Suggestion for a New Tournament Poker Rule

Image by aboutmattlaw via FlickrSuggestion for a New Tournament Poker Rule

The Bad Beat Re-entry Rule

This rule only applies in a heads-up situation where both players have a pocket pair, and one or both player's are all-in in pre-flop so no more betting is possible. When both players have a pocket pair, if the player with the higher ranking pair loses and gets knocked out of the tournament, she/he is allowed to re-enter the event.

To re-enter the event, the player must pay the entry fee again and only receives the amount of chips a player gets when entering this event.

Note: If it is a rebuy event, and the tournament is pass the point where more rebuys are allowed, this player also is not allowed any rebuys.

Example of the rule in action:

You enter a tournament for $100 and get $2,500 in chips. It is late in the event, you have $5,000 in chips, and you get dealt pocket Kings under the gun. You raise the $50-$100 blind to $300. Everyone folds to the big blind, who moves all-in for $7,000. You call all-in.

Your opponent shows pocket Jacks. You have pocket Kings. While you are an 80% favorite to win, if you lose you will be knocked out of the tournament.

The common cards are dealt out, and a Jack hits the river. You lose the hand and you can not continue to play as you have no more chips.

With the Bad Beat Re-entry rule, you are given the option to re-enter the event. To re-enter this event, you would pay $100 and get $2,500 in chips to continue to play.

What do you think?

Warning: This Post May Cause You To Quit Tournament Poker Forever

Making the Wrong Play at the Right Time

Like everyone else who plays tournament poker, I study, learn, play and work to get better. I talk to other players, who feel they are really good players. I happen to think that they are right--they are really good players. Unfortunately, really good players are not winning players.

Cover of Loser

Let me write that again...really good players are not winning players.

All these really good players have one thing in common--they blame bad luck, bad cards, and bad players making bad plays.

Heck, when I was at the bar in the Rio at the WSOP with all those losing poker players, all they could talk about was how unlucky they got, a bad beat, blah, blah, blah.

I have been fortunate to watch a few poker players in the Bay Area who won here and went on to win major events. And even today, I witness one of two locals who win more than their fair share of events and who I believe have the potential to win a major.

What do you think these winning players have in common?

a) They know the math of the game and the percentages better than everyone.
b) They know how to play their opponents better than everyone.
c) They just know more about the game than everyone.
d) All of the above

d--of course!

Got'cha! Wrong, wrong, wrong and wrong!

What all these players have in common is that they make the wrong play at the right time. That's right. They make plays that are totally wrong, but they end up being right, due to their sucking out.

Example:

It is early in the event. I am on the cutoff. Everyone folds to me. The blinds are $50-$100 and I have $4,000 in chips. I find A-9 suited and raise to $300. The button calls and the big blind calls.

The flop is A-10-4 rainbow. The big blind checks. I bet $600 into the $950 pot. The button folds. The big blind who has $4,500, check raises me to $1,800. What should I do?

I know this player and he knows me. (Yes, he is one of those locals who wins way too often than chance.) He knows I will make a c-bet in that situation about 99% of the time. And I know he will play thinking that if he check-raise me here and I have nothing, I will be forced to fold. So...I move all-in.

Now my opponent goes into the tank. Uh-oh. I am thinking he has top pair with a bigger kicker, or he thinks I moved-in here knowing that he would check-raise me playing my cards. Finally he calls my bet risking most of his chips.

What hand does he reveal?

Ok...think about it. Keep thinking.

Got a guess yet?

K-Q. Huh?

He has nothing but a four outer. I am amazed and pleased with his crazy play, that is, until a Jack hits the turn...and for good measure another Jack hits the river.

Where are my car keys? That was a fun 25 minutes of poker.

Don't Play Stupid!

I am not suggesting you play stupid. But what I am suggesting is that you look at tournament poker as an event where you need to make the wrong play at the right time to win. If you don't believe me, check out how often Phil Ivey sucked out here on his way to the final table of the WSOP. No--I'm not saying Phil is just lucky. He is a great player (maybe the best player) and he wins due to his skill and his luck.

The next 10 times you play a tournament, push the action more than you have before. Don't play the game like you are playing smart poker. Think about making more aggressive plays that make you uncomfortable. You won't be playing by the book. You may feel that the play will require you to suck out. But, so what, your goal is to accumulate as many chips as possible as fast as possible.

Example:

Another event, another $225 at risk. We are about one hour into the game and I am in the big blind. A very tight player raises my $200 big blind to $650. Everyone folds to me. I have about $5,000. He has about $7,500.

I find 8-9 hearts. I call.

The flop is 10-7-4 rainbow...without any hearts. I am fairly certain my opponent has either a big hand like A-K or A-Q, or a premium pair from pocket Jacks to Aces.

Normally, in this situation, I would check and see how much he bets. From that bet and his actions at the table, I would either fold, call or check raise. Pretty standard stuff. And, I could bet into him and slow him down with a blocking bet.

