The Clock Is Even More Critical Now

[Guest]

Now that only the top 10% get paid, one has to go that much deeper to hit the payouts. This means that it is even more important than before to conserve chips by playing slowly after the antes kick in. The bubble seems to burst now around the end of the 800/1600 level. Assume for ease of comparison that it bursts on the last hand of that level.

Here's something to think about:

A player at a table playing 5 hands per level, who started the 125/250 level on the button will have paid $6,875 in blinds and antes when the bubble bursts. A player at a table playing 8 hands per level who started the 125/250 level on the button will have paid more than DOUBLE that - a whopping $14,050 in blinds and antes when the bubble bursts.

Which table would you like to be at?

[JWK24]

whichever one I can get some cards and stack some chips, so I wouldn't have to worry about it.

[Guest]

Now that only the top 10% get paid, one has to go that much deeper to hit the payouts. This means that it is even more important than before to conserve chips by playing slowly after the antes kick in. The bubble seems to burst now around the end of the 800/1600 level. Assume for ease of comparison that it bursts on the last hand of that level.

Here's something to think about:

A player at a table playing 5 hands per level, who started the 125/250 level on the button will have paid $6,875 in blinds and antes when the bubble bursts. A player at a table playing 8 hands per level who started the 125/250 level on the button will have paid more than DOUBLE that - a whopping $14,050 in blinds and antes when the bubble bursts.

Which table would you like to be at?

+1

I noticed something was different lately I just couldnt quite put my finger on it it totally makes sense tho

[Guest]

heres my problem with that..

many time lechers start WAY before you even get anywhere close to the bubble. in many cases they're leeching right out of the gate.

If your at a table where 5 or 6 of the players are leeching, you might only SEE 5-6 hands per level, let alone PLAY 5-6 hands per level

many of the leechers aren't even trying to make the money, they're leeching as much as possible to finish at a point where they get positive points so they can move up the leaderboard.

the point of a SKILL league is to test your SKILLS as a player, thats part of the reason they are all freerolls that you only need to pass a test to play in. It's supposed to be able to separate those of us who really can play from the ones who have watched enough TV poker to have a basic understanding and use the ATC concept of playing and betting.

But when you get people who will just milk the clock, and go all in when 2 sitouts are in the blinds to stick around longer doesn't show skill, it just means you know how to manipulate the system to get ahead

Edited to add more ranting

[Darkman61]

I guess I'm a "lecher" then. And yes, it has been said before

[Guest]

Dude, you haven't any idea of what you are saying here. Using the clock is a strategy which allows you to fade the sitters and then make it to ITM. And yes...I do it from hand 1 til the end. Always have and always will. You are new to this league and you will soon learn what it takes...or be at the bottom of the rankings. Adapt and conquer. If in a hurry then go play a turbo. Lots of strategies are used in this league by the better players that make money at month's end. One is the SKILL of patience. This isn't actually a freeroll.. IMO. There are 17,500 reasons to use these strategies. Good luck to you cause more than likely you are going to need it.

[Guest]

Thanks for correcting my misperception. I always thought the purpose of the skill league was to get the most money possible at the end of the month.
I guess I was wrong, thank you for pointing out that I should be testing my skills without regard to whether I make any money or not.

[Guest]

I guess I'm a "lecher" then. And yes, it has been said before

TSK Tsk. You should feel ashamed of yourself for leeching your way to $1000 in December instead of "testing" your skill. It is leeches like you and me that sabatage this league and spoil the true 'Testers" fun.

[Guest]

Which table would you like to be at?

Very good question. I wanna be at the faster table. See more hand, see more good cards, and take down more pots. I can't wrap my head around the slow playing half a dozen times I've just thrown in the towel to get away from it.

The reason I want the faster table if you can play decent you can aquire a lot more chips to survive the blinds longer. Your thought implies that you never play a hand. Do the math with the asumption you gain 50% ( any percentage will work ) of your stack every 20 hands and see where ya come out. Because every slow table I've ever been on came up short..

