POTD #276 Main Event Monday: Taking a Passive Line in EPT Paris
Nearing the money of a Main Event vs a Super High Roller
One of the earliest heuristics I learned to determine if someone played a poker hand well was, if they put money in the pot when their hand was the best and checked or folded when it was beat, they played the hand well. Like most heuristics, it is a little too simple and it’s not flawless. If you always bet 1bb on the flop and turn with a set and check the river when a flush filled, you’d be leaving a ton of money on the table, but you’d pass this simple test every single time your opponent had a flush draw.
What makes deep-stacked poker difficult is, you need to balance getting money in the pot with the best hand right now, with the knowledge that sometimes the board will run out poorly for your hand. When that happens, you will have made the pot too big with a medium-strength hand and won’t know what to do. Today’s hand is from EPT Paris, where I was an above-average stack with 350 left and 248 people cashing. The rate of eliminations is fairly predictable in big-field Main Event tournaments and I could guess with a fair amount of confidence when we’d reach the money. I wanted to find an overall strategy that would allow me to use my above-average stack to accumulate chips without showdown, but also keep things in control such that I didn’t torch my stack off making unnecessary plays. I ended up playing a hand vs. Alex Kulev where I thought I was making good cautious Main Event adjustments, the equivalent of playing deep-stacked poker. I’d give up some value, but would insure myself against losing a much bigger pot. In the process, I ended up violating one of the earliest lessons I learned in poker and twice failed to put money in the pot with the best hand.
2023 €5,300 EPT Paris Main Event
(1k/2.5k/2.5k) (SB/BB/BBA) 30k Starting Stack. 248 Cash. ~350 Remain. Average is 137k.
Alex Kulev (125k) makes it 5.5k in the CO, I (190k) have A♥️9♥️ on the button and call.
Flop (16k) 9♣️8♥️6♦️: Alex checks, I bet 4k, Alex calls.
Turn (24k) 5♦️: Alex checks, I check.
River (24k) 9♠️: Alex bets 12k, I call. He was value betting an 8.
