The Poker Tournament Formula

by Snyder, Arnold

• ISBN13: 9781580422031
• ISBN10: 1580422039
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-08-01
• Publisher: Cardoza

Summary

This is the first book to provide winning strategies for the small buy-in ($100 or less) no-limit hold'em tournaments that have exploded in poker rooms all over the country-and on the Internet. The strategies for small buy-in no-limit hold'em tournaments are similar to the big-money games, but the important factors-hand value, position, aggression and others, and speed of play-cause a radical change of strategy. Snyder recounts his own experience with these methods at a win rate of almost 300% and gives readers specific strategies for winning the big money available in prizes at the hundreds of small buy-in no-limit hold'em tournaments taking place weekly around the country and on the Internet.

Author Biography

<p>Arnold Snyder is a regular winner in no-limit hold'em tournaments and a professional gambler who has been writing about casino gambling for over two decades. In January 2003, Snyder was elected one of the seven charter members of the "Blackjack Hall of Fame." He is the author of five gambling books and has appeared (in disguise) on the Travel Channel, and in The Hot Shoe, a 2003 video documentary on card counting.</p>

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION	13	(8)
The Real Money-Making Approach: Live and Online
Filling in the Information Gap
Strategies to Win for Today's Small Buy-In Tournaments
Success Can Be Yours
PART 1 A NEW APPROACH
1. THE WAITING GAME VS.THE HUNTING GAME	21	(3)
2. HOW TO PLAY TEXAS HOLD'EM	24	(6)
The Blinds
The Deal
The Common Poker Betting Actions
Hand Rankings
The Play of the Game
The Flop
The Turn
The River
The Betting Structure
3. THE PATIENCE FACTOR	30	(32)
Tournament Speed at a Glance
Fast Tournaments
Medium-Fast Tournaments
Medium Tournaments
Slow Tournaments
The Value of Fast Tournaments
Estimating the "Patience Factor"
The World's Most Patient Player
First Example of Tournament Speed
Second Example of Tournament Speed
The Patience Difference
Adjusting the Blind-Off Times
Comparing Real World Tournaments
Patience Factor Adjustments
More Patience Factor Adjustments
Playing the Right Speed
The Patience Factor Determines the Skill Level
Online Tournaments' Patience Factor
Adjusting for More Hands per Hour
Getting an Accurate Patience Factor Online
Are Online Tournament Strategies Identical to Live Tournament Strategies?
Playing Live or Online
Getting Ready for the Next Lesson
PART 2: THE STRATEGIES
4. MEET THE WEAPONS: ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS	62	(10)
Cards, Chips, and Position
Cards (Paper)
Position (Scissors)
Chips (Rock)
Rock, Paper, or Scissors?
5. BASIC POSITION STRATEGY	72	(22)
The Importance of Position
Preflop Basic Position Strategy
Multiway Pots
How to Learn the Basic Position Strategy
Tournament Simulation Software
Practicing Against Real Players in Real Money Tournaments
Setting Up Postflop Position Plays
6. CARD STRATEGY I: HANDS AND MOVES	94	(21)
The Value of Your Cards in Relation to Your Position
Early, Middle, and Late
Preflop Card Strategy
Postflop Card Strategy
Reading the Board
Understanding the Nuts
Betting on the Flop
Playing Top Pair on the Flop
Playing Second Pair on the Flop
Nothing on the Flop
Flopping a Monster
Betting on the Turn
Slowplaying the Turn
Playing the River
More Postflop Thoughts
7. CARD STRATEGY II: OUTS AND ODDS	115	(17)
Pot Odds
Looking Deeper Into Pot Odds
A Different Pot Odds Scenario
Know the Pot
Other Uses for Pot Odds
The Concept of Outs
Pot Odds with Two Cards to Come
Implied Odds
When Pot Odds Don't Matter in Tournaments
How to Practice the Card Strategy
8. PLAYER TYPES	132	(18)
Ace Masters
Flush Masters
More on Ace Masters and Flush Masters
Pair Masters
Cagey Codgers
Canasta Ladies
Boat People
Show'n'Tellers
Ball-Cap Kids
Wimps
Oafs
Put Each Player on a Hand