Instead, I do something stupid. I move all-in. Hey, so what, if he has pocket Aces. I am making the wrong play at the right time. What happens?

He insta-calls with pocket Kings.

I get up out my chair.

A Jack hits the turn, and yep, for good measure a Jack hits the river. I'm a genius, my opponent views me as a jackass.

Suggestion:

I really do believe that the level of play among the better players at your local casino is fairly close. What separates the players that win, from those who cash or lose, is that they are willing to push the action. They are looking to accumulate chips as fast as possible so they can threaten their opponents--like you--with elimination if you play a hand against them.

All the top winning tournament players appear to hold a common objective: to accumulate as many chips as possible as fast as possible. If that means making the wrong play...hey, so what, someone has to be responsible for putting all those bad beats on you.

One win is worth more than a dozen cashes. These super aggressive players play to win or lose. They will make the wrong play at the right time because it's not about survival poker. They play to win or to go home.

Think about it. If you are not winning, maybe it's time to change your game. Don't give up what you learned. Just embrace the risk of the game like never before.

Tournament Poker: Often You Will Lose Even If You Play Perfect

Just a quick thought...

Even if you play "perfect" poker during a poker tournament, the fact is that often the cards just run against you.

Sometimes that means that you go card dead. But, as noted in a previous post, there are ways to try to counter that awful situation.

The more frustrating way to me is when you play great but run into situations where your edges just don't pan out. Usually, I have found that I can handle one bad outcome, but two are tough too overcome and three are usually fatal.

For example, if you are playing great, raise with pocket Aces and a player moves all-in with A-K suited. If your opponent beats you with a flush, well, your stack will probably take a 25-50% hit (it depends on stack sizes, but I am assuming you are beating your opponents up to this point and building your stack.)

If you lose another tough one, like JJ against 99 (as I did recently), a few hands later, well, your stack is going to be nearly crippled or you will be out.

If you are crippled, you will be moving in with a big range of hands and hoping for the best.

The net of this is the following: It was just not meant to be. You can play great or even "perfect" poker, but the poker gods may be against you that day. I guess that's poker.

Note: I don't know how to define "perfect" poker. Phil says that he would win every tournament if it wasn't for luck. But, the other day at the WSOP, I read that Phil Hellmuth limped under the gun with pocket Queens and got upset when his opponent beat him with two random cards (a hand he would fold against a raise). So, if Phil is perfect, wh no raise?:-)

The Book Winner is Mike From Canada

And, the best bad beat story goes to ryanarneson19

I was playing in a 5/10 limit game on pokerstars and got dealt KK. I raised from middle position and the button 3-bet, everyone folded to me and I capped, he calls. Flop came down K76 with the K and 6 being spades, I bet out, he raised, I reraised, he capped and I called. Turn came an offsuit 5, again we capped the pot. River falls 7 of spades, completing the flush draw but giving me kings full! We capped again and I turn over my kings full only to have my opponent show 77 for quads :(

Since Ryan's bad beat story was best/worst he will also get a copy of one of my books.

Thanks everyone for entering the contest!

Play A Poker Hand With Me: Pocket Kings

I entered the local poker tournament today. It is a $120 buy-in. First place is a guaranteed $3,500. You get $4,000 in chips. No rebuys.

On the second level of blinds, one player limps for $100, and this aggressive player only raises to $250. He had been more aggressive with his pre-flop raises since the start of the game. The big blind and the limper calls. There is $800 in the pot.

The flop is K-Q-5 rainbow. The limper checks. The aggressive player bets $800. The big blind moves all in for $4,000. The aggressive player has about the same amount in chips and without blinking calls all-in. What do these players have?

When the big blind moves all-in, I put him on K-Q. But when the aggressive player calls without even thinking, I figure he must have a set of Kings or Queens. I was wrong.

The big blind had the two pair with K-Q, but the aggressive player just had pocket Aces. He didn't get any help and he was out.

Now, let's play a poker hand with me.

It's the third level. You have $3,100 in chips and you are on the button. The blinds are $100-$200. The player under the gun limps. You know this player and he likes to raise with big hands under the gun, but limps with strong drawing hands in this position.

A second player and a third player also call the $200. Players have been tight overall, so you figure they have drawing hands or low pairs. The player on your right with $3,200 moves all-in.

You look down on your hand and find pocket Kings. Easy decision. You move all-in. Everyone else folds so it is heads up.

Your opponent turns over A-J. The player who limped under the gun says, "I had the same hand." Another player who called and folded speaks up, "I had the Ace 10."

How are you feeling? There is only one Ace in the deck that can beat you.

The flop comes and....yes, it's the Ace. You get no help and you are driving home.

That was a quick ending. Yet, there is nothing you can do in that situation. It's just one of those things.

What was the probability your opponent would hit an Ace?

He has 5 tries at hitting one card.

Do you think it was a bad beat?

It doesn't matter. You made the right play and lost. It's called poker.

At least you have a story for your poker blog, right?