Slow rolling you normally end up below average and give the bigger loser stack from another table an easy cover of your stack for his weaker cards. Say i've got 30k in chips you've been playing it safe and slow for the points and you come in around 9k. You make a 4.5k push with a premium hand I'm inclined to call with maybe JT suited. For the simple reason you aren't a threat.

• I don't hit the flop or multiple out I can walk away and not think twice about it.
  
• You hit AK I'm getting fair enough to call for the straight
  
• maybe I get two cards of my flush with you A I'm still in
  
• ect.......

You doubled up cought the flop and I lost you're now say 22k. I'm 21k since I lost. I'm gonna stiffen up a little, but still go after a little if I can get in cheap enough and not be covered. I catch a couple of more hands and get my cards. i'm 30K again Same thing happens you get the premium cards make a move. I've got ya covered but you just did a 5X blinds push I have something to play with and call.

Flop is rags no premium cards. You protect and raise by raising the flop.

Maybe I got a piece or didn't. I come over. Even if I'm bluffing are you prepared to risk your points if I bring you allin with nothing but an ace? You've seen I'll call ya knowing I likely have a weaker hand. I also can assume you are worried about the points and will limit your risk.

Bad scenario you win again. I've still got chips and acually like playing from short makes me play a bit tighter. I have to work a little now to recover, but I don't mind.

This assumes you're playing tight poker and not getting in very often unless you have premiums. The fact of it is I'm watching the points, but figure I can get them back if I lose them. I gain faster than I lose them so lets play some cards not wait for the cows to come home.


Maybe I'm wrong. That's fine by me I came for a better game and found a bunch of dairy farmers milking there way threw. I've not seen a lot of skill on the tables till near the bubble ( yes I have bubble boy tattooed on my forehead ).

I was looking to strengthen my game once deeper into things. Everyone is so concerned about the points standing like it's the playoff for something( if you're in the running I can understand some top 1000 maybe you're getting something ) . If not in the top 1000 and playing enough to cash from the top 1000 then you're losing money to gain the FPP's. Played one the other day a guy was stalling every single hand, looked him up he was ranked 6??? of the around 8000 at that time. You're in the top ten near months end Hey I'll slow down some for ya you'll atleast get something worth having out of it. Are you even getting a penny an hour if your not in the top 10 for the time spent?

How many tourneys acually benifit you from learning to slow roll? Seems like there is a tourney leaders board with some prizes for cash, but the odds of getting there with the tricks learned to survive here won't get ya to far I don't think ( maybe wrong again ). Playing for money is a lot differant than free rolling most of the players are fair or better. So if slowing isn't getting you in the cash on the tables here then you're learning bad habits.

I think I just found the largest place move I've seen in the points. The guy that won the tourney I was in earlier moved up to 1040 ^6359. If he doesn't lose any points I think he might pass me after my next to losings. Second place got 88 ^162. Little ole me 658 ^439. started yesterday at 619.

That's just my two cents I won earlier. Maybe I'm in the wrong place to find a better game to take to real tourneys. Or maybe I'm still to much of a newbie (19 days) to see some kind of value to being a dairy farmer.

P.S. new stradegy don't get into a pot in the next few tourneys early on after a good placing! The rewards aren't good, lol Just took two beats by player ranked 10297 out of 10300. one was a good beat, the second was a suckout. Just got my place back and now gonna go back near a 1000, lol!

P.S.S. I wonder what you have to do to be dead last at months end? Seems like that might be harder than being on top. To lose the most possible points if they are competing for that too no wonder we've got it ruff early.

[Guest]

Or maybe I'm still to much of a newbie (19 days) to see some kind of value to being a dairy farmer.

Only thing I read you were right about! BTW...check my OPR...I win in real money games too.

[Guest]

Only thing I read you were right about! BTW...check my OPR...I win in real money games too.

Thank ya for the reply:

Like I said "maybe I'm wrong". It was just my opinion to a question. Maybe the stalling hurts my game that bad. I know it does some for sure because it makes me ill and bored. I play to pass the time not make more.

