Ask Thewy - Tournament Q&A with Julian Thew

Sky_Dave

To celebrate the addition of the new Tournament Strategy forum seciton, our very own Julian Thew is going to be appearing on this guest thread answering any questions you might have about tournament poker. It can be particular spots or more general advice, and can also be from online or live. 

(OK, the above was from a cash game...)

If you have a question, simply post it on this thread - please put it in bold to make it easier to pick your question out from some of the discussion.

Julian has won over $2.9m in tournament earnings, with EPT, GUKPT and GPS titles to his name, so he's definitely got the credentials to help your poker game. 

Fire away and enjoy!

Slipwater

In Response to Ask Thewy - Tournament Q&A with Julian Thew:

Julian has won over $2.9m in tournament earnings...Posted by Sky_Dave

...yet still hasn't bought me a drink - what's up with that!?

yoyo

hello all,

yes please do feel free to post anything with regard to MTTs...foggy spots, game flow dynamics, iffy calls; these are just a few areas that i regularly find myself second guessing my thought processes in, 

hey, together we might learn something!

yoyo

In Response to Re: Ask Thewy - Tournament Q&A with Julian Thew:

In Response to Ask Thewy - Tournament Q&A with Julian Thew : ...yet still hasn't bought me a drink - what's up with that!?
Posted by Slipwater

lesson #1, how to manage a bankroll - leave it in the hands of one you trust.

splurging of poker funds prob warrants a seperate thread that mrs thew might be better handling ;o)

Sky_Dave

Personal question here: how much do your traditional 3betting  ranges in tournaments vary depending on the villain? For instance, is your 3b range vastly wider for an aggro opponent or do you stick with a relatively solid (but slightly wider) range?

Oh, and in before Sky Poker trolls me for that KTo move again.

MAXALLY

Now Paul action Jackson has won last night's DTD comp on Sky* (oh, plus a small one at the actually DTD venue at the w/end), are you willing to put your skills to the test and join us in future games? 

*every Monday - see thread for details.

(you may need to get some staking deals off forum as you will need £5.50 to play all the 3 games)

You are more than welcome to guest for TKP if you decide to play.

I will actually get round to some tournie questions later.

yoyo

ahh the old KTo 4b cram, still brings a smile to my face...

personnally my 3b'ing ranges are pretty solidish regardless of an opponents style...i would widen it somewhat vs aggro opponents but prob mix that up with a trappier game plan if i think they're likely to take-off vs perceived weakness/passive lines.

tbh, i don't have set ranges as such, kind of just base it on game-flow & table make-up #oldschool

would be interested to hear others opinions on this

yoyo

In Response to Re: Ask Thewy - Tournament Q&A with Julian Thew:

Now Paul action Jackson has won last night's DTD comp on Sky* (oh, plus a small one at the actually DTD venue at the w/end), are you willing to put your skills to the test and join us in future games?  *every Monday - see thread for details. (you may need to get some staking deals off forum as you will need £5.50 to play all the 3 games) You are more than welcome to guest for TKP if you decide to play. I will actually get round to some tournie questions later.
Posted by MAXALLY

i'm game ;o)

will swerve next week as it's half term, the mother is over & it's UKPC week but if i can remember i'm in in a fortnight!

#DonationsVilleCentral

gruntex

how would you go about playing a big stack in a tourney? or what would you say was the best strategy when you have built a big stack?

MAXALLY

In Response to Re: Ask Thewy - Tournament Q&A with Julian Thew:

In Response to Re: Ask Thewy - Tournament Q&A with Julian Thew : i'm game ;o) will swerve next week as it's half term, the mother is over & it's UKPC week but if i can remember i'm in in a fortnight! #DonationsVilleCentral
Posted by yoyo

Ty ty. I will remind you closer to the time, and put you down on the reg thread as a TKP guest

yoyo

In Response to Re: Ask Thewy - Tournament Q&A with Julian Thew:

