Top Dog - What to do now?

Okay, I am a little late in following up on these idears, but a few weeks of non-stop ongoings and a lack of focus to write kept me away....anywho.....



Top Dog



Some of you are leading your league at this point in the season, whether it is by 1 point or 15 points (in a roto league) or any number of games in a head to head league, there are certain ways to attack the remaining portion of the season....



Most of my recommendations come from having blown up a big lead or two in the past and not making the proper adjustments



1) Evaluate how a trade will effect not only your team, but the other contending teams........making a trade to pick up a point or two, but leaving yourself vulnerable to the 2nd or 3rd place team in a few spots is bad business, always look to see where your weaknesses are....

2) Use trades to block, in one league, I looked to trade a closer to a team that could pass up two of my opponents in saves (2nd and 3rd place teams)............I never ended up making a deal, but it is something to look into. If you are in first it is just as good for the second place team to lose points as it is for you to gain points.

3) DO NOT FORCE A MOVE - if something isn't there, don't force it, you are in first, very likely because you have a strong team and don't need much to maintain the lead. Don't react to a move made by another team if it doesn't make sense, don't make a move just to make a move, make sure it indeed helps or the chance of it helping you is worth the risk.

In the end, 1st place teams should be cautious, reactive, careful and understand the risks.

Eddie O

Just heard this on the radio, Blackhawks color commentator Eddie Olczyk hit a Pick Six (in horse betting speak this is picking the winner of 6 consecutive races that are noted by the track) at a California race track for a whopping $500,000 prize.

Pick Six bets often have mathematical overlays and teams of advantage players will attack them in these situations. It is one example of a situation in which you can get the best of the race track. Unfortunately, with the massive amount of combinations for a Pick Six, it takes an enormous amount of bankroll to cover a reasonable amount of combinations and that doesn't guarantee a cash in flow (although it may give you an edge).

Not sure if Eddie O is part of a syndicate or just an occassional horse player who got lucky....either way, nice hit Eddie!

All Star Week - Time to Re-evaluate

We have reached the break and over the next few days I am going to go over some of the strategies that are appropriate depending on the situation your team(s) are in ................

These different stages are.....

Top Dog - You are in first place and looking to maintain
In Contention - In the top few spots, just outside of 1st
Middle of the Pack - A little ways back, but not quite in the top few spots
Bringing up the Rear - Any place below the current mentioned spots, pretty much well out of contention....

Since we have several days during the break (between now and thursday when real games start back up) and since the all star game is an abomination......it is perfect time to look at your team and make adjustments to get to the top!

A Big Mistake - No Limit Holdem Tournaments

One huge mistake that I see time and again in No Limit Holdem Tournaments (Online) is the following..........player A takes a tough beat and loses 1100 of his 1500 chips in the first level, so now player A has only 400 chips and is at the bottom of the tournament standings. Inevitably, the majority of players play this situation horribly, they end up jamming it all in over a raiser with a hand like KJ or Q10................this play is unacceptable if you want to win, even at the lower levels. Contextually, falling down to 400 chips is not the end of the world when the 1st level is 10/20 (on Pokerstars) or 15/30 (on Full Tilt), you still have between 13 and 20 big blinds which means you have some maneuverability. You can still open a pot normally and you can still wait for a premium hand...........often for a few orbits.

Another factor that players seem to forget especially in these situations in micro or low stakes online is that the poor players at your table see you as a tiny stack and will often take outrageous gambles to eliminate you (although eliminating anyone this early in a tournament is of little consequence). If you wait for a premium hand you can often get your money in really, really good, and possibly vs more than one opponent.............I can't tell you how many times I have gotten in this spot, jammed with AK and found A5 and A7 willing to gamble with me.........a big edge indeed.

So the next time you find yourself in a situation in which you lose 60% or more of your stack early in a tournament, relax, gather yourself and remember this article. Revert to your short stack strategy and try to chip up as you normally would at the end of a tournament. It could mean much profit in the end.

Vegas on the Cheap....

Quickie today is how to garner mail offers that you don't deserve from your favorite Las Vegas Hotel/Casino

I'll preempt this by saying I have been going to Vegas for 7 years and I definitely missed out on the days of really taking advantage of things...........anywho....quickly

1) Sign up for a players card - Every piece of literature on gambling and getting comps encourages this and they are absolutely correct, getting in a Hotel/Casino's database is essential as it is the only way they know who you are.....side note, if they request an email address, by all means, give it, lots of specials come via email these days...its cheaper and we are in a recession.

Don't worry, casinos keep their mailing list on the hush hush, so you won't be getting telemarketing calls because of this...

2) Give some play - when I say some play, I mean something good and short term.......the trick that sometimes works for mailers/emails when a casino is slow and needs bodies in their casino is this...............go to $1 or $5 slot machine, stick a $20 or $50 in it and play through it.............you are either doubling this amount or losing it............what happens? The casino sees you as someone who might be compelled to play their biggest money making games in the joint...high limit slots..............you will sometimes get excellent deals in very slow times and possibly more..............this trick worked for my brother and I to get invited to Slot tournaments at the Plaza in downtown Las Vegas for 3 years......and we only did it for about 20 minutes....warning, results vary...........this may only get you a small discount on the strip, but it could be worth it.

Slots work best because they get exact play and their is no pit boss to fuck up your rating because he had too much vicodin before you sat down.

3) Ask for everything - Before booking, if you don't have some sort of offer, call around to the places you would like to stay and ask....tell them that you are calling their competitors too (be careful you know what casino is owned by who.....Harrah's and MGM/Mirage own a bunch of them).........give them your players card number sometimes that will garner a cheaper rate.

I have many more tips, especially gambing and drink ones....for later blogs...