Play Poker Online For Free And Learn How To Gamble In Poker Tournaments
Gambling (playing risky hands in important situations) in poker tournaments is generally a bad idea but there are times when you might want to and in this free online poker guide you’ll learn when and how. The question of when to gamble is easy to answer. The time is in the knockout stages, when you need to get rid of opponents as in the example below.
This hand was shown on the Flop. (Pot 980k)
FLOP: 5c-8d-10s
A has J-10, moves all-in 1.235m (Pot 2.215m)
B has J-9, to call 1.235m
It turns out that A is short-stacked but has top-pair and may double up. B is on a straight draw. It’s irrelavent if A has an overpair, a set or only a pair such as a top pair like his J-Ten, or only just an 8. B has a great chance to win if he gets the Straight, and if A does not have a Set, which A does not have at this stage that could be turned into a Full House; for this A needs running cards but is only getting 1.79-to-1 on a call, which is too little.
Fair odds will be 2.33-to-1, which signifies that B’s probability of winning is just 30% (other outs may be folded already by other players). If B knew that A had top pair, should he call? (Naturally, A may be bluffing, but even if A had A-K, B will still be an underdog.)
Pot odds may offer information, but does it offer enough resolution for B to make the tough call? Suppose, now, we add that (a) B is below the chip average in the tournament and (b) this call is for 1/3 of B’s stack. We might should also suppose that this is actually the best hand that B has obtained after numerous hands, and B is blinding out dangerously. Can this stiffen B’s resolve to make the call? In tournaments, an intricate balance between survival and accumulating chips is paramount.
B can survive by folding, but he may pass up the opportunities that a bigger stack could have. Bigger stacks can call shorter stacks who move all-in. Bigger stacks can steal blinds more frequently. He can also move above chip average. But if B misses his draw, he will be awfully short-stacked and will be more readily called if he decides to move all-in with hazardous hands, like A-J that is an underdog against a better Ace or a pocket pair.
The question, now, is this: Does B consider the difference between 1.79-to-1 and 2.33-to-1 a worthwile price to pay in order to obtain some of the potential opportnities a big stack can have? On a pot of 2,215,000, if B needs 1,235,000 to call he gets 1.79-to-1. However for B to call with fair odds on a pot of 2,215,000, he is supposed to put only 30% of 2,215,000, which is 664,500.
There’s a difference of 570,500 chips. We could transform the real scenario to a mathematically equivalent question: Would B be willing to forgo an additional 570,500, theoretically, in order to enjoy the privileges of a big stack, as well as to avoid the risks of a short-stack?
With the problem mathematically remodeled, the answer now depends upon B’s character. Is he conservative generally? Then he can fold and wait for better hands. He may not be able to psychologically recover if he loses the hand, and might play less attentively later. But it turns out that B is a willing gambler, therefore:
B calls 1.235m (Pot 3.45m)
And then he does make the call! Not a favorite, but this is also an opportunity to knock out a great player.
TURN: 5c-8d-10s-2d
But, not quite yet. B has one more opportunity to try to knock out A.
RIVER: 5c-8d-10s-2d-7h
He gets it! His gamble pays off! But big decisions like this must only be made after major consideration of consequences. If B had a stack above chip average, he should fold as he may lose chips on bad odds and could turn a good stack into a weak one.
Although if B had an even bigger stack – close to chip leader – he might call, because it will be just a small blow to his chips. If B had nearly equal or lesser chips than A, B cannot call if he knows A had the top pair because he is the one pushed all-in, and if you are pushed all-in, beware; your opponent might have a monster and is impatient to put you out of the tournament. But in this example B made the consideration and based on what he knew made the call and was correct, and like B even if you only play poker online for free be careful and think before you make gambling moves.