Okay, guys, I will translate you one of my MTTs from Russian into English. It's published on GipsyTeam. (I almost never play nowadays, and this is not some "super successful" tournament). Just ONE OF.
This is just a translation. You can be a bit "out of the contest", sorry.
"We are coming to the main topic.
So, we have checked, how the field on 0,5$ bounty MTT plays in general. And it will be useful for us now. To understand at least approximately, having which hands players are ready to call our pushes, and having which ones - are not.
We have also watched my bluffs - it was more like an "off-topic", though.
Just to stop "fairy tails" of online regular players that bluffing is not profitable in poker and you just need to wait for a push-fold stage and push your stack - since it's less risky 😃 - guys, it's pure fun, really, cause it's not just contradicts mathematics, it contradicts that spoken "poker mathematics" - specifically, the tournament strategy.
Once again, you understand, yes, that just playing according to your hand it's simply impossible to keep your stack playable on MTT. Without exaggeration. Means, without a bluff, at least acceptable level bluff, it's senseless to play MTT, because the game turns into a roulette, when to reach the final table you need to make 50 pushes/calls and never lose any of it (i exaggerate here, but something like that will go on without a postflop).
But I have already managed to join top-20 of these bounty MTTs 300 players twice of 7 tries playing clean push-fold on the second part of the tournament. How the...? We will watch it now "how"...
I'm not showing literally all the hands since there are 173 of them, but still enough hands to go along "the tournament flow".
(guys, I don't know how it will look, I just opened the replayer and will just comment the screens)
This is the second hand of the tournament. I - fold, because the previous bounty tournament I ended with a profitable all-in TT vs AKo (according to the software algorithm - it's a basic fold)
(yes yes, these kind of folds didn't anyhow spoil my way to top-20. And, considering my bluffs, you can already guess - why. But bluffs are not the only reason)
Already after 10 hands played I catch some sweetness ♥ (I win this all-in)
It's trivial but, of course, it's a fold (right the following hand after a positive 88 all-in) -
5 hands later I get AJo in the first position. But, after that 88 all-in, chances for this hand to be the best on the table, let's say, "are not that big" - l😉.
And, for sure, I won't play a postflop having such a hand. Of course I won't play AJ-AK on a postflop 🤐 - yeah, these are words of a guy, who took 7 of 9 flops having nothing on a board (don't you find this strange that I avoid playing AJo on a postflop?)
(I didn't manage to watch the opponents hands)
By the way, right after a fold of AQo and AJo - the software immediately shown me, that I WOULD hit a top-pair on the flop 3 times in a row in case I wouldn't have folded my hands - yes, it's a pure fun. And we will discuss this, but later. [comment for 2+2 guys - It is already sent to gambling supervision authorities on friday 😀]
Here, I come to the flop and Teddy checks his flopped set on a dangerous desk. As a result - I got a backdoor straight completed on the river. I got few chips (40 thousand) more - "it's online-poker, baby". It's unacceptable to slow play hands here, postflop is not played according to true chances, it's not offline. Though, even in offline it's irrational to check on a flush draw board (taking into account several nuances)
And, in a one hand -
(easy fold, lol, though, in case the table is not too weak I shouldn't have played this hand)
The second game cone IN A ROW -
The third hand in a row (only one garbage-hand skipped) -
It's simply irrational push. But I show guys all the hands I folded. And I have also shown them A9o and ATo folds. I KNOW - that the software will almost NEVER put the third "killed" Ax in a row. And I push it, showing my hand after, just to let players understand once again - the game is Predictable, it's just a sequence of strong "killed"/"clean" hands with respect to +EV of previous several hands played. (By the way, playing like that I will win crazy number of postflop bluffs later, showing every of my hands!)
By the way, since I folded strong hands (Ax-s) again, the software shows me top-pair flopped, a pair flopped and two pair flopped in a row once again
And I decided to pay more attention to this circus. And to calculate all this carefully - will share it with you 😀
After about 50 hands I finally raise on a preflop for the FIRST time -
(obviously having not the best hand of those I got dealt before... Cause only having **** I am able to play after that 88 vs T3o take off, because my EV$ ICM - is critically high on this stage of the tournament))) Both folded, pay attention to this.
So, let's count, how many times I raised or pushed and how many times players called me having at least something. The score is 1 - 0.