Sorry, I didn't look up your stats I'll take it you do win ( congradulation ). Do you piddle around every hand for 12 seconds or what ever time is allowed? I do realise there is some time to factor odds and such that may be needed, but can't that be done while the guy ahead of you uses his time? If you've got rags do you still eat the time because you might use that time with monsters as a decoy to be consistant?

Maybe I don't think enough ( acually I'm pretty certain I do not ). I know what my play is as soon as I get my cards untill another varible pops up ( a push or checks ). Most of the time I've already checked my play in the little white box unless I have to wait to make a raise.

I've played off and on for a few years. I'm not good at it but I'd like to think i'm near fair atleast. I know where most of my weak points are, but not as good at correcting them. And maybe you just answered another for me. If it's a good play I'll never be much better than fair, because I can't do it. Acually I won't do it would be a better reasoning. If I get stumped by some outragous play I sometimes get that little ding sound, but very rarely.


May I ask you a question Ace King 61 ?

When you are playing in a the money tourneys do you just try to get 400 the place? Or are you aiming for the last seat or money?

I've looked at your ranking now. Nice stats. Pretty good consistancy ( much better than mine ). Nice, no acually great improvement in your game. If you don't mind another opinion I'm thinking we were close in ability when we both started. You played alot more games your first month ( august ) than I did in mine ( January ). You placed better than I did, however I had about a 75% larger field to deal with. Maybe I'll get over my downfalls and hope to do as well as you have when I've been here longer.

I may have to see if I can catch up some. If work stays slow enough I can get a couple of games in a day I don't see 500 being that difficult. Think I'll try for top 100 next month just to throw some food for thought into the mix. While trying to play fast.

Before it's brought up I do play using a sprint wireless card so the latency sometimes gives the impression I'm dragging my feet. Let me assure you I'm not I'm cussing sprint on the other end of the screen. And if I don't break 100 next month I'll try my best to layup in April to see if it is a factor for myself. I might need some tutoring on that. I'll try to rember to check back in and update.

[joy7108]

Using the clock

I agree that its really boring using up those extra seconds, I try to play at least two other tables to keep me occupied. I'm not really taking a run at the leaderboard, just trying to stay in the money and keep up my rating to qualify for the extra tourneys.

I have watched some of the leaders play, and they DO use the clock every hand. If that's the way to win, you just have to adapt to it. That's also a part of poker, to be able to adapt to different situations. Just my 2 cents.

Good luck!!

[Guest]

Dude, you haven't any idea of what you are saying here. Using the clock is a strategy which allows you to fade the sitters and then make it to ITM. And yes...I do it from hand 1 til the end. Always have and always will. You are new to this league and you will soon learn what it takes...or be at the bottom of the rankings. Adapt and conquer. If in a hurry then go play a turbo. Lots of strategies are used in this league by the better players that make money at month's end. One is the SKILL of patience. This isn't actually a freeroll.. IMO. There are 17,500 reasons to use these strategies. Good luck to you cause more than likely you are going to need it.

I had to make my message longer to post.

+++++++++++1

[Guest]

I have watched some of the leaders play, and they DO use the clock every hand. If that's the way to win, you just have to adapt to it. That's also a part of poker, to be able to adapt to different situations. Just my 2 cents.

Good luck!!

I'm not looking to just adapt and be another average number. I wanna overcome and be a better number on the wall.

Right now I know my game is like to swiss cheese, but i know where a lot of my holes are just haven't found the proper way for me to plug them just yet. That's what I came here for to play better players and figure that one out. And if I can't figure it out another way than twidling my thumbs then I'll never see that wall and will stop playing some day.

Untill this week I needed faster tourneys. my internet card would lose charge faster than it gained. Stars stressed it to much. Have solved that issue now. Now it's just a prefrence.

[Guest]

I'm not looking to just adapt and be another average number. I wanna overcome and be a better number on the wall.

Stars nor work either oner are agreeing with my plan very much. Eating crow might suck ( wonder if it tastes like chicken ) ! Wonder what the next hobby will be to kill time?