Playing Big Slick in Deep Stack Tournaments

Paul Wolfe

 During this year’s World Series of Poker*, I talked with a number of pros about the problems that so many online qualifiers had playing Big Slick during the early blind levels. It seemed to us that a huge percentage of the field – we estimated as much as 70 percent – was more than willing to go broke with this hand if they hit a pair on the flop.

But many pros, myself included, feel that Ace-King is a very difficult hand to play in the early levels of big buy-in tournaments, when the stacks are deep compared to the blinds. The fact of the matter is, top-pair/top-kicker is probably no good if another player is willing to risk all of his chips. This isn’t always the case – you may find an extremely weak player willing to go broke on K-Q, but that’s the rare exception.

The real problem with A-K early on is that it’s very difficult to get an idea of where you’re at in a hand. Even on an innocuous looking flop of something like K-9-2, you may think your hand is good. But you can’t be sure.

Say that you raise pre-flop with A-K and a late-position player calls. The two of you see a K-9-2 flop. You bet strong on the flop and then again on the turn. He calls on both streets. What now? Do you bet the river and pray that you’re not raised? Or do you check and hope that your opponent does the same? It’s a difficult spot and there are no great options.

Playing the same hand in position is a little easier, but it’s still tough.

While the blinds are low in a big buy-in tournament, I’m actually looking to see flops against the players who overplay top-pair/top-kicker. When I’m in position, I’m happy to call a raise with something like a small pocket pair, 5-6 suited, or even 8-T suited. I’m looking to flop a big hand or a big draw.

If I flop a set, I have a good chance of wiping out the guy with top pair. If I flop a draw, I have a chance to see if my opponent will give me a good price to hit my hand. The beauty of a suited hand like 5-6 or 8-T is that there’s no way I’m going to get in serious trouble playing them. If I flop anything less than two-pair or a quality draw, I’ll fold, having lost very little.

I think there are two major reasons many players over value Ace-King. First is that in online tournaments, where the stacks start relatively low, Ace-King is usually worth playing aggressively. Players who win online satellites do so by playing Ace-King fast, so they come to big tournaments feeling good about this starting hand. The second reason is that many people have seen TV commentators crow about Big Slick, calling it a “huge hand.” At a six-handed final table, Ace-King is a very big hand, but as Howard Lederer has pointed out, you need to realize that short-handed final-table strategy differs greatly from early tournament play.

When you’re playing in deep-stack games, learn to play A-K cautiously. The pros don’t like to go broke with this hand and you’d do well to follow their example.

Breaking Out of Your Comfort Zone

Ben Roberts

Many beginner poker players naturally gravitate toward a level of game where they feel most comfortable. The reasons for their choice may vary, but often include the size of their starting bankroll, and the amount of money they feel comfortable wagering in a particular hand or throughout a session.

This is perfectly normal and reasonable. One of the things that separate truly profitable players from winning players, however, is their willingness to step out of their comfort zone and explore higher limit games.

After a few hundred hours of play, many people can determine whether or not they are beating their regular games. For those players who are showing a profit, there are some for whom taking home an extra $100 or $200 per week is perfectly acceptable. They’re mainly playing for fun and the winnings are a nice benefit. For others, however, poker may be a steady source of income, and boosting their bottom line could significantly affect their lives away from the table.

One of the smartest things these players can do is to stretch their games and play at higher limits. With proper planning, and the right approach, the rewards can be immeasurable. To that end, I have some suggestions for players who are thinking about taking their game to the next level.

First and most important, make sure you have the bankroll to sustain yourself at a higher level. If you take a shot and lose, you shouldn’t have to worry about rebuilding your bankroll from scratch. A good recommendation is to stockpile enough money so that you can comfortably afford between eight and 10 buy-ins before you have to retreat to a smaller game.

This leads to my second piece of advice, which is not to let a few losing sessions affect your attitude or impair your judgment. I’m not saying that losing doesn’t sting and that tilt doesn’t happen. They do. But, players who successfully move up the ladder understand that not every session will be a winning one, and that by constantly analyzing their games – and those of their opponents’ – they’ll be able to make adjustments that will help them succeed.