After several hands one of big bluffs comes -
And right the next hand I go all-in and win the following pot (guys, it's a complicated decision, prehistory of hands is that I could afford myself to push this. If you remember this - I folded AQo, AJo, A9o, ATo - ****ing enough! Unlikely the software will try to kill me even right after the successful bluff. This is a deep understanding of all the software algorithm nuances, an ability to assess it) -
Here, after 10 game cones played, I rather take into account gameplay of my opponents, that is why I push and call the all-in of Matrix (to get a bounty award)
They don't call me again. The score is 2-0
A standard stuff - I just won few all-ins and only two stacks exceeding me. One of them folded. The next one - right behind me. And exactly this guy got a better hand. But i'm aware
And here, I can confidently raise - who cares about the position, if the software just alternates hands and we know it. Who cares about chances and ranges 😃
Everyone folded. Successful steals score is 3-0
4-0 (I SHOW every of my hands - means, they fold their hands even being aware of me playing sh*t. So what the f.. did they get? 92 and 73? And how the **** do I know this?))
Aces come, no minraise, no postflop, it's unacceptable -
I should be happy to get the blinds, lol. I can only imagine, what would have happened on the postflop. 5-0 - steals.
A small bluff 😀
And it's time to fond a hand, because I just won about five pots playing weak hands in the right moment. And a huge EV has already been collected. I'm going a sweet way according to ICM. Means, the first strong hand should be folded (well, I should fold this anyway) -
But here, I must immediately take into account that I just folded A9o, so -
The steal score is 6-0. 6 pushes - no calls. Just perfect Risk-free stack increase on MTT ♥
Guys, a difficult decision comes, a pretty thin one. First of all - I can see that there is no bigger stack on the table.
The second, I can see, according to the tournament development, that after I folded in the start of the tourney my AQo and AJo - these 66 are most-likely the best hand on the table and I can push it. But it's important to understand that the software algorithm knowledge is not literally something 100% sure. It's still a group of factors to assess, objectively.
I win this all-in. The score is 6-1 (they finally called me!)
And I immediately get the punishment from the software, but I still go for this all-in, since it's profitable on a bounty tournament
And right after the punishment as usual 😃 I can go for -
Stealing score is 7-1 - and I don't steal according to my hand, obviously. I show this to players and they are keeping folding. And there are no other reasons then I simply know, when is acceptable to steal. Means, they got really weak hands "in time".
After this one I fold several hands - K5s, K4o, QJs, and meet a bit better hand then mine A8o (push as an answer to the limp) -
(the steal score is 7-2, they called me)
And after such a wave of negative hands a positive wave of hands starts 🍰
(I don't count it as an unsuccessful steal, because he would call me anyway)
And in 3 game cones, once again -
Steal score is 8-2
After two pushes in a row it's a joke to play the third strong hand in a row once again, in online-poker
But right the following one - why not 😉
I don't count it as a steal, because I didn't push, I called, unfair 🙄
The following hand. You see? Usually, you should just play "every other time". But it's not always like that. There are other nuances and I try to announce it. All of them are described in the detailed software algorithm doc.
And here I commit a small mistake (not too big, since it's a bounty MTT, and the decision is not the worst, but still I didn't "read" the situation well enough. Underestimate that I have already won too many chips for free in the last 15-20 game cones. And the software increased an "aggression level" towards me) -
8-3 steal score
One more bluff -
I fold some hands and get a huge hand. I have no reasons to fold it (I have already lost 88 vs TT two tournaments before having a huge stack. So pocket top pairs should be confidently played) -
Look attentively at this all-in - it's a significantly profitable decision for me with 57% chances and a bunch of chips on the table.
But, the most important - I lost this all-in. And if you understood dozens if not hundreds of my previous posts about EV$ ICM calculation - this is EXACTLY THAT SITUATION, when the software will try to kill me in the craziest possible manner. Because, since I lost this all-in I made a very profitable "cut" according to ICM - guys, it's a complicated stuff, indeed, I understand.
The idea is that, been lost 57% all-in, I told the software - "Okay, in 57% cases my tournament $ share is a couple of thousand dollars - don't forget to pay me it on a distance later".
And the software didn't like this suggestion at all. So, I have to fold the next four (4) Ace Highs! (one of them - I shouldn't have folded, just didn't take the risk) -
And only the 5th Ace high I decide to push (3bet)
(Steal score 9-4)
And I immediately fold this one. Because the situation is critical. It's very hard to play profitable gameplay after that 57% all-in, since I can only push every 5-7th strong hand now -
Get my chips back by bluff -
And right the next hand -
(you can't bluff online without taking into account the following software "tricks". The money will be immediately stolen)
Now - as you wish )) AJs don't push, A7s - don't push. But A5o in early position - push! This is not a game according to true chances. True chances - are waiting for you in offline poker.
