I've signed up for Ken's GP Freeroll Tourney, although with great trepidation about possibly embarrassing myself horribly against the great players on this list, even though I expect it will be a good learning experience regardless of my outcome. I have a couple of quick questions: First, I've never played with surrender as an option. It just isn't offered at casinos here in Washington. Of course I know what it is, and plan to download the appropriate strategy chart as soon as I finish here , but is there anything that you all might share about making full use of it in tournament play? Second, I see from the tournament information page that there is a chat feature available. Have list members used this and what do you think about it? If I am lucky enough to end up at a table with Hollywood Dave, will I be sorry if I have the chat feature enabled (just funnin', HD, I'd love to be at a final table with you!!!) CJ
Yes, you'll want to chat. Definitely log in to the chat room just before the tournament, and I recommend staying logged in during the round. There are two ways to get to chat... Inside the casino, you can click on 'Player Info', 'Chat' and after a moment, choose 'Lobby' as the room you want to chat in. I actually prefer the second way to get to the chat room. That's in your web browser. Go to the Global Player site and click on 'Tournament Chat'. That asks for a nickname, and handles the rest. In either case, you can arrange the windows on your screen so that you can see both the game you are playing and the chat window at the same time. And, like so many other parts of the Global Player process, I know this is confusing. Once you get the idea, it's pretty easy. Buckhawk's other question was about surrender. In a tournament, you should generally surrender a little more often than basic strategy dictates, but try not to overdo it. You can also afford to bet a little more aggressively when surrender is available, because you can cut your loss in half on some hands.
Does Macy's tell Gimbel's? ;-) Surrender is a way of reducing your risk (though at a pretty steep price). It is of course most appropriate on hands that are very likely to be losing. I'd say that in tournament play, using surrender other than as called for by BS would be most appropriate when you have a lead and you're playing conservatively to try to maintain it (vs agressively and trying to increase your lead) and your lead could be threatened by a full loss (someone's on your tail) but not by a half-loss (so maybe they're not that hot on your tail); so you're willing to settle for a known half-loss instead of risking the whole thing. Ugh. Who wants the distraction? OK, I'll chat at the table at a real casino because part of the fun is the social aspect, but in a tournament I plan to be focussed on the game. We can gather round the bar :-^) and chat afterwards. Thanks, Ken, for whatever role you had in setting this up. This gonna be fun.
I will add one small comment about the surrender option. Buckhawk mentions that he is less than familiar with it's use due to it not being offered in his regular playing environment. Surrender is a very rarely seen option down here in my market also. (MS Gulf Coast) My misplaying of the surrender option knocked me out of my qualification attempt for the first MDBJ. I don't know if it was a case of nerves, having an unfamiliar option, or just plain dumbness but not considering surrender on the last hand kept me from advancing that time. What I suggest is for you to be sure that you burn into your memory to remember to check what impact surrendering would have on every hand, especially those crucial last few. In the heat of the tournament, you are sometimes so focused on getting accurate chip counts and planning your play that you might not consider an unfamilar option in a less than obvious situation. Of course you will remember surrender on those hands you get a stiff, but there might be times where surrendering a decent hand might also be of benefit. Good Luck.
That's it You've elaborated exactly my fear. I'm sorry that it cost you in the big show, though. I've been doing some practice play on the Global Player site, to be familiar with the interface, as well as to practice using surrender. I may tape a neon sign to the front of my monitor: Remember surrender! Thanks BRT. CJ PS - If anyone wants to see something odd, go to Global Player and check out a replay of one of their tournaments. Watch the order in which the cards are shown as being dealt when the players and/or dealer take multiple hits.
now that is a great, great idea! y'all might as well put me on your 'blocked chat' lists right now, cuz hollywood dave is a-comin' for ya!
