Old chestnut - WSOP Main Event

Sky_Poker

OK it's an old chestnut but...


... how would you personally tackle playing the WSOP main event?


Play for the win, settle for a min cash, cash then go for it?

LLCooLD

If I was ever lucky enough to play the ME presumably id have qualified, I'd be delighted with any sort of cash however that shouldn't detract from the fact you are there to win and would play accordingly. Like a lot do, once the money bubble has burst, I'd be loosing up and widening my ranges knowing that for me personally $20,000 minimum is a huge score. 

hhyftrftdr

Fold every hand for 6 days and pray for a min cash.

Slykllist

I'd just play my normal game and KRUSH it!

BelovedLtd

The WSOP is so long and so deep that there isn't really going to be much of a difference.

There are people who will play day 1 ready to commit 300 bigs preflop knowing they're in a probable coin flip - but that isn't playing 'for the win' - that's just being stupid  (you're risking a 50% chance of being knocked out for <1% increase in tournament equity).

So to start with playing for the win is just playing sensible solid poker - exactly the same as playing to cash.

Similarly it's pretty much the same as you approach the bubble and ICM considerations have to be taken in to account.

If you are short stacked then it is quite likely to be mathematically correct to fold most hands and wait for a big-ish hand to shove with.

The only difference I can see is if, for example, you are short stacked and you have a reasonable shoving hand - but you are so close to the bubble that you think you can scrape in to the money with 1 or 2 blinds. The proper move would be to shove the playable hand; but it would be awfully tempting to just wait it out.

Similarly if you have a deep stack then you might want to avoid tangling with another deep stack (or even medium), even when you have a reasonably good hand - because it would leave you in guaranteed better shape after the bubble bursts. You 'should' go for the win and still play those hands - but it would be understandable to be a bit cautious.

Apart from those 2 fairly specific circumstances on the bubble then playing to cash and playing to win are the same thing in the main event.

(laddering once you're in the money is another issue of course)