The Well: curtains 3/2/07

[curtains]

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I should have asked you this a year ago but better now then never. Sklansky type question...

Suppose that you forget everything about your opponents after every hand and they remember everything about everyone else to the best of their abilities. Do you think you can be +EV at the high buy-ins ($100-500 level) by playing simply by a set of numbers/chart?

I think that the answer is yes but I would like your opinion. Also this has been a cool thread and thanks for taking the time to do this.

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Big difference between $100 and $500. I think the answer is likely no at the $500 level, it's hard enough to be a winner there even if you do remember how people play.

At the $100 level probably yes. Anything higher probably its tough? I'm talking about today's current games. In the old Party $200s I'm sure it'd be possible.

Of course it also depends how you define winner. If you mean 1% ROI or at least 5% ROI.

Also I don't think I would phrase it as "playing a bunch of set numbers from a chart". I think it'd just be playing my normal game without ever using a read and assuming I know nothing about my opponent. I have a standard way of playing against such an opponent, so I would use that way of playing every single hand.

It also matters if I'm allowed to base my play against a standard $100 opponent as opposed to a standard $500 opponent. They are totally different things. Or do I need to have a set constant throughout all buyin levels, and just assume it's a random player without any knowledge of the buyin?

[curtains]

bedtime will get to any more questions tomorrow!

[jukofyork]

1) How did you get into playing chess: at what age and who/what inspired/motivated you to get so good?

2) How did you get into playing poker: at what age and who/what inspired/motivated you to get so good?

3) How has your chess background helped you when it comes to poker? Do you think you have learnt anything from poker which can be re-applied to chess, if so what?

Very interesting thread, thanks!

Juk [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[professor76]

Hi Curtains,

I've started playing online poker relatively late, Nov 05. Initially, started with cash and later discovered SNGs. Was experimenting with both formats till I decided SNGs are going to be my game. From some of the archives and older posts, it seems that you are a highly respected SNG poster.

Having clocked 2K+ sngs (a small sample I know!), and alternating between SNGs and cash, somehow I feel that SNGs are more FUN. Yes the initial blinds stages are standard; play tight, few speculatives hands but once in the later stages, it essentially becomes a PRE-FLOP game of position and cards.

By the way, I play exclusively turbos, Full Tilt, moved up from $6.50 to $24 now. Turbos can be profitable when opponents don't know how to adjust to large blinds.

Don't you just love it when you're 4-tabling (my comfort zone) and blinds are 150/300 (Full Tilt) and the next push/fold becomes the critical stage of whether you're in the money or 4th?

So here comes the Question: Don't you miss the thrill of ALL-IN or FOLD? The fun(agony) of seeing the flop, turn and river make you money or lose your buy-in? :-)

Second Question: SNGs are more fun (my opinion), true or false? :-)

professor76

[StregaChess]

Do you believe that Russian cheat at chess by discussing and their games in progress during tourneys?

If “yes”….


Do you believe it is less prevalent today as opposed to when the wall came down?

Or today VS 10 years ago?

[mondonman]

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curtains,

I am playing STTs and rarely MTTs. I´d like to learn cashgame soon. What do YOU think is the best way to get started (books, reading 2+2 SSNL, videos...)

thanks

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Hmm....maybe cardrunners? I only watched Taylor's videos but he seems pretty smart. I got stoxpoker and thought it was really not good, at least based on the 2-3 videos I saw. Not that the play was bad, but there was almost little to no explanation in a lot of key decisions. Of course my samplesize was small, but Taylor seems much more logical.

Although let me tell you secretly that almost anyone who runs a video site posts only a certain % of videos they make. There is no way that every single video goes up. I made some videos for a site, and this included one where I 4-tabled the $6.50s and of course finished out of the money in all 4. They wouldn't post that video, because they thought it might make me look bad [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] Honestly it wasn't that interesting either, but just realize that what you are seeing in any video site isn't always going to be completely realistic

Also seems like many times per video Taylor is bluffing people out in giant pots or at least attempting to, and I find it hard to believe this is the norm from a random 30 minute sample of his play. Despite that he explains himself well, and is clearly very good.

Anyway went on giant tangeant, but yea go for cardrunners, and watch Taylor's videos I guess. Actually you know what I'll tell you the key right now, even though everything I say should be discounted because a lot of people claim to have much higher winrates than I'm currently experiencing:

1. Position is very very important, almost impossible to be too tight out of position.
2. Raise a lot. Your VPIP should be as close to your PFR as realistically possible.

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I´ll check it out.
Any books you´d recommend?

[Sessna]

who wins

fischer-karpov
fischer-kasparov

[Insty]

When watching a allin preflop hand in a tournament you are not involved in, it seems to be a case of watching the cards come down and accepting the result.

Is it possible to achieve the same level of detatchment when watching your own?
Would that a good thing? Or is the terror of anticipating the 2 outer on the river an integral part of what makes Poker worthwhile?
How do you handle it?

[Austiger]

How bad would you get smoked by the great chess masters of the world? Would you even have a remote chance in one heads-up match where you could hope for them to lose focus and make a blunder, or would they just run circles around you?

[StregaChess]

Regarding lower dollars SNG's (under $40)

Do you think its still possible for a newbie to become profitable just implementing a pushbot strategy (at lower limits)

Can you comment on the following and share any insights between 6 and 9 handed SNGS?
6 H vs 9 H - Pushbot Question

Do you think the exit of top players from the SNG's will create a vacuum where the top players at the lower limits will move up?
Or……
Are we more likely to see skilled players move down to try and crush the lower limits?