What Adjustments to make

[AdamM]

I only got back to playing last year, but a problem I had before my break is still present. Basically, for years I've become the master of the min cash. My Hendon Mob is getting ridiculous:
https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/player.php?a=r&n=49583

I make the money more often than I don't, but it doesn't seem to matter if I hit day 2 with a decent stack or really short, I never make it out of the first two or three payout levels. I did try to change my early/mid game strategy to either build a big stack or bust early, but I'm jut not wired for the variance. I play better, and enjoy the game much more when I'm being patient, picking spots and keeping broadly in line with tournament average stack, but inevitably, that means I hit day 2 with 20-40 BB, grind a couple of levels, then bust with a depressingly marginal profit.

When I buy in to something like this week's £500 UKPC, I am not playing for a min cash, I want the £95k and the trophy, but in the back of my mind, the min cash is there, and I wonder if I'm maybe subconsciously creating a self-fulfilling prophecy with how I play.

Maybe I should be pleased I'm putting myself in the position to get hit in the face with the deck one day and go deep, or maybe I'm doomed to a lifetime of min cashes because my mid-game play is off pace.

Interested in thoughts or advice.

[booder]

I too would be interested in replies as you have perfectly described my playing style.
 

[Ironside]

i found when i was playing that i got better results if i didn't look at the pay outs, or the bubble numbers etc. I went out on bubble more often than i could of but i was also in a lot better position when i did get onto a final table.
although i always said in my head i wasn't bothered about min cashes ad ladder jumps i think subconsciously they were making me too passive.

that being said i haven't played regularly for a few year

[bagel]

i only play low stakes online $10 average, so feel free to dismiss , have played for years and had some very decent 5 figure cashes, so will give my opinion on the min cash question.  i am well aware that i am never going to do everything "right", but i have found what works for me.

i like to late reg, if i make it past bubble then hold things back while all the short stacks try and spin it up, when things calm down, then i start to get really aggro . this way you are going to lose all your chips a lot of the time, and you are going to get a huge stack a lot of the time. totally demoralising just blinding down and folding until you are FORCED into betting your last 10bb with ace rag. poker is meant to be fun, and i would rather shove 25 bigs with ten jack over somebodys open , than die a slow boring death for the millionth time. another advantage is table image, once people have seen you playing loosey goosey, they always call you down lighter than usual.

where i do struggle is when i hit last couple of tables, i find it so difficult to go for the win if the pay jumps are significant. logic says that last 1 or 2 tables are going to have  mostly competent players, more skilled than me, so surely the best way to play them is take them out of their comfort zone and gamble it up to reduce their edge.but i quite often lose my bottle.

in short, if you are mincashing all the time, but never winning the thing, just ramp it up in the later stages. embrace the times you bust a playable stack, if you keep going for the big win it will come. it has for me and i am well aware that i am technically bad. i have seen utterly terrible ,completely clueless people,win huge money. simply because they had the balls, or sheer recklessness. sometimes the "experts" lose a hand of poker. way too many people forget that.

[Doobs]

I play a lot and you have to be aware of the bubble (ignoring it is daft).  If you are short sit tight, if you have a big stack attack everyone else.  Don't tighten up if a big stack. Try and get a look around as the bubble approaches, don't think you ever want to be calling off people who have you covered unless supernutted (especially if someone else is sat there with 1BB).  Sometimes you just have to take the pain.

There is normally a decent spell after the bubble bursts where ICM doesn't really matter. You need to be aware of what everyone else is doing, if  they go berserk, you have to be ready to call lighter than is comfortable.  If they are still nitting up, don't go calling off light.  Also try and work out who is playing scared, eg if they are stalling, checking payjumps etc, take the easy chips.  Think how you used to act when scared and take notice when others do that. 

You need to be aware of payjumps/chipstacks as the final table approaches, then adjust to playing like in paragraph one.  Be aware of ICM, calling off when short can be disastrous, shoving/3 betting light when a big stack is compulsory. 

Finally, just run good.

[RED-DOG]

Finally, just run good.

Dang! I knew I was doing something wrong.

[AdamM]

Played this month's DTD100, and as per standard in the Opening post, made day 2 again, but still no big score. I finished 29/1306, £400 payout, 2x£100+£20 bullets, so +£160. Pretty card dead as usual, so ducked and dived as best I could, and also as usual, spent most of the tournament in the 20-40BB zone. Never really built a stack, although I did get off to a reasonable start on the second bullet. Just grinding, while watching others around be smash big pots with set over set, flush over flush, big pair over big pairs, etc.

What I feel I'm doing right is switching gears at the right times when I get short. I'm moving from playing properly > looking for 3 bet shove spots > open ripping with gradually lowering standards for hand selection. I get my self back in the game quite often by finding the right spots. Would just be nice once in a while to get some momentum early and build a stack. Looks fun.

[cambridgealex]

Maybe you're not 3betting light off 20-40bb? E.g. late position raise, making it 5.5bb on the button with KJo, 98s, A5s, Q8s and the like? Can be a nice way to chip up, without needing to commit all your stack? Can cbet 1/4 pot on a lot of textures so not risking too much, maximum leverage. Often people just call or fold these hands so miss out.

Defending bb wide enough? Have a look at some preflop charts? Apart from like T5o and worse, J4o and worse, 94o, 84o, 73o you can defend almost anything to a raise 2.2bb or less. Certainly any suited cards. Then learn to check raise more flops with good top pairs, gutshots, combo draws etc. This gives you other ways to win pots other than just passively hoping to make big hands.

I've been there too many times - just can't get that luck in that crucial period and bleed out - so much of it will be just variance, but there's a chance you're not playing aggressively enough also.

Good luck.

[AdamM]

Thanks Alex. I have started to defend a lot wider than I used to as you describe. 3 betting wider as you suggest I could definitely do more of though. I will look into that.

I do slip back into Harrington style ABC poker sometimes, and I have to remind myself to losen up a bit.

DTD100 / Easter Cup weekend comig up, so hpoing for a bit of mid/late game run good.

[AdamM]

Bit of a different result in this months DTD100. Although I made it to day 2 with a familiar 31BB stack, and was as low as 3.5Bb at 50k/100k, I managed to buck the trend, final, and do a 3 way deal for £13k and a WPT seat. Came up short in the heads up for the trophy and extra £2k, but still makes a nice change from spending a whole weekend earning a couple of hundred min cash.

I tried to adjust my play as suggested, but I found the standard of play at most of my day 1 tables was the worst I think I’ve ever seen in one of these. Most of the table were playing any two, and you basically had to show down to win any pot. Chip stack was a roller coaster for two days. In the end, the suggestion to just run good was what worked. I was far from a card rack, but I got lucky in a few key spots (cracked AA with JJ, best KK with AQ), and won a couple of key flips.

Hopefully I can turn this into a run of final tables.

The guy that beat me heads up was involved in the most incredible hand I’ve ever seen. All in pre-flop three ways.
  v v  
Flop  
Turn  
River  

Scooped a massive pot knocking out two other big stacks.
Nice lad, glad he tookm1st over all.

[celtic]

haha live poker is rigged!

Congrats

[Karabiner]

Nice one Adam

[booder]

Well done Adam

[Marky147]

Winner winner!!

Congrats, Adam

[Doobs]

Ah congrats, now have you got any reciprocal tips for us heading to Vegas in June? Limit O8 tips will be appreciated most, think I need to start on when I can bet 200 and when 400.  Can feel I am going to take your run good and crush