Step Games - 888 WSOP

[MattyMoo]

Hi All,

As some of you know I have made it through from step 1 $5.50 to the $500 + $25 Final tomorrow morning on Pacific for a $15K package to the WSOP.

I made it through to the same final when they ran the same step process for the Aussie Millions.

As with the Aussie Millions I found the step 2 and final to be the more difficult of the 4 games.

The step 1 was what I would call a crab shoot, i.e. normally only 5 or so runners and people may or may not have cared too much about it. Step 2 was 55 runners with 1 in 5 getting through. That game was a little crazy, it was so tight pre flop but I found as soon as people hit anything or if you raised post flop people were coming over the top massively. Step 3 was a little easier, maybe because I failed to really lose big on any pots playing a tightish game. Won my races, i.e. TT vs AK as a heads up pot.

With the 2nd and 3rd and the final steps starting at 4:35am (ACST) I've actually been joining the games at around 4:50 - 5am. So blinding out a little. Still joining with around $2975 with $3k start stacks.

I checked my hand history for the hands I missed and in that half an hour I only had probably 3 hands that I would have played being TT, JJ & KK.

What I would like to ask is:

- What's been your experience through similar step processes?
- What do you think would be the best strategy to approach a game like this with me expecting it to be fairly tight?
- Should I stick to the same style of blinding out for the first few levels?


Looking forward to your thoughts.

Matt

[bennymacca]

- What's been your experience through similar step processes?

haven't played these steps, so cant comment

- What do you think would be the best strategy to approach a game like this with me expecting it to be fairly tight?

as you say, everyone will be fairly tight, so look for spots where you can steal the blinds, or post flop situations where it looks like the other person is giving up. winning these small pots accumulates chips with very little risk

- Should I stick to the same style of blinding out for the first few levels?

not sure its a "style" as such, its just rocking up late to play.

if it was me though, 20 minutes doesn't really matter. if you have to get up bloody early, it may as well be bloody early minus 20 minutes, so you get there at the start of the game

[Conspiracy Theorist]

- Should I stick to the same style of blinding out for the first few levels?

not sure its a "style" as such, its just rocking up late to play.

if it was me though, 20 minutes doesn't really matter. if you have to get up bloody early, it may as well be bloody early minus 20 minutes, so you get there at the start of the game

This.

OP said that in 30 minutes of blinding out he missed out on TT, JJ and KK. 3 top 5% hands is not something I want to miss out on for 20 mins extra sleep.

CT

[MattyMoo]

OP said that in 30 minutes of blinding out he missed out on TT, JJ and KK. 3 top 5% hands is not something I want to miss out on for 20 mins extra sleep.

Yes the 20 minutes are valuable sleep, especially when I have to work. But that wasn't my main motivation. It was actually so I don't get into trouble early. Looking at the hands I probably would've lost on the TT and the JJ but maybe won on the KK. I.e. early on would people be more likely to have a look on smaller blinds with an 65 suited? I.e. the KK board came 65J. So they could hit two pair against you and you think your KK is good.

As the blinds get higher they may tighten up further and therefore, it is easier for the game to be a little more predictable thus easier to play as some that just got lucky but have little skill that made it could already be well short stacked by that stage.

[AceLosesKing]

Yeah, I don't really see the advantage of missing the first 20m, or any amount of time, on purpose. Why are we doing this?

In any case, glglglglglgl.

I haven't played any steps, but like you said I would expect most play to be pretty tight. Adapt to this and LAG it up, get some chips and push them around.

[Des]

crab shoot

You mean crap shoot.

[MattyMoo]

MattyMoo wrote:
crab shoot


You mean crap shoot.

Yeah that's what I mean... Though the crabs keep clawing at my chips :p

[muzzington]

crab shoot

You mean crap shoot.

[JMACK007]

Yes the 20 minutes are valuable sleep, especially when I have to work. But that wasn't my main motivation. It was actually so I don't get into trouble early. Looking at the hands I probably would've lost on the TT and the JJ but maybe won on the KK. I.e. early on would people be more likely to have a look on smaller blinds with an 65 suited? I.e. the KK board came 65J. So they could hit two pair against you and you think your KK is good.

As the blinds get higher they may tighten up further and therefore, it is easier for the game to be a little more predictable thus easier to play as some that just got lucky but have little skill that made it could already be well short stacked by that stage.

Actually Matty, with the KK hand, you would probably bet them off 56 pre if you played it properly, so even looking at the histories sometimes can lead you astray, because if you actually played those hands (and properly i.e. substantial raise preflop), the result would be different. As far as small blinds go, it really is the other way around, people will be tighter as it is not costing them too much per circuit of the table. It is when the blinds are bigger that people will need to "make a move" to ensure they have chips to ride out the blinds.

Good luck mate, take it down!!

[bennymacca]

also, getting KK in the first 20 minutes, you could have doubled up, which would have made your next couple of hours in the tourney a lot better

unless you are 1000bb deep (i.e world series style), horrible mistake imo