Looking to pick your brains to help me plan my attack for a tourney with an interesting structure. The background is this is the final tourney of a year-long home game league. Players compete to win $1000 to put towards WPT/WSOP tourneys. The top 6 players have their tickets and now the remaining players will battle for the final 7th ticket.

Here are the pertinent facts:
- Turnout will likely be 10-12 players but it is possible a few more come out of the woodwork
- Only one $1000 prize is up for grabs
- Blinds start at 25/50 with 20 min levels
- The really interesting part is starting stacks are determined by league points, so stacks will range anywhere from say 4500 to 9800 max depending on how many shortstacks show up

The question is how think about my overall strategy. It may only be a single table SnG, but with varying stack sizes and some very deep stacks. My stack will be 9100 to start; there is one the same size and two slightly bigger.

My first thought was to see lots of flops with speculative hands early but play small ball with value hands due to the reverse implied odds. But I don't have a lot experience with deepstack tourneys, especially with so few players. The winner-take-all aspect also adds a wrinkle.

How would you approach this structure?

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Stacks aren't that deep. You only gave 180 BB for 20 mins, then Im assuming that will be cut in half. Since there is only 1 pay jump, you are obviously only playing to win and that's it....
Why play speculative hands, isnt that -EV?
Take advantage oh your opponents weaknesses, go with your instincts, and have no regrets in the plays you make.

Stacks are deep for this kind of tournament, even though the structure moves fairly quickly.

Speculative hands have more value with deeper stacks due to the implied odds. If I'm in pots with 150-200bb stacks, I'd rather see a flop with 44 or 75s than KK or AQ.

I think for the first 2 levels at least seeing lots of flops with low risk, high reward hands is important. Here's a question though: should I be aggressive with these hands and play them fast to maximize the chances of winning stacks? For example, let's say we're on level 1 and there's a standard raise and 2 calls and I have something like 55 or T9s. Normally in the early stages I'd call behind but since I have to accumulate chips in a big way, maybe these are good spots for early 3-bets and squeezes.

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Playing aggressive is going to be beneficial as you're all fighting for one place and I imagine people are going to be tighter than normal.

I also don't believe many players who play in home games or pub games are very calculating (obv odd exception) So i believe that you have an edge in this field.

I would play tight in early positions pre ante and then be looser in late positions. Once antes kick in then I would be more aggressive.

Btw Darth where are you from?

There are a few pretty solid players in the group. I think I have an edge on most of them but a few of them are tough.

Agreed, position is even more important - especially when playing speculative hands.

Canada - just north of Toronto.

definitely a structure where you have to invite some variance into your game. if you do make it to the FT I think the goal is to make it to HU, not necessarily to be the big stack in HU

Ah, I thought it might be the UK as i know of a national league that is doing this in the upcoming weeks.

glgl left us know how it goes.

This is just a local neighborhood league. Some of the guys use the tickets for WSOP tourneys, others for WPT Niagara or Montreal.

Game is tonight. I wanna take it down so badly.

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GL. let us know how it goes.

I'll update in real time. Game starts around 9pm eastern.

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GL bud

16 guys showed up, starting stacks ranging from 1500 up to 9800. Those shorties will be looking to gamble early. Is it worth it to try and pick them off, or not worth the hits to my stack early?

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Hmm, all the chip leaders are at my table and the shorties are all at the other table...

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First hand hit a set of 7's and stacked a guy who had 8000 chips. Sweet start!

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Final table and I'm sitting with about 17.5k. Pretty sure I'm the chip leader. Funny thing is one of the players at the FT is a guy who hasn't shown up yet but had a healthy enough stack to survive being blinded down. He still has 6500 or so.

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Break time. I'm leading with about 20k and there are a couple other stacks in the 15-17k range. Then a whole bunch of shorties in the 4000-7000 range.

Blinds will be 150/300 after the break. Time to turn up the aggression and put some pressure on the middle stacks. I have to be careful not to raise too widely against the re-shoving stacks but at the same time take good opportunities to pick some off. I plan to steer clear of the other bigstacks.

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Down to 7 players but the deck has gone ice cold. Haven't raised a hand in ages.

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6 left, about 22k at 400/800. Being patient and picking my spots to accumulate chips.

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Down to 5 now but I've taken some hits. No big confrontations but several raises I've had to give up on. Down to around 11bb and 3rd out of 5. Frustrating turn of events but at this stage big pots are changing hands so things can change quickly.

There are small cash prizes for 2nd and 3rd but after the way I've played I'm going to be really disappointed if I don't win this thing.

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Holy hell, down to 4 and I just doubled up. Bigstack raised the BTN, I shoved KTss in the SB, he tanks and calls with A8. Flop comes AsJs6h. Turn 5d, river a beautiful Q.

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****, another disappointing ending. Chip leader limps utg - said he meant to raise but only threw in a single 5k chip so it counted as a call. I have A2s with about 8bb. I decide to see a flop hoping to hit and get it in.

Flop comes 7s4c4s. BB checks, chip leader leads out for 4k, I shove my remaining 15k. He tanks and calls, turns over T7cc. Board runs out and I'm done on the bubble.

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gg

Haha nice job keep it up


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