Monday, October 24, 2011

Time Tourneys at Pokerstars


If you have played at pokerstars during the last week, then you have probably seen the new Time Tourneys. These run for a set amount of time ranging from 15 minutes to 3 hours. When the time runs out, they do a chip chop for the prize money amongst the remaining players. These are MTT tourneys found under the tourney tab in the lobby. They are marked with a clock to the left of the tourney name. For as much as they are hyping these things, there are not that many Time Tourneys running. So, I wasn’t able to multitable a set of them at the same buyin level, or even same time allotment. Come on Pstars...

The payout concept is similar to the Fifty50 sngs, but with one big difference. In a Fifty50, half the prize pot is divided evenly among the players ensuring that you at least win your buyin back even if you make it itm with only one chip remaining in your stack. The other half is divided based on your stack size. In the Time Tourneys everything is based on your stack size compared to your starting stack. For example, if you start the tourney with 1500 chips and an $11 buyin, then 1500 chips equals $10 prize money. Thus, if you end the tourney with 3000 chips you will win $20, 6000 chips would pay $40, etc. However, if you end the tourney with less than 1500 chips you will win less than your buyin, in other words, you lose money. From the few games I’ve played, it seems like about 25% of the players getting itm actually did lose money! It doesn’t matter how many players are left when the tourney ends, your prize money is based on your stack size and nothing else.

How did they play, you ask? Well, I have only managed to play three thus far:
$5,50 buyin, 120 minute tourney
$11 buyin, 30 minute tourney
$11 buyin, 15 minute tourney

The 120 minute tourney played like a normal tourney all the way up to the last 15 minutes. A lot of players understood that creeping itm with a micro stack was a bad idea. These guys were shoving and calling with ATC hoping to get lucky. On the other hand, the players with 2-4 times there starting stack were trying to conserve chips. They would use every second of time available to slow down the game and were folding pretty much every hand. I didn’t have any really big stacks at my table, so I don’t know what they were doing, but I would have played very aggressively with a big stack.

The 30 minute tourney played more like a 45 man turbo. The final blind level played like the 120 minute game.

The 15 minute game was a real shovefest – LOL! It wasn’t as crazy as the hyper-turbos, but it was pretty crazy nonetheless. It was a push-fold game from the very first hand. Luck was a huge factor in this one.

Time Tourneys are great if you want to play some poker, but don’t have too much time. For example, I wanted to play last night before going to bed. However, it was already 11PM. I didn’t want to be up all night. So, I regged for the 15 minute Time Tourney. Fifteen minutes later, I was $28 dollars richer and my poker need was satisfied LOL!

I cashed in all three tourneys I played and won 2-4x my buyin. So, thus far I’m liking these things, but a ”big cash” is still eluding me. If (when) I play more Time Tourneys, I’m hoping to join the 30 minute ones. Skill is still a factor in these, and as I said, they played quite similar to the 45 man turbos.

I’ll keep you updated. Do the same, if you play any of these!

Roland GTX

PS: I tested the new Nova table themes, too. They look fantastic, but unfortunately, they cover too much of my cards. I had to switch back to black.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Friday, October 7, 2011

MrSmith back on Top

We were only five players in night's live game since someone scheduled the tourney right in the middle of fall vacation. Nonetheless, it was another good evening with plenty of fun and solid poker. If you recall MrSmith was the first one railed in our last tourney when he shoved his AK into an AA limper from the small blind. He got his revenge last night with a well deserved first place. Well played MrSmith!

The newest member at the table, SA (we will find a nice monicker for you soon enough...), started off with some big calls and some big wins during the low levels. Unfortunately, he had a classic "right move, wrong result" when his KK didn't hold up to MrSmith's A8s. Smith doubled getting back in the game with an A on the flop, and SA went from chipleader to a bit on the short side. He played well, but never recovered.

There were four of us left with fairly even stacks; however, the blinds just kept climbing making it a very tactical  push/fold end game. MrSmith was in the bb on the decisive hand. I folded A4o utg, but Klokkhammer had a shoving hand and moved all in. Barbapapps thought he was ahead. So he moved all in too. MrSmith was happy to see that he was holding AA in the bb and insta-called. His big pocket pair held up and Klokkhammer and Barbapapps were knocked out of the game. (MrSmith, edit the details if you remember them better than I did)

Heads up lasted all of three hands, the blinds just jumped up to 300/600 and my 2500 chips didn't offer too many options. I shoved with Q10 and MrSmith called with a better hand (A something). Once again, his hand held and he took down the tourney.

Sicne it was still fairly early, MrSmtih, Barbapapps and myself played a quick, winner takes all, turbo tourney. Once again, stacks were fairly even, but the blinds were punishing us. I picked up JJ utg and moved all in with 8 bbs and the chip lead. I expected it to fold around as it had most hands, but that was not the case. Barbapops in the sb had the best starting hand of us all and correctly made the all in call holding QQ. MrSmith in the bb also decided his KQ was strong enough to join in the melee. The K on the flop appeared to crush Barba and me, but a lucky J on the turn gave me a set and the win - oh yeah!

Thanks to everyone for once again making a great evening!

Roland

PS: Expect the next game to be early Nov. I'll get the date posted next week.