Luco's beginner to winner

Long overdue post on the gap concept:

So you've put the villain on a (goddamn) range, what next?

Picture the villain's range as a line:

Code:

Bottom                      Average                       Top
   |---------------------------|---------------------------|

At one end, we have the bottom of the villain's range. At the other, the top. Roughly speaking, if we want 50% equity or better against a villain's range our hand needs to be 'above average', so our calling range is half of the villain's perceived range. If they are shoving 50%, we call 25%. Simples.

If we are applying our ranges correctly, the actual hand they show up with is irrelevant. If we call with KK against a wide shoving range and they have AA this time, good for them. If you made that call 100 times you'd win far, far more than you lose. Always play a range, not a hand.

Now there are many, many situations where we are happy to call with less than 50% equity, thanks to our friends Mr Pot Odds and Miss Implied Odds, but more on those later (maybe). What I actually want to discuss is how the gap concept applies in tournaments.

Firstly, there is chip utility. Your ability to survive and win depends on you having a stack in front of you. No chips, no win. When a villain shoves into you and you are likely a 50/50 flip vs their range, are you willing to risk your tournament life on a coinflip?
Do they have your stack covered, or could you call and still be left with a playable stack if you lose?
are you ITM or on the bubble?
can you afford to wait for a better spot, or has the time come to double up or go home?
I'm still developing in this area.

Second, fold equity. You generally have approximately 1.2fucktons of FE when you raise or reraise in tournaments (ymmv), you have zero FE when you call. There is no chance of winning without showdown when deciding to call a shove or not, your only hope is to have the best hand by the river. Winning without showdown is huge, because it leaves nothing to chance.

I don't know if I explained myself very well, but basically if you're calling a raise (especially a shove), you need a much, much stronger hand than one you'd happily open yourself.

Comments & corrections welcome.

I love the $3.50s.

I stand by my earlier comment about a general uplift in skill, but at the same time I've still got loads of edge and players are still totally exploitable. The feeling you get when you play the shit out of someone postflop is just awesome.

Getting it in good, dollars will follow.

Originally Posted by Lucothefish

Getting it in good, dollars will follow.

Will be following along, wishing you well.

Originally Posted by Robb

Will be following along, wishing you well.

Thanks Robb

BR is currently $122, played a few 18 & 27s this weekend.

Two spots where I felt a little unsure tonight:

Villain here is 31/5/1.8 over 65 hands. 6 left, top 4 pay. This guy is often aggressive on the flop.

PokerStars - $3.11+$0.39|150/300 NL - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 3

MP: 3,029.00
CO: 3,920.00
BTN: 1,346.00
SB: 7,679.00
Hero (BB): 5,060.00
UTG: 5,966.00

MP posts ante 25.00, CO posts ante 25.00, BTN posts ante 25.00, SB posts ante 25.00, Hero posts ante 25.00, UTG posts ante 25.00, SB posts SB 150.00, Hero posts BB 300.00

Pre Flop: (600.00) Hero has 7 7

fold, MP raises to 900.00, fold, fold, fold, hero???

And this one, a few hands into the FT and I'm looking for a spot to get it all in. The SB was moved there 5 hands ago. He raised from utg and got the blinds, no other info at all.

PokerStars - $3.11+$0.39|50/100 NL - Holdem - 8 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 3

MP: 3,633.00
MP+1: 1,910.00
CO: 7,821.00
BTN: 3,976.00
SB: 4,355.00
Hero (BB): 1,110.00
UTG: 2,615.00
UTG+1: 1,580.00

SB posts SB 50.00, Hero posts BB 100.00

Pre Flop: (150.00) Hero has A J

fold, fold, fold, fold, CO raises to 250.00, fold, SB raises to 1,000.00, Hero???

I was ready to snapshove till the 3bet.

Note: I never actually snapshove, it's an awful timing tell that far too many people give away. No matter how sure you are, always pause for a second or two before you act.

Played 4, won 2. BR is now $136

No hands to report, I'll only post where either I was unsure of the best play, or to illustrate something I've learned. I'll post neither epic wins nor sigh fails.

My SnG edge in 10 points:
- how huge the gap concept is
- exploiting villain tendencies (a.k.a. PAY ATTENTION)
- ranges
- playing in position
- how stack sizes affect your play
- switching gears
- stealing
- short handed, bubble and HU play
- defending your blinds
- playing super tight in early game

Some of these I'm ok at, others not so much. But at least some understanding of every one is necessary I think.

I'm still a beginner - less than 100 tourneys on stars so far this year, so I'm no expert. Just my own observations so far.