10-4 steals.
Right the next hand - fold
And push again. The software doesn't expect me to push having such a weak hand after the fold on 55, means, players don't have anything strong -
11-4
55 was skipped? ATo - push 😉
Again, we can push every other push-fold hand -
12-4 steals
ATo was pushed? A9o - to be skipped.
And here I manage to take an intuitive decision -
I pushed twice in a row - 75o and ATo. Too many chips were won for free. So, the software want let me "leave" after folding just one Ace High. means, I should fold the second Ace High too. The software will most-likely raise the "aggression" towards me and will generate a more rigid wave of "killing hands".
And there is a high probability a push will work here, since I folded A9o twice in a row
Steal score is 13-4 (😮)
How the f*** do I "guess" from one tournament to another, push my sh*t and it's all-right? ))
And right the next hand I get a bit more chips -
14-4
Guys, why I raise here. I do understand how long negative/positive waves the software generates to manipulate the game. And rarely miss my assessments. To understand this stuff you need to try monitoring the game. These raises on a garbage - is a bit thinner game, if you do it "in time". I think, in my case, obviously - I do it right "in time".
One more bluff 🙄
One more push -
Steal score - 15-4.
Guys, let's make a small pause here.
I show guys on the table ALL MY HANDS after each game cone. And I shown guys on this table -
- bluff on 96o - without draw, clean bluff
- push on 75о
- push on АТо
- push on К9о
- raise on 82s
- bluff on Т6о - without draw, clean bluff
What do you think? Have I ACCIDENTLY guessed having 86o that they were going to fold their 8BB stacks both, once again? )))
Lol, they just haven't got a sh*t, and i know this, the game goes in a wave-like scheme, everything is readable. There is no any random stuff here. But it should be... I thought we played poker game here )) Do we? 😃
Let's continue.
The last two A9o have been folded, this one - push ))
16-4 steals
Push -
17-4
We keep pushing, 77 is a too strong hand to fold it (do you remember that Antoha138 guy? He just openly played KK and AA hands. Should we expect him to get some pocket top pair once again right after AA hand? The software will very rarely go for an "open" rigging the game in such a rush manner. The game would look to unnatural then)
18-4
And right after this one - fold. I just stole a too big pot. If you remember my video about SnG 9 max? KJo comes right after the push - is an online-poker classics.
Since I just made 4 pushes in a row, I manage to realize and fold the following hand here. I understand that my stack just made a huge jump -
And in 2 game cone I go for this move 🤐 -
Well, I commit a mistake because I decided to take into account a "real" poker factors.
According to the software algorithm - I should have folded the hand, because I have already pushed crazy number of times having pocket low pairs. And the software uses it by dealing me 33.
But few hands ago, I saw a hand, were Frisbaldik also raises like that and folds to a 3bet. I miscalculated cause of this. And, of course, my concentration in game is not infinite, guys. 3 hours of the game monitoring and, simultaneously, monitoring of my hand history and opponents decisions. Constant bluffs and playing garbage. Just didn't manage to keep attention in game. Literally.
In the conclusion. My raises -
Look at the hands I had to raise 😵
In easy words - how many times could I afford to play a good hand? And how many times did I have to push my sh*t? All the ****ing game was played with a garbage in the best possible manner. And I have to play every tournament like that. But I would handle this, it's not a problem!
The main stuff - what for should I try hard? I tried hard to show you the game. But after Pokerstars, where, after this gameplay, I managed to lose 20 of 21 all-ins right before the final table - is it really reasonable to keep participating in MTT without turning 4+ tables on simultaneously? But I don't wanna play not against opponents, but according to some "average" numbers. Everyone got his own playing level and got his own interest in poker game.
Well, yes, even me - I didn't manage to get the finals. The luck-factor difference is such an enormous that even such a weak players managed to take me off. I didn't manage to finish without mistakes.
My pushes
They called me on a better hand 3 times of 23 pushes??? While I have been playing out of chances nor position? 😮
13% mistakes... According to my positions just meeting of 88+ ; АJo+ - is already 20%.
You have already got 5 such tournaments in the topic described.
Before this one - I made 12 pushes in a row (!!) the way so that no one even called me on a better hand. Not when I pushed A5s from UTG nor 93o, nowhere. Once again, it's not a statistical proof. Hands of players are hidden, and it's always possible to say that they just decided to fold any hand except AA. (Or did they decided to fold AA also? 😮))
Guys, I know the "answer", but I want YOU to know it.
I'm moving to assessing of a flop hitting frequency of folded hands. It's all very interesting there."