Secrets of the Amateurs

So what have we learned lately ? As I note below, in 5 out of my last 6 live tournaments (which comprise 5 £100 freezouts and a £250 rebuy, all in Luton) I have hit the rail holding some filthy cards. We can break these moves down into three categories :

1) The short stack all-in. With 12 players left, 800-1600 blinds and 10K in my stack, I went for it with 86s. The chip leader couldn't get his money in quickly enough with A2s, and I missed. This isn't a problem. I needed to double up quickly and suited connectors are better than you might think in this spot. No problem with this play.

2) The steal reraise. On two occasions, with about 20 small blinds in my stack, I have reraised a possible steal raiser with no hand, with the intention of making him fold. One opponent was good enough to fold most hands, but not AK. The other wasn't, and called with AJ. I missed both 2-1 shots. The thing about this play is you need to know when not to make it. Or in this case where not to make it - Luton. I should keep this in the locker for the medium tournaments, to be used sparingly against good players. And you if you're reading this :-). But not now I've said that. Or maybe now I will. And so on.

3) The big draw. Two hands as detailed below, Kc8c on a flop T97 with two clubs, and 65 on a flop of 643. One play was slightly +EV, and the other break even. While the previous play should only be made against specific opponents, this one should only be used when the field as a whole is fairly strong. Against good players, I'm happy to try to double up on a even money shot, or treble up @ 2-1. Against the typical Friday night field, maybe not, although there is still a plus side in terms of time, in that you either get chips or get gone. It's worth noting that neither play would have been correct with a bog-standard 8 or 9 way draw - in each case we needed a "double draw", flush + straight draw in one case, pair + straight draw in the other.

It bears repeating that it's nice to have these plays in your locker, but you need to know when not to make them. In the Luton Aquarium, maybe not, a lot of the time. It's also worth noting that in the one tournament I didn't blow the lot with a raggy hand, I finished 5th, and would have had a very good shot if the KQ had managed to beat 22. Onwards and upwards, we'll see how it goes for a month or two.