POTD #90 FT: Friday Learning the Rules like a Pro vs Seth Davies

A Hand from the $75,000 FT at Triton Cyprus

A quote that I like telling my coaching students is “Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.” It’s attributed to both Pablo Picasso and the Dalai Lama, and while there is no direct proof of its origin, attributing it to Picasso does not appear to be a complete fabrication. When a viral online quote attributed to a famous person is not evidently fake, that’s a miracle in and of itself, so I’ll continue repeating this aphorism and attributing it to Picasso. If I’m wrong, my apologies to whomever actually coined this phrase.

I usually use this quote when students ask if playing solver strategies is necessary versus weaker players. The answer is no, but if you know the solver strategies, it will lead you to the proper deviation versus weaker players. Solver strategies will provide a solid framework for your entire poker game, and they will provide rules and heuristics that will help you understand what plays you should make and why they are the right plays. However, eventually you will get to the point where you need to break the rules.

One rule I’ve internalized in my life in poker is that on 2345 boards, the PFR usually has an ace-high advantage, so you should almost always check to them. I had also learned that under ICM pressure, your betting frequency and average bet size get smaller. Today’s hand is about what happens when I know I’m supposed to break rule #1 and bet a polar range on a 2345 board from the BB, but I don’t know what size to pick because we are at a FT under ICM pressure, and I pick the worst option available, to quote Abraham Lincoln “I Fucked Up.”¹

Triton Poker Cyprus 2022 - Event #5 $75K NLH 8-Handed
4 Remaining (75k/150k/150k) (SB/BB/BBA)

Seth Davies(5.2m) raises the CO t325k, Kahle Burns (3.4M) folds OTB, Yuri Dzivielevski (4.5M) folds in the SB, I (4.2m) call K♥️7♥️ in the BB

FLOP (875k) 4♣️4♦️3♥️ I check, Seth bets 250k, I call

Turn (1.375M) 2♠️: I check, Seth checks

River 5♦️: I bet 1.5M, Seth calls with A♥️Q♣️