[sapsuckah]

Bond,

Another great one, obv. It's excellent to get insights in the SSMTT forum that go beyond "you have AK - push!"

However, I believe the examples you give -- while really interesting -- aren't very applicable to an audience that plays mostly $20 and below tourneys.

For example, you have instances where you say something like, "he knows that I know this" or "villain would have done X if he had Y." But in the games I play (for now, hopefully, until I can move up), 98% of opponents aren't thinking about anything other than what they have and how it hits the board.

You would think this would make hand reading easier... but that's not what I've found in my experience (while also admitting that I may simply just suck at it). The widespread unpredictability of the actions in lower-buyin tourneys makes for more guesswork than analysis. They limp AA from the SB with two limpers in already... they checkraise bottom pair on the flop AND turn... they call PSBs with gutshot draws... they insta-minraise flop bets with an underpair to the board (or is it top set?). They do so many things in the name of pseudo-deception and/or bravado that assigning any kind of a reasonable range is a real challenge.

(This is a generalization, of course, as there are times when I can really narrow a range down based on action/history/observation... but that's way more the exception than the rule.)

Now, I know these players' actions are generally bad and will lose money over time. But that's not the issue here -- we're talking about hand-reading... and this type of play, while clearly bad, does put up a pretty effective shield for anyone attempting to assess their range.

So, I guess what I'm getting to is this: what adjustments to general hand-reading strategy do you make when playing vs weak competition?

Thanks and keep up the incredible work,

Matt