In Response to Re: Ask Thewy - Tournament Q&A with Julian Thew : Ty ty. I will remind you closer to the time, and put you down on the reg thread as a TKP guest
Posted by MAXALLY

tx mate

yoyo

In Response to Re: Ask Thewy - Tournament Q&A with Julian Thew:

how would you go about playing a big stack in a tourney? or what would you say was the best strategy when you have built a big stack?
Posted by gruntex

there are many ways to play a big stack;

the most obvious tactic is to up the aggression - it's a lot easier to apply pressure on the shorter & medium stacks...i tend to do this but, it's equally important to value your newly aquired gains as if you're not careful it's easy to find yourself priced in to making too many marginal calls.

that being said, if you're style is a tight one you shouldn't feel that you're not playing properly if you don't adjust - there are many way to skin a cat, look at any final table & you'll usually always see one or two tight players who have just played snug, caught some bluffs & played a solid/sensible game.

in summary, for newer players, i think it's it's good to experiment with a big stack as you develop your playing style...learning from your mistakes & missteps are often the best way to improve so don't be too hard on yourself when it goes pear-shaped.

MAXALLY

Ok, here are some questions from me as promised.

1)Limping/calling pre flop when another player is all in.

I would like your views on this one as I am for this, and another player I discuss strategy with, is against this. For example you are in the BB with ave stack or more than ave stack and the SB is all in pre due to a mishap the previous hand. There is a min raise and one caller before you. You are holding a bag of spanners but it is only say 400 chips to make up out of a stack of 8K. I find in these spots, you can often get to the river for free or cheaply as players do normally check it down. You may hit big with your hand too and be ready to pounce if someone does try to steal pot. I say worth the gamble, my mate says it is a waste of 400 chips. Please note, I am not talking about BH's or rebuys.....just freeze outs.

2) Shoving with premium hands around the bubble in MTT's.

Another one which me and my mate disagree on. I am for shoving as if you get a call, you are in good shape, and if you don't....you pick up the blinds anyway. They think you should always induce and let others make the shove so you can isolate over the top. I am again only talking about freeze outs and only ON or near the bubble.

3) Hand ranges in the 1st 10 levels of a deep stack.

Obv, depending on chip stacks, position in tournament and on table but I seem to be getting caught more and more with hands like AQ....10 10.....J J which are against AK or another over pair. In what situations can we peel with hands like this and get away from them on a wet flop?

TYIA.

yoyo

1)Limping/calling pre flop when another player is all in.

I think calling in these spots is ok but a few factors need to be considered;

If stacks are shallow (-15bb) we need to be confident in our ability to let top pair/weak kicker type hands go, as it’s def a leak to see a 4 way flop with Q4 & go broke on a Q high flop.

Secondly it should also be table dependant – if i’m on a tough table i’m less likely to want to get involved with poor hands...it’s way better to open hands that you want to play, than to be drawn into murky waters against strong players with a trash hand & to make matters worse, out of position.

 

2) Shoving with premium hands around the bubble in MTT's.

I think a lot of the time this should be opponent/game flow dependant & how said opponents perceive you;

Inducing is likely to garner more action than simply shoving as it’s way harder to call-off than it is to shove – that being said if for example you have shoved a 12bb stack 3 times in the last four orbits you need to recognise that suddenly min-raising will set off alarm bells to anyone who’s paying attention.

 

3) Hand ranges in the 1st 10 levels of a deep stack.

In the early levels we should be able to let go of strong high-ace hands that totally miss flops as our stack to pot ratio is no where near the point of pot commitment.

Playing so deep in the early levels allows us to employ a very flexibile style with lots of scope for not getting too involved when we don’t don’t hit flops hard (i know, easier said than done)...one of the worst things you can do is panic when you drop from 3000 to 1700 at 20/40 blinds; forget what stack-sizes everyone else is pedalling, we still have 40bb’s, very playable!

