WSOP main event 2006

[MaddHatter]

Well, just keep playing to keep your game sharp, and remember - there's only 10 people at your table at one time. Learn how/when the tables break down and pay attention to who's at your table - you may play against them again in 3 days [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] Congrats on your ticket

[McMelchior]

I spent a couple of weeks playing "smaller" buy-in tourneys during WSOP 2005, and played with a lot of busted internet ME qualifiers.

I was chocked. Truly. Well, I guess if 81 clueless players enter a double shoot out one of them is going to win a ME entry. Seemed like that had happened a lot last year. I found a contingent of very inexperienced loose/passive players with plenty of time on their hands after busting out before dinner on Day 1.

I'm sure there'll be plenty of tough experienced pros, and I'm sure they by now have realized they need to adjust to the incredible span of skill-levels that the internet qualification process presents in the ME. But if you're anywhere near that experienced as you come across you shouldn't need worry too much.

I'm not trying to qualify for ME, but if I had I'd focus on deep stack tourneys like Star's $3 and $5 re-buys. Or on Bugsy's Club that runs ME structure tourneys (but with much shorter levels).

Playing one of the smaller events I can say that Harrah's did a terrific job with the tournament (except for the men's room issue), and I'm sure it'll be even better this year.

Best,

McMelchior (Johan)

[chezwiz75]

I can say I would rather be playing in one of the smaller field tournies, or even the wpt championship because of the odds of the smaller fields of course but I got in through the FPP tourney on Stars so I won't copmlain. I do fairly well in the tournemants that I enter, I have only been playing for about a year and a half and have much to learn but I am looking forward to the opportunity. I am going to be in Vegas in 2 weeks and will be cramming tournies and live play for the test. I do have a casino near me that I can play live but it tends to be (because of the low buy in) full of complete donks that have no idea what they are doing. It sounds like a great opportunity but with the blind levels that move up extremely fast and the fact that they won't fold when they should I don't really think makes for a proper training ground for live play. The cash game is pretty good but the casino limits your buy in to only 20 bb's which does limit you against someone who has been there for a while and has built their respective stacks. I have done alright in the cash game there so along with the amount of online play I have been through and the books read I have little of a head start on some (probably a small minority) of the people I will be up against at the main event. I guess my odds are better then the lottery so who knows. Thanks for the advice.

[registrar]

My mate has qualified and we have come up with the following gameplan.

1. Play lots of deepstacks tournies online (low buy-in rebuys are good here) - basically anything where you you will be doing nothing very much for hours. IMO, this is what will make the WSOP so hard. There are going to be long days, day after day, and in that time any mistake can see you go home.

2. Read Caro's Book of Tells, if you're not used to live play.

3. Play live as much as possible, particularly if you can afford to play a festival over two or three days.

4. Read Kill Phil. I can't recommend this enough. If it becomes clear that some of the players at the table are infinitely better than you, you can: a) get lucky b) get moved or c) get in there. This book gives you a system to counter the edge that top players have. I think there will be a lot of people following this system this year.

5. Get fit. I mean, I know Moneymaker and Raymer and all but this is going to be gruelling if you get anywhere near the money. You need to be able to stay awake, stay sharp and be able to sleep.

6. Practice holding chips. Standardise the way you put chips in the pot.. It's the biggest tell there is in live play so try to minimise the information you're giving away.

7. Get really, really lucky!

Cheers

[MadTiger]

Minor hijack:

If I reach my poker goals, this is one of them. I know that if I get a FT, everyone will hate on me and all that. But I want my luckboxing to be appreciated, too!