Quote:
Originally Posted by bojahc
Sorry to bump an old thread but I have a question about this.
It would've never even crossed my mind to use cEV in the AQ hand. Could you elaborate more about when should I use $EV and when cEV in 45s, please?
45s differ from most normal MTTs in that reaching the final table doesn't mean that you've made the money. However, they are like other MTTs in that the majority of the prize money is still in the top spots, and missing the odd mincash in pursuit of a +cEV spot for a big stack, and a good shot at a top two finish, is likely to be more profitable in the long run than turning down those chips and just sneaking inside the bubble to go out in 7th. With the exception of satellites which award several tickets, cEV should still be the overriding factor for this stage of all MTTs. Maybe in the rare event of some extraordinarily unbalanced stacks it may be profitable to consider playing a little tighter, but these should be very rare events indeed. By extreme I mean something like perhaps you and one other have ~25k chips each, and the other seven have ~2k chips, and the blinds are 800/1600. Then you would obviously not want to clash with the other big stack but most 45 FTs don't look like that.
To attempt to answer your actual question, you need to think more about $EV as the final table progresses, but I'm afraid that it's still as vague as that as far as I'm concerned. I don't personally have a hard and fast rule about how many players left before I switch from one to the other, I just assess each situation as it comes up, considering such factors as stack depth, perceived ability of opponents, my perceived image, momentum.
Remember that ICM has its own limitations, such as an inability to appreciate position at the table, the hazard of the approaching blinds, the loss of fold equity with a shrinking stack, the skill advantage of deeper stacks, and so on. Ultimately, there is no substitute for experience, and maintaining flexibility in your approach to the game is essential. Practice at the tables, allied with study away from them, is likely to be your best strategy here, as well as talking with other good poker players.
Last edited by TeamTrousers; 06-14-2011 at 08:31 AM.
Reason: I know, I know, sick bump. Deal with it