Glenelg

Prob a really boring Q BUT when you sit down at a live table what is your mental "tick list" i.e. What do you do first, second etc.....I ask this as I guess it mite be important?  e,g, Do you assess the table by personality/age/dress ?  Do you make assumptions? e,g, "he's new to live poker + can be bullied" ;-(  

MAXALLY

In Response to Re: Ask Thewy - Tournament Q&A with Julian Thew:

1)Limping/calling pre flop when another player is all in. I think calling in these spots is ok but a few factors need to be considered; If stacks are shallow (-15bb) we need to be confident in our ability to let top pair/weak kicker type hands go, as it’s def a leak to see a 4 way flop with Q4 & go broke on a Q high flop. Secondly it should also be table dependant – if i’m on a tough table i’m less likely to want to get involved with poor hands...it’s way better to open hands that you want to play, than to be drawn into murky waters against strong players with a trash hand & to make matters worse, out of position.   2) Shoving with premium hands around the bubble in MTT's. I think a lot of the time this should be opponent/game flow dependant & how said opponents perceive you; Inducing is likely to garner more action than simply shoving as it’s way harder to call-off than it is to shove – that being said if for example you have shoved a 12bb stack 3 times in the last four orbits you need to recognise that suddenly min-raising will set off alarm bells to anyone who’s paying attention.   3) Hand ranges in the 1st 10 levels of a deep stack. In the early levels we should be able to let go of strong high-ace hands that totally miss flops as our stack to pot ratio is no where near the point of pot commitment. Playing so deep in the early levels allows us to employ a very flexibile style with lots of scope for not getting too involved when we don’t don’t hit flops hard (i know, easier said than done)...one of the worst things you can do is panic when you drop from 3000 to 1700 at 20/40 blinds; forget what stack-sizes everyone else is pedalling, we still have 40bb’s, very playable!
Posted by yoyo

Thank you for the time you have have given for a superb answered post.

See you a week on Monday for the DTD comp

I might see you before then at the UKPC....just sorting a few things out this week so I can get over for at least a visit.

THEROCK573

hi julian, i think i heard someone say on the sky poker channel that you arnt huge on the maths side of poker, i understand pots odds etc but im far from a maths genious and a lot of the stuff people come out with regarding the maths side of the game goes straight over my head, how important do you think maths are in poker???

yoyo

In Response to Re: Ask Thewy - Tournament Q&A with Julian Thew:

Prob a really boring Q BUT when you sit down at a live table what is your mental "tick list" i.e. What do you do first, second etc.....I ask this as I guess it mite be important?  e,g, Do you assess the table by personality/age/dress ?  Do you make assumptions? e,g, "he's new to live poker + can be bullied" ;-(  
Posted by Glenelg

hah, not boring at all,

i probably did have a tick list when i was starting off, nowadays it's more automatic i guess - initial reads on table make-up are the stereotypical age/dress/manner type things but, even within an hour if ur paying attention you can make far more accurate assesments,

just don't think your work is done after that first hour as it's still a very small sample size...you certainly wouldn't pay too much heed to HUD stats after just 15 mins of online play...in my experience how folk play the early levels can be poles apart from their mid & late game play.

to summarise; pay attention!

yoyo

In Response to Re: Ask Thewy - Tournament Q&A with Julian Thew:

hi julian, i think i heard someone say on the sky poker channel that you arnt huge on the maths side of poker, i understand pots odds etc but im far from a maths genious and a lot of the stuff people come out with regarding the maths side of the game goes straight over my head, how important do you think maths are in poker
Posted by THEROCK573

yes it's true, i have a rough idea of pot odds & hand equities but would never be confident enough to air my numbers as i'm pretty sure i could be off by 5% either way...kinda helps me justify my sometimes-spewy play from time to time ;o)

so yes, i've got by with pretty basic maths & i think i've said this before elsewhere; you don't need to tick every box to be a winning player..so maybe your maths isn't 100% but if you do some other things well you can still be competitive.

if you want to improve the maths side there are plenty of training vids out there & kirsty arnett did a decent two-parter pokernews podcast with wiltontilt recently, you'll find it on itunes from 3 or 4 months back

THEROCK573

In Response to Re: Ask Thewy - Tournament Q&A with Julian Thew:

In Response to Re: Ask Thewy - Tournament Q&A with Julian Thew : yes it's true, i have a rough idea of pot odds & hand equities but would never be confident enough to air my numbers as i'm pretty sure i could be off by 5% either way...kinda helps me justify my sometimes-spewy play from time to time ;o) so yes, i've got by with pretty basic maths & i think i've said this before elsewhere; you don't need to tick every box to be a winning player..so maybe your maths isn't 100% but if you do some other things well you can still be competitive. if you want to improve the maths side there are plenty of training vids out there & kirsty arnett did a decent two-parter pokernews podcast with wiltontilt recently, you'll find it on itunes from 3 or 4 months back
Posted by yoyo

ok thanks

MSD1982

Evening

Was just wondering on the best strategy as i seem to cash a fairly high percentage of tourni's but ive only final tabelled one. I always seem to lower my range and call fairly light, is this a discipline issue or should i keep pushing to make the bigger cashes?

