All in or Fold? Is this a viable tournament strategy?

[thetank]

Are there guidelines as to which hands to go with or just what I feel like?

Early on AA, KK, QQ, AK. Blinds aren't worth it with any 'owt else.

Later on, whatever looks pretty.

Good luck  

[SKIPPYSKIP]

Agree wilth Silo, in the 3K i played i was so fair in front i was calling everyone and outdrawing them

[vampitup]

I think we're forgetting the "or fold" part of this post  

lol tank, In all seriousness I am taking this pretty seriously although remain unconvinced of its potential.  It certainly livens up the winter evenings!

In the early levels i am folding like 95%+ of hands, although moving in with maybe 15-20% later on.  I am keeping detailed notes of hands I do move in on, and get called with, so I can make potential changes if necessary.  

[Graham C]

passing on KQ was a wierd feeling, but great watching the flop miss it.

[vampitup]

passing on KQ was a wierd feeling, but great watching the flop miss it.

Lol, try passing JJ, QQ, AK early pos in Level 1!!!

[thetank]

If one is embarking on this strategy, I think it's less about the hands and more about the situations.

I am keeping detailed notes of hands I do move in on, and get called with, so I can make potential changes if necessary.  

You'll need to be at this a fair while for these notes to have any significance. Happy huntings.  

I spoke to some nutter (I mean that in a good way) who is currently trying something similar in cash games. He'll limp in with connecting cards, suited cards and small/middle pairs.
He'll go all-in if he has any kind of draw on the flop or a made hand of two pair or better. As he goes all-in on all his gutshot draws, it drives the table mad and he gets paid off on most of his sets. He claims to be doing quite well so far.

[thetank]

passing on KQ was a wierd feeling, but great watching the flop miss it.

Looks like you might learn something from this exercise Silo.

KQ is pisch. Heard someone call it the Anna Kournikova the other day, looks dead pretty but it wins fek all.

You should consider passing it in a normal game when the blinds are small, especially out of position.

[Dewi_cool]

consider passing are you sure Tank 

[vampitup]

If one is embarking on this strategy, I think it's less about the hands and more about the situations.

I am keeping detailed notes of hands I do move in on, and get called with, so I can make potential changes if necessary.  

You'll need to be at this a fair while for these notes to have any significance. Happy huntings.  

I spoke to some nutter (I mean that in a good way) who is currently trying something similar in cash games. He'll limp in with connecting cards, suited cards and small/middle pairs.
He'll go all-in if he has any kind of draw on the flop or a made hand of two pair or better. As he goes all-in on all his gutshot draws, it drives the table mad and he gets paid off on most of his sets. He claims to be doing quite well so far.

This is certainly something else to consider.

I have read this piece in Phil Gordon's 'Little Green Book', which by coincidence is an excellent poker book.

This is on a guy who he simple calls 'Biggest Online Winner'.

Apparently there is a guy who absolutely destroys $25/$50 NL cash games online.  Gordon says he has played with him and watched him for hundreds of hours.  According to Gordon, he 'not only saps the chips, but the very spirit from the rocks in the game.'

Gordon goes on to say that according to game theory, his style is unbeatable, and the basic philosophy of this style is to get in the pot cheaply, massively overbet premium draws, massively overbet the nuts or best hand (see where we are going!).

He then gives a statistical example where he moves all in with various hands against a guy who has top pair, top kicker and his EV of winning various confrontations.  

Phil Gordon also mentions that after he moves in on an opponent who calls with the best hand and gets outdrawn, he sends them onto a massive tilt which makes matters worse!!!  He also says that BOW picks up lots of pots he is not entitled to win based on the strength of his hand.  Ie if you move in for $5k to win a $100 pot, how strong does your hand have to be to call the 5k!!!

Apparently his drawbacks are that he has very high variance, and the only way of combatting this strategy is to get as much money in the pot pre flop as possible.

[Graham C]

You are right Tank, I should.  I actually sort of like this stratagy for the folding side.  I need to fold more marginal hands

I was getting concerned with my lack of chips (720) but an A J and everyone calling for 100 made my next all in easy - 1 caller who only had 250 chips left and I won the hand with a pair of aces.

Just lost big time, all in with JJ, caller with K something and he got a flush when 4 hearts hit

Still in with 248 chips

[Graham C]

Out, All in with AJs, caller with 3 4 os, hits two 3's on the flop

[vampitup]

Yeah, you do need to try to double up in first 3-4 levels, if not you can get short.  But then you can start to move in more frequently.  If there is one modification I am likely to make, it would be to open up more in the 7-15 BB levels.

[Graham C]

I'm not sure I can do it like that all the time but I think it could do ok.  The only reason I am out is to two unlucky flops (IMO)  Doubling up early would be good but you need the blinds high enough to do so.

[Gryffles]

There is an entire book dedicated to being an all in merchant, its called "Kill Phil".
The basic premise is that pros prefer to play postflop where they have bigger edges, so only the weaker players will be calling you unless its AA/KK.

vampitup - the player phil gordon is referring to is a big of a big internet name, Spiritrock aka mahatma. aka Prahled Friedman.

[vampitup]

  Doubling up early would be good but you need the blinds high enough to do so.

IMO, this is good but I don't think you need the blinds to be high to do this.  In a short time, I have seen some amazing things, ie, call for entire stack with Q8 clubs just cause he has limped in UTG!  Another good one was A9 suited calling an all in when I had AK in level 1 of a sit and go.

With some people, once they have put a chip into a pot pre flop, they will go all the way with the hand!