high to make a good bet IMO

Hi ashley, see how should i play or my strategy after the bubble burst?

depends on the payout structure of the tournament. If the payouts are pretty flat until the final table, after the bubble bursts you want to play a style that allows you to amass a huge chip stack to give yourself a good chance of winning. If the payouts gradually jump in significant ways, you can play a little tighter.

Hi Ashley, Can you please explain how (or if) the concept of compressed ranges impacts how you play a hand?

im unfamiliar with the term 'compressed ranges'. i think you're referring to when our opponent's have a pretty narrow range of hands: i.e. utg opens, utg1 3bets and utg 4bets....the utg player has a pretty narrow range of hands here. if this is what you're referring to, all it does is help you hand read postflop. If you've narrowed down what they could have based on preflop action, postflop handreading is much simpler. So the only real impact that has is how you'll play the hand post.

Hello!! pleasure to ask you... which tournaments are more comfortable for you?

And what other diversions do you have apart from poker?

hi! i like midstakes tournaments where you have a healthy mix of recreational and professional players. they're fun and challenging at the same time my other diversions: making YouTube videos, hiking w my doggos, yoga and travelling to new places! thanks for your questions !

Hi Ashley tanks for your response, Can you tell me if you learning only from your partner Jesse or you read some book to learn more?, if you can share what book you read to improve your skills?
Thanks for your advice.

I'm mostly learning poker from Jesse, GTOWizard software and online training videos on sites like Run It Once. The poker books I've read are more about specialty poker topics like Dara O'Kearney's "End Game Strategy" and satellite strategy books. I also love the Mental Game of Poker books (which is helpful if you have any tilt problems or confidence issues, etc.)

Hello. I have a question to you as the expert on the game in tournaments. I'm pretty good at cash games, but are now trying to raise the level of play in MMT: I can safely double your starting stack in the tournament at an early stage , but Ican't hold it long, for some reason, I am lose my stack very quickly. I often go with 3-bet and the top cards , but junk cards I fold. I understand that can't just throw chips, but I'm still missing something. Please give me advice on how to improve my game, given what I do.

It sounds like you're playing a good strategy and might just be running bad. If you're new to tournaments, I would check out software like Floptimal and study how to play shorter stacks. Cash game players tend to play too many hands when they get short-stacked or play too conservatively with shoving ranges because they're used to playing deep stacked.
good luck with the switch! tournaments are so much fun once you get the hang of it

 

[Ashley Sleeth]

When I play an MTT and I manage to enter charges I feel that I stagnate and I can not raise my stack in what could be failing? that would harass me

hi there- you might not be playing as many hands as you should. in tournaments, there is an ante of dead money in the middle that allows you to play a wider range of hands than you would in a cash game. try defending your big blind more often and getting a little stickier with floating small cbets postflop. if you're stack constantly dwindles, it could be a sign that you're overall preflop game is a bit too tight.

Hi Ashley

Welcome to Cardschat

From reading your opening post i noticed one destination in the world you didn't mention traveling to play poker.

So my first question is have you ever played any poker tournaments in Asia like Macau or do you ever plan to.

Thanks in advance

Glon the grind all and as always see you at the tables.

hey Ryan- good observation. i've never played poker in Asia! I've noticed the WPT has a series in places like Cambodia every once in a while, which I would LOVE to go to. If they held tournaments in Vietnam, Laos or Thailand I'd love the opportunity to play in those one day too thanks for your good luck wishes!

-Question:

Many times I find myself being in the top 10 places during the early stages of a tourney, but then I get completely card dead and my stack gets diminshed. Any tip for that?

hey luvart- it sounds like you're just running into some bad variance. when you play a lot of tournaments, you start to get used to the idea that having a big chip stack early on doesn't really mean much. i wouldn't get too excited about your chip position throughout the tournament because it leaves you feeling too attached to that. instead, i just focus on playing good poker against the one table i'm at. hope that helps!

Hi Ashley,

I’ve never played in vegas before (and not even been there tbh), but would like to go and play a big tourney there at some point in my life.

If you can recall your first ever large MTT, can you describe what the experience was like and did you place ITM? Additionally, how did your play in that tournament compare to how you play now (i.e. what did you do wrong the first time that you corrected as you progressed as a player)?

Thanks. ✌🏼

great questions! i remember my biggest mistakes in my first live tournaments were: 1) playing too fast- I wish I'd taken my time more often. 2) not counting my chip stack or my opponents chip stacks often enough BEFORE being dealt a hand 3) having an emotional attachment to my chip stack after winning big pots (if you play too tight after achieving a big stack early on, it will dwindle in such a massive tournament. just keep plugging away at getting as much value as you can no matter your stack size)
other than that, i'm much better prepared with stuff outside of poker when i go play live. i come with snacks that keep me energized and i exercise beforehand so i'm not lethargic at the table.
good luck and maybe i'll run into you in your first Vegas tourney!

 

[Ashley Sleeth]

Good luck at the wsop. What results would make you consider it a successful trip?

not going broke! honestly, wsop can have a brutal impact on your bankroll if you get too caught up in the hype and overextend yourself financially. so if i can come out the other side without denting the roll too much, that's a win. These fields are massive and can sometimes feel like a lottery....so managing the losses is a big part of being a pro at the WSOP.

