Tournament poker... heads up.

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screamingmidget

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So there's 9 players and you're down to the last 2.

I tend to be extremely aggressive and put it almost down to luck, thinking, I've gained money (3rd place gets their money back), so sod it.

So I'm at the stage when I finish top 3 pretty much every time. I was tracking it, and I finished top 3, 38 times out of 40. But finishing 1st is almost 50/50.

I want to make that more 80-90% and not just give up when I get there.
 
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So there's 9 players and you're down to the last 2.

I tend to be extremely aggressive and put it almost down to luck, thinking, I've gained money (3rd place gets their money back), so sod it.

So I'm at the stage when I finish top 3 pretty much every time. I was tracking it, and I finished top 3, 38 times out of 40. But finishing 1st is almost 50/50.

I want to make that more 80-90% and not just give up when I get there.

Is there a question here?
If you are asking ,what is it that you are doing wrong, your answer is to try the opposite.
Actually you might consider something in between what you are doing and the polar opposite.
Just an opinion from an average player.
 
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screamingmidget

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Is there a question here?
If you are asking ,what is it that you are doing wrong, your answer is to try the opposite.
Actually you might consider something in between what you are doing and the polar opposite.
Just an opinion from an average player.

So you're saying either do the opposite or something inbetween?

Well that's one sorted then haha!
 
CowboyStomp

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So there's 9 players and you're down to the last 2.

I tend to be extremely aggressive and put it almost down to luck, thinking, I've gained money (3rd place gets their money back), so sod it.

So I'm at the stage when I finish top 3 pretty much every time. I was tracking it, and I finished top 3, 38 times out of 40. But finishing 1st is almost 50/50.

I want to make that more 80-90% and not just give up when I get there.

To win more first places you probably need to win less third places by taking more chances in the early part of the match. How many times are you just barely ITM vs having a large lead going into HU play? Aggressive play works much better with a much larger stack than your opponent in HU play.

If you're happy with your ROI now you should keep playing the same way or maybe change it for a month to see what the results are best for you.
 
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screamingmidget

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Is there a question here?
If you are asking ,what is it that you are doing wrong, your answer is to try the opposite.
Actually you might consider something in between what you are doing and the polar opposite.
Just an opinion from an average player.

How many times are you just barely ITM vs having a large lead going into HU play?

From what I've noted down, I win 19% of every tournament I enter. The rest is pretty much completely 2nd or 3rd place. So don't get me wrong, I am earning, but you can always be better.

Hardly ever I finish outside the top 3. 3rd, you get your money back.

The problem is when I get to HU. I treat it as a 50/50 spin of a coin. And I know I shouldn't.
 
4kingwildo

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I think if you always come out third, it's all about aggression. aren't you pushing too hard? and yes, it's worth considering, maybe it's not even enough) I'm not kidding ) when there are 3 people left, in my opinion, the level of aggression is almost the same as HU.
 
milka1605

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I don't aim to be aggressive on a head-end. It all depends on the enemy. If I see that he is playing tight and is afraid of my raises, then I will raise more. Well, if he plays aggressively, then I try to gain the upper hand with cunning. Therefore, I probably have more first places if I get to the last table. Above average static than 1 in 9. I have somewhere 3 out of 9.
 
eetenor

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So there's 9 players and you're down to the last 2.

I tend to be extremely aggressive and put it almost down to luck, thinking, I've gained money (3rd place gets their money back), so sod it.

So I'm at the stage when I finish top 3 pretty much every time. I was tracking it, and I finished top 3, 38 times out of 40. But finishing 1st is almost 50/50.

I want to make that more 80-90% and not just give up when I get there.


Thank your for posting.

We want to remember that aggression has a specific purpose. To build pots and to win hands when we get folds. When we get too aggressive our villains have it easier because they can play more correctly against us.

