So, how good to have an ITM shot at a minor event?

All the trip reports have me a bit motivated to try and win my way into one of the events. I'm actually thinking something other than the ME, like a $1500 event.

How good do you have to be to have some shot at being ITM in one of these? If you're a profitable 30+3 level MTT player, are you completely dead money? What about at the 100 buyin level? 215s?

A big part of the point would just be the trip/experience, but I don't see much point in trying to qualify for something that I have .00001% chance at actually cashing in.

[Rekwob]

you have to get a decent rush of cards, because they're fairly fast structured, but from what i saw (3 $1500 NLH events after the ME) anyone breakeven at online $30 MTTs wouldnt be outclassed, nowhere near

[HerbieGRD]

I can tell you I went out to play a $1500 event this year and had never played in a live tournament bigger than a freeroll at a bar near where I live (Atlanta). I wound up cashing and getting fairly deep (39/1007 I believe). The field overall is not that much stronger than your average 30+3 MTT online just different - more weak-tight than maniac IMO. Once we got down to 250 or so the field was considerably stronger but still not overwhelming. I would definitely recommend going and giving it a shot - I never felt hopeless or outclassed and just playing that event has helped my game tremendously.

[Pat Southern]

From my experience, a person who can beat the $20-$50 range of tournaments online would probably be a slight winner in the WSOP events, assuming the money at stake didn't make him play different (weak/tighter). As somebody already said, the competition is different than online, people tend to let you run them over live a lot more.

[multious]

jamie gold won the ME

[ QUOTE ]
jamie gold won the ME

[/ QUOTE ]

Yea, thanks...

[TStoneMBD]

i dont have much experience playing online tournaments so its hard to compare the two. although, the smaller tournaments at the wsop contain weak fields from my experience. however, sometimes you draw a table with 6 norweigen players and youre totally [censored] and other times you draw a table filled with 6 retired businessmen with gambling addictions. it all depends. im pretty sure you should be +ev.

[multious]

i think you are probably better than jamie gold

[WSOPChump]

yeah if you can beat the 30s you probably have a bit of positive EV. there are some people without much clue playing, hence you have some equity just from this.

You might not need to be an expert at running over a table. However, alot of players are weak tight so you should at least be competant at stealing your fair share of pots depending on your table draw.

[Miggo]

Another thing you could consider if you want, is to play in the $1000 event. I did that this year and had a blast, and didn't even make the money. They started us off with T1500, same as the $1500 buy-in events so the structure was the same as the $1500 buy-in events, but for 2/3 the buy-in.

I'm definately a novice player and enjoy playing in the micro MTT's. I felt comfortable playing in the $1000 buy-in, too comfortable as I look back at it. But you would be more than good enough to be able to cash in it I would guess. I want to go back and play in an event or two next year.

If you go for the excitement and the experience, like I did, you won't lose.

[JackOfSpeed]

If Jamie Gold can win a $10,000 buy-in event at the ME, anyone (except Mikey the Chimp, maybe) can win a bracelet in a smaller event.

[kiwi]

how was your ME this year?

[JuntMonkey]

If you're profitable at $30 MTT's online, you're probably +EV in the main event, let alone the smaller ones. The $225 second-chance tournaments played considerably worse than $6 SNG's.

[younghov17]

look no further than jamie gold

[betgo]

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i think you are probably better than jamie gold

[/ QUOTE ]
I doubt it. He seemed to play the big stack pretty well at the final table. He was a fairly high limit player before this, granted maybe of the rich fish variety. I think people are underestimating what it takes to win the ME. There were similar comments about Varkonyi and Moneymaker. Although none of these guys are world class players, I wouldn't assume that they aren't better players than a random 2+2er.

[RealMcCoy]

The key issue in the lower buyin events is being able to build your stack in the first 2 or 3 rounds.

I am TAG and was bounced early in the $1000 buyin (3rd level) because I had aggressive players at my table AND I never picked up a hand to challenge with (55,77,77 and KQ suited were my best starting hands.)

Event 41 (Atlasraised has a GREAT recap of his play where and he finished 2nd out of +1000 players) I DID pick up some hands early and was able to double through which allowed my to play my preferred style for the rest of the event.

If you can win one or two key hands early you can probably milk making it to the money IF you win 1 or 2 other confrontations in the mid levels. To make a big score (go truly deep) you simply won't have the luxury of sitting back and even a TAG player has to gamble when he thinks he has the best of it (hopefully) or even a coin flip.

I wouldn't consider myself weak tight - but I definitely WANT to be viewed as TIGHT since it sets up my own steals so effectively. (BTW I finished 15th)

The other aspect that you might find surprising is that a TAG player image is SO effective against the better players (IE PRO's). You can make moves on these good observant players that you would NEVER dream of getting away with online.

Try a stone cold check raise river bluff online and they will beat you into the pot with their call. BUT make the same play against a PRO and if you have fostered the right image they are "good" enough to lay down their so so hand.

Build you BR and give it a shot - You may be pleasantly surprised. Just remember you are going to FAIL to cash at least 80% of the time no matter who you are or what style you play.

Good Luck

[jacksquat]

I would agree with most of the previous post and reiterate that table dynamics may be the biggest factor in going deep. I played in one $i500 and went bust about 100 spots from the money. I did not really have very many premium hands, and was only one double up(my final hand)away from a cash. I would attribute most of my luck to a very tight and predictable table. the aggressive players that started at or came to my table didn't fair very well.

[NicksDad1970]

My first big tourney (big for me) was a 500 prelim at the WPO. I was nervous, scared, excited, giddy etc.

Then a couple hours before I gave myself a little pep talk. I told myself that I've played many tourneys and even though this should be a higher level of play. That I've played a lot and shouldn't really need to change anything.

I told myself it was just chips and there wasn't any need to change anything. I figured out of the 1100ish people in the toureny many of them were people just like me.

At my first ,and only /images/graemlins/frown.gif , table there was a pro from up north to my left and Robert Williamson III to my right. This was also a rebuy event (NOT the right thing but I have 4 kids, a job and the only one I could make)

I really played the best poker of my life. RW III had already rebought several times and went all in with 59d. I had AA he caught a str8 on the river. (it wasn't as bad as a play as it looks like. Most of the money went in preflop, he was pot committed and had a flush draw and inside str8 draw on the turn)

I only lost half my stack there. The other "pro" misread my chips, bluffed, thinking I had a lot of chips. I had top pair with no kicker. He had A9 (an overcard) and an ace came on the river. (No it wasn't BarryG1 /images/graemlins/smile.gif

My 1 hour driver home was a long one. I was quite upset. Just that if I had pulled those hands out I could have really played some pokah!

I appreciate all the feedback and it certainly sounds like something to shoot for. My SNG game is good, my MTT game is probably so-so. I play MTT's rarely and usually end up in the top 25%, but almost never in the top 10%.

I like MTT's, but the time committment is difficult. I'll have to start playing a few on weekends.