Hello, Ashley. 🤗
Could you tell us a little bit about your poker tandem with Jesse? What are the pros and cons of both of you being professional poker players? Have you ever played against each other in tournaments?

lovely questions
biggest pros: we both understand where each other is coming from when we're on a downswing. we can comfort and motivate each other. we can also give each other time and space to cope with big losses because we know how that feels. There is no judgment when there are long periods of losses.
biggest cons: sometimes we talk about hands too much! 🤪
Yes! we've played against each other at tournament tables before. Jesse has actually knocked me out on the bubble of a Bellagio tournament many years ago now. He felt bad, but we're committed to not soft-playing each other. We always want it to be a fair table.

I need some good advice for my first live tournament, are they going to be professionals (sharks) and passionate about the game, something to calm my nerves and not die trying?

congrats on going out for your first live tournament! i'm not sure if i'm understanding your question. Usually there is a mix of experienced and inexperienced players at all tournament levels. Just take a deep breath before you get dealt a hand and remind yourself which types of cards you will be playing from that position. That way, you're less likely to make emotional plays because you've thought about it rationally beforehand. good luck out there!

Pleasful to meet you!
My question is whether I should pay the pre-flop with low-value sequential cards?

if you're deepstacked (50BB+) you can play low suited cards from the cut off and button.

Regards Ashley;

I was in a good position in a local tournament, but I lack guidance regarding the effective preflod and postflod stack, can you give me some of your annotations for future events?

I would check out Floptimal to get a better understanding of preflop ranges on different stack sizes. If your question is asking how do you count your opponent's stack when playing live, I think that just comes with practice. It's also helpful to just ask the player/dealer how much is in their stack- sometimes they'll just tell you without making you count.

Hy there.
Would you be so kind and enlighten me with all the positive information about rebuy's.
Are they good? What should one take into account before using them...

I view rebuys as starting over in the tournament. It's as if I late registered the tournament. If you're comfortable playing a short stack in tournaments, you can late register a tournament (or rebuy after busting the first buy in) and still have a profitable showing. If you're talking about rebuy tournaments where you haven't busted yet but can add on to your stack, I don't personally think that's super profitable. It depends on whether or not the majority of other people are rebuying. If they've all added on to their stack, you're now at a disadvantage if you don't.

Hi, is it better to play tight or not in knockout tournaments?

If you have a lot of players with big stacks behind you, they will want to play pots with you to try and win your stack. Therefore, you should play tighter when this is the stack set up. If you are one of those bigger stacks, you should play looser to try and knock the shorter stacks out. Hope that helps!

 

[georgi krastev]

Hi, Ashley, nice to meet you, my name is Georgi and i want to ask you a question...

You as a poker professional what size raise/bet use for open (every one folds to you) at cash games...

 

[robertboz]

hi Ashley, I'm confused when we say to defend the big blind, does it mean the whole course of the tournament, not that it's at the beginning or the end of the tournament and with cards for example 7-2 if you have a proper stack r true or false?

 

[Chica_bonita]

lovely questions
biggest pros: we both understand where each other is coming from when we're on a downswing. we can comfort and motivate each other. we can also give each other time and space to cope with big losses because we know how that feels. There is no judgment when there are long periods of losses.
biggest cons: sometimes we talk about hands too much! 🤪
Yes! we've played against each other at tournament tables before. Jesse has actually knocked me out on the bubble of a Bellagio tournament many years ago now. He felt bad, but we're committed to not soft-playing each other. We always want it to be a fair table.

Thanks for your reply.😊
It seems that you feel great in tandem with Jasse. 🥰🔥🔥🔥
Please tell me, do you both have breaks? I just see that you are as energetic as a small battery energizer and it seems that you both just live poker.
But, I would like to know how often you both have the feeling that you need to stop and forget about poker a little and what leads to this?
And what do you think, at what moments should an inexperienced player take breaks?

 

[zorro222_zorro222]

Hi Ashley, just curious if you and Jesse have ever played at the same table in a big tournament?

Thanks

 

[MrCryJoker]

Hi, I have a few questions. Why did you choose MTT and not cash, I mean the main game? And what would you advise to choose a beginner with a small bankroll, say $200. And who is more stable keh players or MTT?

 

[Mati532]

Hello Ashley. In your opinion what is the best strategy late in MTTs when you get absolutely no good cards att all and your stack is getting smaller and smaller. What to do in these situations? Maybe Bluff to get some chips and survive?

Hello Ashley, a pleasure to be able to read all your messages.
I'll join, since I consider myself a player who doesn't bluff much, and what would you do in these cases?

 

[aurora1207]

Hi Ashley, I'm a new member in the cardsachat community and I would like to ask you, can you be a winning poker player without using the HUD during tournament sessions ?

 

[millya5]

Hello Ashley.!
I would like to know when did you start playing poker in cash games what limit did you start playing it is very important i love 6+short deck holdem.. i am just a newbie