Pot odds vs tournament life
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 5
Hi,
In tournaments, if you are getting correct odds to call and your tournament life is on the line is it always a call?
My thinking has always been to call since in the long run over many tournaments you will come out ahead.
I would like to make sure this is the correct thinking. Does your tournament life hold extra value that I'm not considering and should fold in some scenarios?
Thanks!
Join Date: Feb 2018
Posts: 12
early in tournaments, you could be correct, play it like a cash game. But late in tournaments ICM comes into play, and it can be correct to fold hands that you normally would call.
Join Date: Mar 2017
Posts: 656
"Is it always a call." No it's not. Sometimes it's a call and sometimes it's a fold. I would weigh pot odds more heavily on earlier streets when your equity is higher versus a river all-in when the information you have gives you sufficient reason to believe your hand is second best.
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 820
Uummm if you are in an easy table with players you can dominate/read well....why risking your tournament life with a slight advantage? Surely in this table you will find softer spots , i would let go of complicated decisions
If you are in a horrible table probably i would take the shot and try to double
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 4,434
You can't make tournament decisions based purely on ev because the chips you win in a tourney don't equate to a dollar return the way they do in cash games.
In a cash game if you repeatedly risk $100 with a 55% equity edge you will, over the long run, make a profit because you will win 5% more than you lose.
In tournaments, however, this is not true. Even if you risked the same value of chips each time, your wins won't translate directly to 5% profit because your return depends on where you finish in the tourneys. You could win exactly 55% of your all-ins when you are a 55% fav and still never cash in a tourney.
