TOURNAMENT TIP If you’re in an important tournament with a big prize at stake you need to know what to do if you find yourself running low on chips. Always attempt to double-up when you’re down. When at all possible just go all-in and try to double-through. Pocket pairs or even a strong high card are worth the risk when you’re in this situation. Hammer all your chips in pre-flop because otherwise the flop itself may cause you to lose your nerve and your low-stack situation means you can’t afford nerves. By raising in this powerful fashion you may well clear the field down to a heads-up or even clear out all the opposition at one go. It’s a brave but necessary play given your depleted finances. If the ploy works and everyone passes, your stack recovers some real health and the threat of elimination is gone. Better to go down fighting than slowly bleed your stack to death.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Q: I’ve heard that players on the final table of big tournaments “make deals”? What exactly does this entail? A: These sort of deals are known in professional circles as “savers”. It’s simply an agreement reached between the players at a final table that any player NOT making it “into the money” gets a previously decided payout. Most of the top players don’t like this kind of a deal as they feel it takes the edge off the game and reduces the pressure cooker effect that usually builds up at a final table.
POKER & THE LAW! It’s interesting to see that at least one private gaming club in London is prepared to go to court to prove that poker is a game of skill. Technically, under the 1968 Gaming Act, poker is classified as a game of chance, unlike bridge, which is viewed differently under the laws of the UK. Any relatively experienced poker player “knows” poker is a game of skill where chance plays a part. Can’t wait to see what M’lud will make of it all, especially if he’s a bridge player. Bet he deals from the bottom of the deck on the whole issue. Bridge is the game of choice amongst high society so what are our chances? Meantime you can play perfectly legally at dailystarpoker.com without joining an expensive private members club.
ALL THE ACES poker column: Friday, February 10, 2006: Poker Tournament Tip For Low Chipstack Moments
