Here's a thought and I'd like to see what others think: When playing in a BJT in the middle to late stages (lets assume a 25 hand tourney) hands 1-20, is it better to be in the lead i.e., BR1 or not? I ask this because when a player is BR1 sometimes it is difficult making bets that will keep you in the lead. I find it MUCH easier to calculate bets when BR2-BRL Now with EBJ - do you feel the same way? Ahead or Behind?
having the lead I do not understand why some players think it is an advantage to have fewer chips than your opponents at any stage of a tournament - that is simply nutso - it is always to your advantage to have the most chips - maybe the problem is in your post - you are trying to correlate bets through the early/middle hands - correlation is a late hands technique - and holds up for only a few hands - at most - when you get a lead in the early/middle hands - you need to continue to play with a strategic approach - and not fall into trying to correlate bets and hold onto the lead over a long series of hands - correlation will eventually fail you - continue with strategic playing - and you will maximize the advantage your early lead gives you - even if you fall from the lead at some point - the object is to go into the late hands with an advantageous BR - either the lead or close to it - and to be able to make a move - if you need to - with as small a bet - and/or - a progression with more steps - thereby increasing your odds of going into the final hand with the lead - in ebj - you really do need to treat the elimination hands as if they are final hands - and you can start correlating if you have the lead 3 or 4 hands out from the elim hand -
I may have taken the above out of context, please excuse me if I did. My question is: What, in your opinion, would be "a strategic approach"? If correlation is not a strategic approach then what is? When answering, keep in mind that we are talking about having the lead, not chasing.
toolman a strategy is a series of bets/plays - made over a long sequence of hands - designed to result in your gaining an advantageous BR position - a tactic is something you use for a single hand or a short sequence of hands - designed to achieve a specific one-time result - correlation is a tactic - and I think it is pretty well accepted that you can't successfully correlate with other players over a long sequence of hands - all I am saying here is that even if you gain the lead early - that doesn't mean that you immediately start correlating - and hope you can hang on to it - you need to continue playing with a long term view - and make bets that are designed to have a cummulative favorable impact on your BR position - letting individual hands swing for or against you as they will -
Let me repeat my question: What, in your opinion, would be "a strategic approach"? You really haven't answered this question. You stated what you are trying to accomplish and then you said "you need to continue playing with a long term view - and make bets that are designed to have a cumulative favorable impact on your BR position". Now to "make bets that are designed to have a cumulative favorable impact on your BR position" is something for which we strive. So I guess I'm saying how do you determine those right bets? You said correlation is out so what do you do? Bet small? Bet large? Go with the "feel" of the cards? What? If you can answer that, you have solved one of the great problems facing BJ tournament players everywhere.
Let me clarify Lets assume, to give this a more applicable feel, that it is hand 10 of 25 (TBJT). 6 players are present Bankrolls vary from 500-1000 with a 500 max bet and 25 min bet. BR1 has 1000 BR2 has 800 BR3 has 750 BR4 has 700 BR5 has 550 BR6 has 500 At this point as BR1 - assuming bets first - do you bet your lead minus a chip, do you bet 1/2 the lead, do you bet min? We usually look at this scenario on hand 23 or 24 at which time we know what we need to bet to get BR1 position. However with this being hand 10 how differently do you play it? Now, same scenario but BR1 bets LAST. BR2 bets 100 BR3 bets 150 BR4 bets 150 BR5 bets 250 BR6 bets 250 What does BR1 bet? 25 and count on the dealer? Bet 100 to correlate with BR2? I'm not looking for "the perfect" answer. I just would like to see what/how other players play in these "live" tourney situations.
Correlation What do you see as correlation? Is that exactly matching on opponent's bet or expected bet? Or is it sizing your bet on the opponent's bet or expected bet? I do not do that to match. I often correlate to the high or low side depending on the situation. Do you see that as being an end game strategy as opposed to being a mid game tool? Then again, do you see this as correlation or a strategic tool? thanks for the input.
When I have the lead, I generally bet, with the flow at the table. By that I mean I usually bet the AVERAGE table bet. At other times I bet 1/2 my lead on EH-1 I either bet min or bet 2x my lead over BRL I vary it - depending upon the players at the table. My reason for asking the question is that most people would be able to give you a bet when they are BR2-BRL in a heartbeat - but when they are BR1 - other than min?????
Just betting the average table bet is not always the best bet than can be made or for that fact should be made, especially on an elimination hand or a last hand of a regular tournament format Lets look at an example You lead by 10,000 and the bankroll thats behind you bets 5,500 if you were to consider his bet the average bet what are you giving up by making that same exact bet? Anyone care to take a stab at this question? Joep
1500 is the bet I would make Supposing BRL has 11,000 and I have 21,000, if I match his 5500 I give up the simple swing (I lose he wins). If I bet 1,500 the only way he can win is if he dd and win and I lose or push.
Actually with the numbers you used that would be a bet to lock him out.But what I was refering to was bigger bankrolls but you thought process is on the right track. Try these numbers 62,000 for BR 1 52,000 for BR 2 and BR2 bets 5,500 Joep
Other players passing me In that case, 12500 would give me the high and low on him while keeping in check the people who are thinking about passing me. If they try, the surrender option will possibly save me against one other player in case of a swing in favor of BRL ...Knowing me, though, in a case like this I would probably still bet 1500 and let the dealer do his job. If he doesn't, then I'll still have all my bullets against those or the one who succeeds passing me. 1500 is still my bet.
tu'penny How about $8.5K? You get high and low and can surrender back to beat a win from BR2. If you win you will have at least a 1/2 max bet lead over BR2, which is nice! Cheers Reachy