This is never more true than when 3 handed in a tournament as your results are showing. When we get 3 handed it means our villains have been watching us play and have gotten an idea of how we play, so they can, if they have the skill start adapting their play to maximize value versus us.

So you have this inflection point of being in the money (V feel safer to call)- having played enough hands that V can use a HUD on you or have notes (V can trap us) and you becoming even more exploitable.

I cannot know for certain but this does seem to be a strong possibility as to the explanation of your results.

ICM almost always dictates that we play tighter ranges than normal not wider so you may improve your results if you stay aggressive but with ICM based ranges.

Hope this helps
:):)
 
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screamingmidget

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Thank your for posting.

We want to remember that aggression has a specific purpose. To build pots and to win hands when we get folds. When we get too aggressive our villains have it easier because they can play more correctly against us.

This is never more true than when 3 handed in a tournament as your results are showing. When we get 3 handed it means our villains have been watching us play and have gotten an idea of how we play, so they can, if they have the skill start adapting their play to maximize value versus us.

So you have this inflection point of being in the money (V feel safer to call)- having played enough hands that V can use a HUD on you or have notes (V can trap us) and you becoming even more exploitable.

I cannot know for certain but this does seem to be a strong possibility as to the explanation of your results.

ICM almost always dictates that we play tighter ranges than normal not wider so you may improve your results if you stay aggressive but with ICM based ranges.

Hope this helps
:):)

Thanks for your reply.

It seems my maths is getting me to the near-end. But I should be knowing the maths for HU.
 
danoscar

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Hello. Dude, if you finish in the top 3 almost everytime, you need to quit your job, make poker your career, write books and do some utube. Wow!
 
Poker Orifice

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So there's 9 players

I finished top 3, 38 times out of 40. But finishing 1st is almost 50/50.

.

Hello. Dude, if you finish in the top 3 almost everytime, you need to quit your job, make poker your career, write books and do some utube. Wow!


Is this a 9-man Single table tournament? (aka Sit'nGo)

So you're finishing ITM (in the money) 95% of the time?
Good, winning players typically have an ITM of 38-42% (at least I think it is something close to that).

I'm not sure what advice you're looking for if you're ITM 95%. Even while on a massive heater in the short run, I don't think I've ever even come close to that. (I think I might've won 9 D0Ns in-a-row once but then you're only needing to beat out half the field each time & it's a flat payout structure (double or nothing).

I'm down for watching the Live stream &/or Youtube vid.!
 
natsgrampy

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Is this a 9-man Single table tournament? (aka Sit'nGo)

So you're finishing ITM (in the money) 95% of the time?
Good, winning players typically have an ITM of 38-42% (at least I think it is something close to that).

I'm not sure what advice you're looking for if you're ITM 95%. Even while on a massive heater in the short run, I don't think I've ever even come close to that. (I think I might've won 9 D0Ns in-a-row once but then you're only needing to beat out half the field each time & it's a flat payout structure (double or nothing).

I'm down for watching the Live stream &/or Youtube vid.!
THIS^^^^^^

I believe a GOOD professional player is in the money somewhere closer to 20% about 1 in every 5 games.

I have a friend who has made well over $3 million, and he runs about 17% in the money.

THIS IS IN MTTs by the way.

95% is incredible!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
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screamingmidget

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THIS^^^^^^

I believe a GOOD professional player is in the money somewhere closer to 20% about 1 in every 5 games.

I have a friend who has made well over $3 million, and he runs about 17% in the money.

THIS IS IN MTTs by the way.

95% is incredible!!!!!!!!!!!!

But is getting my money back counted as in the money? I get my money back most of the time, with the rest mainly 1st and 2nd.

When I get to the final 3, I'll multi-task and do other things like check email, etc. I totally lose concentration.

Not sure if it's related, but I'm a big quizzer. So I read encyclopedias,
read and prepare quizzes... so my mind is often on other things and I get bored when I know I've got 3rd. People are just far too lucky to bother about 2nd or 1st.
 
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