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Old 09-25-2007, 01:22 AM
SumZero SumZero is offline
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Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: South SF bay area, Califonia
Posts: 1,223
Default Re: Article

[ QUOTE ]
I'm guessing you can put players on ranges quite well because of experience (and presumably you play the same players quite often), but can I ask how you learned ICM? I know the mechanics but I'm wondering what would be the best method to internalise it?

[/ QUOTE ]

In my humble opinion the best way, by far, to internalize ICM is to not use a program to calculate ICM decisions but instead work them out by hand. You can use a program like an ICM calculator to figure out the ICM values of given chip stacks but then figuring out the decisions yourself is best.

Like if someone on the STT tourney posts a what should I have done post you work through the ICM to figure out what they should have done.

For instance, if you are in the SB and you and the BB both play ICM perfect poker (and know you both play ICM perfect poker and know you know you both etc) and you have 2000 before posting and BB has 2200 before posting and blinds are 250/500 and there are two other player who both fold one of whom has 5000 the other of whom has 4800 with what hands should you be pushing? If you turn it around and now you have 4800 and BB has 5000 and the two players who have 2000 and 2200 both folds what hands should you be pushing?

Working out by hand (I.e., using ICM calculators to figure out the value of various possibilities like push and win with no showdown, push and lose showdown, push and win showdown - but not using a program that just tells you "push" or "fold") the solutions gives a good intuitive feel for these ICM solutions.

There are others who think using something like the SnGWiz or some program that tells you you should have pushed this hand or not pushed that hand is a good way to learn. I think that is a good way to first correct massive problems if you are far from a good push-bot player, but not a great way - at least for people who learn like I do - to internalize ICM. YMMV.
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