When moving up the poker ladder, you’ll inevitably encounter players with more experience and skill than you possess. Recognizing these players and learning from them is one of the smartest moves you can make. Conversely, letting your ego and pride get in the way of observing these players can lead you to keep investing money in a losing situation and, eventually, affect your overall performance and excitement toward the game.

Remember, successful people fail more often than unsuccessful people. Successful people try new things, fall down, pick themselves up, and try again. So, if your first attempt to move up to a higher stakes game falls short of your expectations, don’t despair. Look at your play and the play of your opponents, regroup, and try again. The experience will be worth it.

Playing Cap Games

Howard Lederer

This week, Full Tilt Poker launched Cap Games – a version of our Pot- and No-Limit games in which no player can commit more than 30 big blinds to any pot. The biggest cash games in the world, the ones that Jennifer Harman and Phil Ivey play in, use a cap when they play No-Limit Hold ‘em or Pot-Limit Omaha, and we thought you’d enjoy the experience as well.

For this tip, I am going to discuss some of the advantages of Cap Games over traditional big-bet poker, then I’m going to cover some strategic points that should help you when you first sit into a Cap Game.

Advantages of Cap Games

Most players reach a point where they grow uncomfortable with the thought of risking all the money they have on the table in a single hand. For example, say that a player in a $.50/$1 No-Limit game has done well and has built his stack from $50 to $300. He’s certainly happy with that turn of events but, if there’s another big stack at the table, he may be unwilling to stay at the table for fear of losing a very large sum on a difficult hand. In a Cap Game, however, this player can keep his seat, knowing that he can’t lose more than $30 on any single hand.

When a cap is in place, there tends to be a lot of action. Players open up their games when they know their losses will be limited and will commit for the cap on hands they might be more cautious with in a standard No-Limit game. So Cap Games can be action packed and a lot of fun.

Cap Game Strategy

For the most part, Cap Games play just like other big-bet games. But there will be some key pots where you can use the cap to your advantage. You’ll be able to take some shots at pots that you probably wouldn’t take in deep-stack games.

In particular, Cap Games offer great semi-bluffing opportunities. For example, say that you’re in a $1/$2 No-Limit Hold ‘em Cap Game and a player opens for a $6 raise. You think he’s weak and decide to re-raise to $20 with the 9c-Tc. The blinds fold and the raiser calls. The flop comes 2c-6c-Js. He checks to you and you decide to bet about the size of the pot – $40 – with your flush draw.

With this bet and the pre-flop action, you’ve reached the cap; you can’t commit any more money to the pot. That makes this flop bet a pure semi-bluff. There’s a good chance that you’ll force a fold and, if you don’t, you’ve still got about a 1 in 3 chance of hitting your flush on the next two cards. In a standard No-Limit game, however, this play could go very badly. You could be check-raised or called. If called, you could face a large bet on the turn after missing your flush. Either way, you might be forced to fold without having the opportunity to hit your hand.

Also in Cap Games, you can play some medium-strength hands more aggressively than you would in a traditional No-Limit game. For instance, you might be reluctant to commit 100 big blinds on a middle pocket pair, even if you felt your opponent was playing overcards and missed the flop. But in a Cap Game, you might play for the maximum on something like pocket 9s if you feel it is, in fact, the best hand.

In addition, there are more opportunities for slow-playing in Cap Games. Say that you hit a set of 5s when the flop comes 5d-7d-9c. You could be up against some sort of draw here and, in a standard No-Limit game, you’d probably want to bet so that you didn’t risk letting a flush get there for free. But in a Cap Game, you might give the free card. The draw will probably play for the cap no matter what you do, and if an opponent had overcards and missed the flop, he’d only commit money if he connects with the board on the turn.

In general, you don’t need to be so concerned about super-fine reads or making big laydowns in Cap Games. If you think there’s a reasonable chance you’re ahead, you can play for the cap without putting an excessive amount at risk.

Give our new Cap Games a shot. I think you’ll enjoy the more open style of play that accompanies these games. They really are a lot of fun.