When to play for 2nd

A number of gamers wilfully ignore ICM and say they might reasonably ‘play for the win’. ICM will get a foul rap as a technique for folding your method to a mincash, when in actuality it’s only a formulation we use to take advantage of cash. The gamers who perceive ICM can have essentially the most wins on their data, they’ll simply even have essentially the most 2nds, 3rds, 4ths and so forth. And most significantly they’ll have the largest bankrolls, which permits them to win extra tournaments.

There are, nonetheless, instances when ICM advocates a technique of taking part in for 2nd place, and that’s when there’s a chip chief with an unlimited chip lead at a closing desk.

Most individuals know that when there’s a micro stack on the closing desk one of the best technique is to play tight till they bust. The easiness with which you’ll be able to safe the subsequent payout means you want a monster hand to danger your event life.

What most individuals don’t realise is that when there’s a big chip chief on the closing desk, ICM additionally suggests the remainder of the desk play tight. Lots of people would possibly suppose the proper technique is to play unfastened so as to accumulate extra chips to meet up with the chip chief, however that’s incorrect. The chip chief has 1st place shut to locked up, which suggests the opposite payouts turn into extra useful to safe.

Extreme huge or small stacks make effervescent extra painful

Below is a desk from an ordinary closing desk which reveals every participant’s Bubble Factor in relation to one other participant on the closing desk. I received’t go into what which means in the present day, however the increased the quantity, the tighter every participant ought to play in opposition to the opponent. Any Bubble Factor over 1.5 means it’s best to tighten up your vary significantly in contrast to the pot odds fairness you want. A Bubble Factor of two or extra requires a particularly robust vary, often AK, QQ+ territory.

At this desk we now have a chip chief (Seat 1) with just below half the chips in play. That participant doesn’t actually have a Bubble Factor however everybody else has a really excessive Bubble Factor in opposition to them, and in opposition to one another. The gamers with the largest stacks have the very best Bubble Factors in opposition to the chip chief. It can be a catastrophe for anybody else, particularly the massive stacks, to tackle the chip chief when an honest payout is assured.

We have all been in spots like this the place we will simply wait and let the chip chief bust three or 4 stacks to safe us an enormous end. I recall early in my poker profession I made a dwell closing desk with one participant with an outrageous lead and I used to be 9 of 9, however all of the stacks apart from the chief’s had been shut. Everyone else at my closing desk felt prefer it was their job to tackle the chip chief and I managed to get heads-up with out taking part in a hand. The cherry on the highest was the chip chief provided me an excellent chop regardless of having a 25-1 chip lead.

There are instances to gamble in opposition to an enormous stack with an enormous stack, however as I wrote in a earlier column that’s a lot better when you find yourself on the final two tables when you find yourself not jeopardising an excessive amount of fairness .

It could sound weak advocating a technique of taking part in for 2nd, however don’t overlook that the event carries on whenever you get heads-up. Securing 2nd place cash with an opportunity to play for 1st however with an enormous chip drawback is a a lot better technique than punting away a protected stack in opposition to the chip chief with 9 gamers left.

If you need extra perception like this, Dara has a regular newsletter the place he provides free ideas like this on a regular basis. 

More from Dara O’Kearney