… is that they reward monkey bullshit. And that’s the good and the bad thing about them. A skilled player has a smaller edge because the monkeys are rarely making that big of a mistake if they stick their whole stack in with anything pre-flop or with any kind of pair/draw on the flop. But, that’s why so many more bad players play tournaments, and at least their popularity has fueled a resurgence of NLHE cash games.
In the Stars $300, UTG+1 opens to 300 at 50/100 and he has like 2000 behind. I’m in the BB with TT, and I’m thinking this is kind of a bad spot because I over-represent my hand by re-raising but there’s a lot of bad flops if I just call. I decided just to shove, thinking it would look like AK and I might get coin flip hands like AJ, AQ, and KQ to fold and maybe even get worse pairs to call. Unfortunately, the clown snap-called me with AQ and hit. OK.
Meanwhile in the FTP $100 rebuy, we’re still in the rebuy period, and a successful, well-known internet tournament pro raises his button to 90 at 15/30. The SB calls, and I make my third squeeze play of the hour with KQ, popping it to 450 or so. Button calls, SB folds. Flop Qs 9s 6d. I figure he’s calling thinking I’m FOS and is going to jam a lot of flops, so I bet like 800 with 2800 behind, he jams, and I snap-call. Of course he’s called my reraise with 4s 3s hoping to “outplay me” and I guess he does because the Js comes on the river.
The same dude gets up a big stack then loses a lot of it (didn’t see how), then starts shoving every hand. Finally he gets called by 77 only to flip QQ and double up.
A little while later, at 60/120, the CO opens to 360, same tourney donk calls on the button, and the SB calls. I have about 3200 and 22 in the SB. I shove and then regret, figuring that one of the callers often has a pair and is never folding it. And even if not, I’m never better than 55% against a caller. Whoops, forgot about K2s, which is what tourney donk calls with. I hold to double up.
He stars tilt shoving again, and eventually I get AJ and call him for like 25 BB. He shows KQ and hits to bust me. Any game where a guy can shove every hand and not be a huge dog is a stupid game. There I said it.
This has been my opinion for a while, which is why I play cash games. Sure, you can score big -maybe, but more often you will waste several hours and be frustrated.
probably just need to adjust your tourney strategies.
One guy’s a donk for calling your all in with AQ and of course, you are not for calling one with AJ.
Anon,
Yeah I shouldn’t go around calling names, just blowing off some steam. But there is a pretty big difference between calling a substantial re-raise all in against your UTG+1 open with AQ at a full ring table and calling a tilter’s fifth consecutive open shove with AJ in a 6-max game.
But your point is well-taken, thanks.
I agree with a lot of what you say. Which is why I play more cash games. And David Sklansky agrees with you, too, in his tourney book I think you reviewed earlier.
Bruechips