Cheers

Martyn

yoyo

good question,

it's kind of a delicate risk/reward balancing act & most late stage scenarios are totally unique based on stack sizes & opponents.

table image goes a long way, some players are feared, some targeted, some always get respect when they raise - it's important to try & be aware of how you're perceived by each & every opponent.

from there you can plan the best way to progress - whether you can cruise for a while, whether you need to get involved, who you can pressure & who to try & avoid.

it's only really by experience that you get more comfortable in these stressful situations & believe me, even the pros get it horribly wrong more times than you'd think; i don't care how many chips you have, no ones a shoe-in to final table when there's 16 players left,

back in the day i learnt a lot just railing the last few tables, you get to understand the ebb & the flow, when the good players apply pressure, when they know they should back-off

try not to get disheartened, learn from your mistakes & you'll get there eventually

MSD1982

thanks for advice, strangely I came second i the main 3 hours after I posted that! Lost a few flips to Haysie on final table.

All the best

Sky_Dave

Thewy, another Q for you....

What would be your one piece of advice to someone playing the UKPC Main this week?

yoyo

another good question!

1. try & get a good nights sleep the night before the event

2. set off with time to spare - there's nothing worse than being delayed & then stressing about getting there in time; you want to walk in & take your seat feeling relaxed

3. don't waste time fretting about who might be on your table - it is what it is.

if you sit down & sam trickett is sat to your left view it as a fantastic opportunity to play with one of the greats rather than rueing your luck - negativity will handcuff your game

4. try to maintain a positive mindset - you're gonna win some pots, you're gonna lose some pots, what's crucial is that you keep an eye on the big picture; 

your goal should be to get through the day - hopefully you'll have more chips than you started with but some days you just have to survive & value your short stack even if it's just 15k from a 30k starting stack when the average is 75k.

i can't tell you the amount of times (myself included) that i've seen players mentally give up & throw away a 20bb stack 'cos it's not worth coming back with such a short stack is it'.

poppycock, day 2 is another day, new table, maybe new luck - no give up!

5. try to enjoy the experience - you'll probably go through every emotion known to man during a 10hr stint at the tables; just realise that everyone else goes through the same emotional rollercoaster ride & it doesn't seem quite so daunting.

6. i truly believe that anyone can make a final table - yeah you need a sprinkling of rungood but the main ingredient is self-belief.

goood luck all!

chicknMelt

Hi Jullian, 

I have a question about a hand I played in the UKPC Main event at the weekend. Its the hand I went out on, and its been bugging me ever since...

Blinds 600/1200 ante 200 

Hero's stack: around 80k

Reads on the table from 1.5 hrs play.

player A: a very active middle aged gentleman, seems reasonably solid but has been opening a wide range of hands from all positions.

Player B: pro, TAG.

Hero image: nutural/weak. Only played a few hands and have given up when played back at. My image could be on the timid side. My stack had dwindled from 95k at the start of the day.

Both players have more chips than hero...

Action:

Hero opens from Mid position with JJ to 2.5k

Player b flats 

Player A raises to 9.8k from the SB

What now?

I wasnt sure what to do here, flatting for such a large % of my stack didnt seem attractive. It doesnt define the hand and leaves me guessing for my whole stack. 

But then shoving also seemed a bit on the large side, I do get folds from some hands that will have plenty of equity Ax, KQ SCs etc, but I will mostly get called by hands that crush me or are flipping.

I did also think about folding, with the slow structure and an average stack, I can possibly find some less slose spots. On the other hand, the table seems tough. no free chips from what I have seen so far. folding seemed a bit weak.

What would you do and why?

What I did and Why

I shoved, this is why:

There was already around 20k in the pot (my 2.5k, player b's 2.5k, the blinds, antes and the 9.8k raise from player A) which was around 1/4 of my stack.

