adjusting to kill pots?
 

I'm going to an Indian Casino this weekend where the 20-40 game is played with a full Kill (that acts last)... and voluntary "overs"... bringing the stakes to 40-80 and bigger if I volunteer to play overs with other players.

Suggestions? Strategies?

I've heard conflicting views that I should tighten up - loosen up in kill pots.

I've heard not to play overs... definitely play overs...

HELP.

Re: adjusting to kill pots?
 

My 2 cents:

Be sure what 'acts last' means. Hopefully, it means after the BB and not LAST last like I think it does at Ft. McDowell where 2 players can go to war, stop at 10 raises, and THEN they see what the kill-poster wants to do, lol!

Also, if I play a kill-pot it is almost always for a raise. That's the way most kill-pots I see go anyway. Somebody is bound to raise but once in a blue moon there're a bunch of limpers and I can limp OTB with a bunch of stuff.

Re: adjusting to kill pots?
 

obv play overs if you feel that you have an edge over the other people playing overs. Otherwise, it's a bad idea. For example, if there is a good player to your left, and he is playing overs, and there is a mediocre but not that bad player across from you playing overs, then it's prob not worth it.

Just use your best judgment.

Re: adjusting to kill pots?
 

fold Kxs utg.

Re: adjusting to kill pots?
 

[ QUOTE ]
fold Kxs utg.

[/ QUOTE ]

But what if he goes on tilt?

Re: adjusting to kill pots?
 

I've never played in a game with overs, so this is only addressing the "kill" parts of your question...

I'd been thinking about this topic a fair amount myself recently...here's what I've come up with:

I don't think there is a lot of difference once you are already in a kill pot. Just play it as though it was dealt at a table of the higher stakes (though, perhaps, a table full of original-stakes players). One difference, though, is that a lot of gamblers like to "play their rush", and they may be playing looser in their own kill pots, especially if they have killed a couple in a row.

I think the more important adjustments are those to manipulate the killing.

I don't like posting blinds, so I especially don't like posting double-sized kill blinds. To avoid them, most of the differences come with hands that are marginally playable in a normal game. If I've just won a pot, I adjust my range slightly tighter to eliminate these hands, especially if it looks like the pot is going to be small. I don't want to be having to post a big percentage of my win as the kill blind for the next hand. (That said, don't go overboard and give up value.)

There are a few positions where if I've just won a pot, I don't mind so much playing the next hand (i.e., I wouldn't adjust my range after winning the previous hand). These are UTG (because if I win this hand, my kill blind only costs half as much as it normally would, since I have to pay the big blind anyhow), the small blind (because then I will be on the button for the double-stakes pot), and the button (because the chance that I will be able to play my hand and possibly buy the button is pretty good from the CO if I do kill it).

From the CO, I would probably play a little tighter than normal after winning a pot, but wouldn't make as much of an adjustment as i might from EP-MP.

If I've got an edge in the game, I'd like to play it for higher stakes more often, so is there a way to create more situations where other players are killing it? In hands where the previous winner is on my right and limps in, there should be some opportunities to create situations where it's more likely that either I will win the pot or get to play a kill pot with position on the killer next hand. Perhaps a strong-ish hand I might normally limp here could become a raise.

It seems like I should have similar opportunities when in late position and the previous winner is in a blind, but I haven't thought through that part yet.

--Dan

Re: adjusting to kill pots?
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
fold Kxs utg.

[/ QUOTE ]

But what if he goes on tilt?

[/ QUOTE ]

then he should play it, duh.

Re: adjusting to kill pots?
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
fold Kxs utg.

[/ QUOTE ]

But what if he goes on tilt?

[/ QUOTE ]

Then accuse people of colluding.

Re: adjusting to kill pots?
 

I have a pretty tight table image when I play, so I tend to get a lot more aggressive on kill pots and loosen my range up quite a bit. If I am playing in a game where people are paying attention to my style or have played with me previously, it usually works pretty well because I find that often times certain players are playing above the limits that they should be anyways and usually get very conservative if there is a lot of action in a kill pot.

Re: adjusting to kill pots?
 

Depends on the table texture. Some people tighten up in a kill pot some people loosen up. You'll figure it out after a few hands.

Re: adjusting to kill pots?
 

I think a kill pot is different than just doubling the stakes. The blinds are still at the smaller limit. Depending on where the killer is and how he plays, you may or may not be able to raise more lightly to get control of the dead money.

If the killer is on the button and he and the blinds will defend any 2, then you can't open-raise UTG with KTo. If the killer is in the cutoff to your right and it's folded to him, you can raise more lightly to face the blinds with a fairly large overbet for your pot equity vs. killer's random hand.

I think killers tend to be more loose (that's how they won 2 hands in a row!), so if you're isolating you need some sort of actual hand.

Re: adjusting to kill pots?
 

One thing I forgot to mention is I generally tighten up after winning one pot because I don't want to post a kill unless I will be in position.