Response to Sklansky's article "Chips Changing Value in Tournaments"

[Brann]

Al,

Disregarding any questions about who's right or wrong, I have to agree with you as to your characterizations of the players.

I think the S&M books are a great theoretical foundation, while the PTF provides a clear way to utlize what one has learned. HOH is somewhat a cross between the others, using S&M theory while offering insight into how Dan plays.

I think the graphs some of the posters have developed are helping to clarify things. I'm not a numbers guy by any means, but I've always felt it was wrong to say that, with a big stack, the chips you can win are worth less than the chips you bet. There certainly has to be a point of diminishing returns, but if I'm huge-stacked at the final table and everyone else is fighting for 2nd then it is absolutely WRONG for me to "let them fight it out."

I mean, by the time we get HU, I'd rather have increased my stack to 90% of the chips in play than have my opponent feel even remotely comfortable.

In a 45 person MT SNG at Stars there are 67,500 chips in play. If I have 40,000 of them at the FT, then everyone else averages just under 3,500. If I sit back and let them sort it out, I might still have 40,000 when we get HU but my lone opponent will have 27,500. I'd rather he came into that situation with only 9 or 10K or less.

Now, I can't put any kind of exact figure, value or percentage-wise on this, but I've seen it time and again. The big stack plays too tight at the final table and someone catches up. There HAS to be an advantage to continuing to dominate as players bust at the final table and the field shrinks. Keeping the heat on the shorter stacks often forces them to fold hands they should play or to play big hands too timidly. With all the numbers crunching going on, let's not forget the psychological aspects of the game.

Maybe there's no way to calculate this, but if I play by the theory that the chips I bet are worth more than the chips I can win I'll be doomed to supertight play which flat-out just doesn't feel right. I just wish I could provide some numbers to back it up.

Brann