Player A had been one of, if not the most active player on the table. I hadn't seen him 3bet yet though.

The raise sizing made me think his range was weighted towards hands that want to take down the hand now. Typically people raise larger with hands like AK/AQ/ SCs smal PPs (hands where they would rather take down the pot than play out of position), than they do with AA/KK. My view was that the raise was on the larger side, so was more likely to be AQ/AK than AA/KK

It looked like a perfect squeeze spot - a slightly timid player opens, a pro hoping to play a pot in position flats..

What Happened

I shoved, and got snapped off by AA. AA held and I exited.

yoyo

that's a tricky one.

it's very read/game flow dependant but i prefer flatting, seeing a flop & re-evaluting with position - could see myself giving up on some flops, peeling others with a view to maybe giving up depending how i feel about his hand on the turn.

whilst not ideal, it's not the end of the world if we do 10k pre & 10 or 12k on the flop, we'd still have 50bb which, irrelevant of what the average is is still a fine stack.

tough spot given villians style, i've def shoved here in similar-ish situations in the past, the problem is you either pick up the 15k or do the whole 80k when he has it.

yoyo

this sometimes helps me keep a level head when i'm playing well;

the next time you face a tricky spot, ask yourself 'what would timex do?'

(insert own hero of choice)

pretty sure he wouldn't shove

chicknMelt

In Response to Re: Ask Thewy - Tournament Q&A with Julian Thew:

this sometimes helps me keep a level head when i'm playing well; the next time you face a tricky spot, ask yourself 'what would timex do?' (insert own hero of choice) pretty sure he wouldn't shove
Posted by yoyo

Good advice...I guess alot of the time we do know deep down what the correct annswer is... we just have to have the balls to pull it off.

not sure if it makes much difference, but the pot was closer to 20k, 25k + if I called. I'd expect roughly a half pot bet on the flop with this player, that I would call on most boards. So on the turn I would have roughly 50k behind with 50k in the pot. 

still though - ur right, timex would still flat pre and then soul read his way to making the correct moves postflop...I read recently that you should only EVER bet for value, or as a bluff. Any other reason should come secondary (information, protection, easier decisions etc) and can be achieved by betting different amounts. I guess my move was neither value or a bluff and its only real positive was protection vs overcards.

I dont think it would have made any difference in this instance, because the board was 9 high with no real draws anyway. Are you ever able to get away from a pot like this on a 9 high board with JJ? say for example you had flatted pre, flop is 9 high, turn is also below a 9 and the villain shoves 50k into a 50k pot, do you call for your tourney life?

Timex will do just fine for the hero... $4m in cashes this year so far. And didnt that include 3 consecutive 7 figure scores. the man is a machine. Been a fan for a while, but this year makes the rest of his career look average, which is crazy.

Something else I'm interested in, how did the standard compare to other £1k events you have played? My guess is that it would be similar, but slightly softer simply because of the large number of qualifiers. I felt like I held my own pretty well and I'll be trying to satelite into some more of the UK tours. 

yoyo

def softer than the average 1k, not that it did me any good whatsoever.

obv a lot of the time we are going to see boards with no overcards which does make it tougher to play - i think the turn will be crucial point in the hand - i can def let JJ go on a low board, it just comes down to how you feel, how you perceive the guy, to call it off or fold & survive.

hopefully the next time we are better able to calmly assess the best course of action.

no one style of play is right or wrong & i'm far from advocating a super-nit style but, i'd wager, if we look at sundays FT at least 3 of the players there would have just folded to the 3b, avoiding any guesswork & just waiting for better spots; 

sometimes the tortoises get there & it's good to recognise what they do well.

alex1229

Hey  Julian

I would like to know your opinion when in  MTT at a fairly late stage where blinds are say 200/400 (or 400/800 etc) and you have 10,000 chips..everyone folds round and your in the SB vs BB you see someone will chuck it in 95% of the time, what range of hands are you happy doing this with, i know its table dependent to a certain extent, but it seems this is a area i might be to passive on and only wait till i have a Ace high hand..or sometimes i like to flat call it then win it with a bet on the flop?.... also i would be interested to hear your opinion when your in the BB and the SB is continually shoving, or raising you..what do you do?

Thanks