Beware of Initial Impressions
9. THE CHIP STRATEGY	150	(23)
The Necessity of Building Your Stack Early
The Chip
Basic Strategy
Mastering the Complexities of Chip Strategy
Hand Selection
Bet Sizing
Bet Timing
The Short Strategy
The Very Short Strategy
The Desperate Strategy
Desperate Chip Stack
Fast Play Fine Points for Short to Desperate Stacks
Complete Fast Tournament Strategy for Playing Cards, Position, and Chip Stack
When the Antes Kick In
What If You're Long on Chips?
When Everybody's Long on Chips
You're Long, They're Short
Playing Against a Big Stack
Moving from Fast Tournaments to Slower Tournaments
10. REBUYS AND ADD-ONS	173	(30)
The Principle of Return on Investment
The Logic of Rebuys
When Rebuys Pay
Strategic Power of More Chips
"Dealers' Bonus" Chips
Rebuy Formats
The Single Rebuy Format
The Multiple Rebuy Format
The Add-On
Rebuy Misconceptions
Rebuying Near the End of the Rebuy Period
Multiple Rebuy Strategy
Rebuy Structure Decisions
When You Must Lose Starting Chips in Order to Rebuy
How Pot Odds Change During the Rebuy Period
Maximizing Your Expectation in Multiple Rebuy Tournaments
Single Rebuy Strategy
Rebuy Maniacs
Rebuy Dumping
When the Rebuy Period is Over
PART 3: THE FINE POINTS
11. KNOW YOUR CARDS	203	(3)
12. BOUNTIES	206	(4)
How Do Big Bounties Affect Your Strategy?
How Do Small Bounties Affect Your Strategy?
Using Bounty Chips as Tells
13. BLUFFING	210	(9)
Early and Middle Position Bluffs
Late Position Bluffs
The Mini-Raise
Should the Small Blind Take a Shot at the Big Blind?
The Steal-Back (the Most Successful Blind Position Bluff)
Desperation Flush Bluffs
Showing Your Cards After a Successful Bluff
14. SHOWING YOUR CARDS	219	(4)
Showing a Winner
Showing a Loser
Showing One Card
Showing the Wrong Card
15. TABLE IMAGE	223	(3)
16. MISTAKES	226	(8)
The Biggest Mistake
The Most Common Type of Mistake
Mistakes When an Overcard Hits on the Flop
Don't Give Up the Lead
Overcard Paranoia
Go Easy on Yourself
17. TAKING A STAND	234	(4)
18. LAYDOWNS	238	(5)
Would You Ever Lay Down...
A Straight Flush?
Quads?
Full House?
Flush?
Straight?
Trips?
Two Pair?
Overpair?
Top Pair?
Second Pair, Third Pair, Bottom Pair, Overcards?
19. THE ACCIDENTAL NUTS	243	(2)
20. THE WOLF PACK INSTINCT	245	(3)
21. CHOPPING IT UP	248	(7)
22. SATELLITES	255	(8)
Super Satellites
The Early Rounds
The Middle Rounds
The Late Rounds
Single Table Satellites
Two Seats Awarded
The Competition Defines Your Strategy
23. LAST-LONGER BETS—EVERYONE INTO THE POOL!	263	(1)
24. BREAK OUT OF THE MOLD	264	(6)
How to Break Out of the Mold
25. THE LUCK FACTOR	270	(5)
What it Takes to Make the Final Table
How Will You Earn Chips For the Final Table?
Luck, Strategy, and the Final Table
26. CHEATING AND "SEMI-CHEATING"	275	(17)
Collusion with Other Players
How Does Collusion Work?
Chip Dumping
Final Table Dumping
Chip Passing
Auto-Dumping
Card Switching
Rebuy Dumping, or Semi-Cheating
Cheating Online
Bots
Collusion Online
27. TOURNAMENT SKILLS CHECK LIST	292	(5)
PART 4: THE MOST IMPORTANT CHAPTERS IN THIS BOOK IF YOU WANT TO MAKE MONEY
28. HOW MUCH MONEY DO YOU NEED?	297	(7)
29. HOW FIELD SIZE AFFECTS TOURNAMENT SPEED	304	(21)
All Tournaments Speed Up as They Progress
The Easiest Method
The Final Table Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA)
Testing the ETA Formula with WSOP Events
Using the ETA Formula in Small Buy-In Tournaments
Estimating the Total Chips in Multiple Rebuy Tournaments
The First Way
The Second Way
The Third Way
Is the ETA Formula Always Accurate?
Why Do You Need to Know How Fast a Tournament Is?
Crunch Time: The Real Final Table Before the Nominal Final Table
Predicting Crunch Time
How Should You Play During Crunch Time?
The Crunch Strategies
30. CONCLUSION: WHAT I CAN'T TEACH YOU	325	(3)
APPENDIX	328	(21)
Coin-Flip Example
Accounting for the Number of Players
Snyder's Bankroll Fudge Formula
GLOSSARY	349	(12)
RECOMMENDED BOOKS	361	(4)
Five Books You Must Read
Other Recommended Books (by topic)
INDEX	365