Bodog Waterford Open And Final Tourney Tips Friday!
Well, we have finally arrived at the end of the road with the last instalment of our Tournament Tips column. As you may remember, we began a long time ago, with a comparison to a ticking bomb: the best tournament players are those who can deal with its pressures.
For our final column, we offer suggestions on how to cope if you find yourself with the tournament's best players and you're in the final three.
The pressure of the money will bite, especially if it is the first time you have gone so far. Essentially the strategy is the same as before - play your stack and bide your time, always on the lookout for flaws in the style of your opponents. However, there is another unique eature to the late stages: - deal-making at the final table.
Every situation will be different but here are some factors to be aware of:
You can make any deal you want - most sites will offer a standard chip-count deal that divides the prize pool according to stack size - but you don't have to do that. The site will push it, but they can alter the terms, if you can get agreement from the other players. For a very detailed suggestion on deal-making, see Sklansky's Tournament Poker for Advanced Players.
It should give you an idea of alternatives but the most important factor can be your level of negotiation. If you sense wariness, a player over eager to accept the deal, or someone content to settle, you should push the envelope. Poker is about capitalising on the mistakes of others and there is no reason to forget that principle when making a deal.
A deal favours the large stacks and the shorties get a rough time. However, the latter can be so close to the exit door that they prefer to settle rather than gamble, enabling the larger stacks to cash in. If you are the shortest stack, your decision is a gamble - can you win the tournament? If the blinds are still relatively low, you have a better chance but if they are high, you may as well accept.
Feel free to refuse the deal. Do not be pressurised into something you are not happy with. Other players will push it so do not be passive - actively change the course of the negotiations or pull out. If your decision to decline the deal ultimately loses you money, you won't hear many voices of complaint from the other players. If you pull out, try not to question your decision. You will still need all of your focus on the table and you will probably receive some abuse for declining. If necessary, mute the players. The combination of a big decision, the potential pay-day and the gripes of your players will make it extremely difficult to maintain concentration on the cards. Muting the players will slightly tone down the pressure.
Most sites keep 10% of the prize-pool from the deal which is used as an additional amount for the winner, when the play continues after the deal has been settled. Don't underestimate that as it will still be a sizeable amount. Some other players slack off after the deal and you can pick up some additional cash relatively easily. It is like the scene from Star Wars when the heroes are trapped in the trash compacter and they stop the walls before they become mulch. They have banked cash and are celebrating but it is not over. Keep going and take that ten percent.
There a huge amount of luck involved in a large multi-way tournament. You'll have to survive all of the coin-flips and you'll probably need to strike gold when you make a bad read, but if you can consistently stay calm while the bomb ticks away, you will have a great chance of having your bonce graced by the crown.
If you still don't believe success is about handling the pressure, just consider the change in mood after a deal has been struck on the final table. It becomes as easy as watching a quiz show on TV.
We hope you have enjoyed this feature on tournaments. Please try to enjoy your play and remember - all you have to do is be James Bond.
If it's all getting a bit too emotional for you then don't forget that Bodog's Waterford Open is on right now in bonny Ireland! Keep an eye on the Online Qualifiers to see where the next satellites will be held! And see what Big Slick Events are talking about with their Bodog Waterford Live updates.
We'll keep you posted so stay tuned!
Submit Your Comment