I've been playing in a live poker tournament nearly every Friday night since June of 2013. The only times I've missed this weekly event has been on the couple of Fridays over the Christmas period when it's not actually played, and a few days this year when missing the game was unavoidable (a wedding, a funeral, a holiday trip). Otherwise, my wife and I have a regular routine of playing in the Friday night poker tournament at the Onehunga Workingmen's Club.
This is a $20 Texas Holdem tournament, with no re-buys or add-ons, that starts at 7 pm. The usual starting stack is 20,000, with the first blind level being 100/200. Although the organiser does change these around from week to week, the starting stack is usually in the range of 80 to 150 big blinds. The blind levels are usually 15 minutes long with a 10 minute break every hour. The organiser takes 10% out of the prizepool, and this money goes towards the OWMC I think, although this has never been made entirely clear to me. But 10% is a perfectly reasonable tournament fee, so I'm not particularly worried about where this money goes. There are usually between 18 and 40 players involved and between 5 and 7 players get paid. Last year player numbers were reaching the high thirties, but this year another club started their own Friday night tournament, and the numbers at the OWMC tourney dropped down into the twenties and that's pretty much where it's stayed in recent months.
This tournament is very well run. 'B' and his partner, 'R' have been running it for years and have got it down to a fine art now. The club has a number of round poker table tops made of plywood covered in green felt and these are already set up by the time my wife and I arrive around 6.30 pm. Registration is open until 6.50 pm, and this is strictly enforced, giving B time to enter everyone's names into the tournament software before 7.00. They use 'Tournament Manager' with the display on a big TV screen in the corner. Players are assigned to tables, but not to particular seats, so I always try to get into a seat where I'm facing the screen. This gives me the chance to keep updated on important information like the blind levels, the number of players remaining, the time to the next level, the average stack etc. The organisers also play in the tourney and B always sits in the same seat, next to the computer, so he can keep updating player numbers.
I've discussed the style of play that's typical of this tourney in previous posts but to summarise; most of the participants are playing 'no-foldem'. In other words, there's an awful lot of 'limping in' with very little raising and a ridiculous amount of calling. It's not unusual to see the entire table (except me) just call the big blind pre-flop. What's more, many players will just limp in with hands like QQ, AQ, AK, sometimes even KK. There is one player in particular who is notorious for never raising, but even she will raise if she has AA. Post-flop, there is still an absurd amount of calling, even of big bets. Many players will call with nothing but an inside straight draw, a couple of overcards, or some kind of crazy back-door draw. This style of play is typical in the early stages, although it tends to get a bit tighter and more active in the later stages, when the stacks get shorter and the players with the stickiest fingers have been eliminated.
Probably 75% of the field play this way, with the remainder being the ones to worry about. Some of these more active players are solid players who play tight and aggressive, but a few could better be categorised as 'maniacs'. These are the ones who raise a lot, both pre and post-flop, sometimes with a good hand, sometimes with nothing. There are maybe three or four of these sort of players and as a general rule, I try to stay out of their way. So the basic rule is: if a solid player raises, they have a good hand; if a 'calling station' raises, they have a MONSTER; if a maniac raises, they could have anything. And of course if a passive player calls, they could have anything. So, as a rule, I prefer to be up against one of the solid players; at least I'll have some sort of idea of where I'm at in the hand, and there's a decent possibility of pulling off a bluff.
About ten of these players could be described as 'regulars'; people I've been playing with for the past 2 1/2 years. After all that time, you start to pick up a few clues on the way particular people play. I've already mentioned the player who'll only ever raise pre-flop with AA. Then there's the player who plays any two cards if they're suited, and always plays the very first hand. One player is famous for preferring to play small cards rather than big ones. Another will call almost any pre-flop bet because he just has to see the flop. Another player also calls an awful lot, trying to hit something, then if he hits a big hand, he pushes all-in. Of course, not everyone is so obvious, but I've managed to categorise the playing style of quite a few of the regulars. However, there is a fairly constant turn-over among the occasional players and most nights there are one or two new faces added to the mix, just to keep me guessing.
As far as my playing strategy goes, I've settled into a fairly straightforward pattern. Early on I'm playing Mr Foldalot while the other players chuck their chips about. Then I get more active as my stack gets shorter. Unlike the other players, I'm not happy to let my chip stack diminish down to nothing. I figure it's better to go out with a bang than a whimper, either doubling up and going deep, or having an early rest. This basic plan has served me quite well over the last few years. Looking at my results, I showed a 61% return on investment over my first 6 months of play in 2013. The next year was even better; I showed a whopping 89% ROI over 2014, coming close to doubling my money. This year, however, has not been so good. In the Summer season I actually showed a loss for the first time, in Autumn I came up with a very small win, and then in Winter I was back up again (41% ROI). Overall, I'm maybe $50 in the black for 2015 so far. Not a great result compared to previous years, but at least it's a profit. So it's a game that is both fun to play in, and also profitable.
My aim at this tournament is to make the final table, which is the top ten. This is a good place to be for a number of reasons: it's close to the money (usually 6th place gets paid); there are points on offer; you get to play ten-handed instead of five-handed; and you get to play on what is probably the best poker table in New Zealand, maybe even the best table in Australasia. This table was built by the organiser and it's a thing of beauty. It's a ten-sided table top with a blue cloth surface, with polished wood margins and a polished wood rail. It takes two people to lift it onto its base but it is truly a joy to play on.
The other incentive for making the final 10 is the points system. The organisers run four 'ten week challenges' each year. Players get points for each of these games. We get 1 point for playing, then the final table players get extra points. Tenth place gets 2 points, ninth gets 3 points and so on to the winner, who gets 11 points. After ten weeks the three players with the highest cumulative scores get cash prizes. I've won the top prize once, and come third a couple of times, so that's a nice little bonus. However, unlike some players, I don't get fixated on the points: I'm interested in winning first prize money in the game-at-hand, and if that means taking a risk and getting knocked out early- and missing out on some points- then so be it.
The Friday nighter has now become a regular fixture for me and my wife and it really is something I look forward to all week. It's strange that I was playing pool for several years in the club down the road and never even knew that this tournament existed. I guess it must have been Onehunga's best kept secret.
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