From PokerListings.com:
The 33-year-old professional poker player topped a field of 125 to take the $300,000 first prize in the three-day, $10,000 buy-in event at the Paiute Golf Resort.
“I’ve played in a lot of high-stakes poker games, but this was a whole different kind of pressure,” Garaventa said. “There were times out there when I missed shots because my hands or knees were shaking, but it’s an unbelievable rush.”
Poker personalities Daniel Negreanu, Gavin Smith, David Benyamine, Chris Ferguson and David Oppenheim joined Ray Romano, former MLB pitcher Greg Maddux and footballer Jorge Campos in teeing off in this unique event.
Negreanu, Benyamine and Oppenheim would all cash for the minimum $10,000 after winning their first round, but none of the three would survive the second day of play.
Campos took fifth place for $30,000 after busting out early on Day 3.
The World Series of Golf is open to any amateur golfer with $10,000 to spend and adds a No Limit Hold’em-style betting element to the game.
Players are given a 10,000 bank of chips and post ante at each hole. A random draw is made to determine the shooting order, with the button being given to the first player to act.
After the first round of shooting, the button can either check or bet and each successive player must match his wager (or raise) in order to stay in contention for the hole.
Following the betting round, each player still in contention hits another shot and another betting round commences.
Action continues until one player has won the hole, either by stroke count or by forcing his rivals to fold. The last player standing in his group of five wins the round and advances.
Previous champions include Mark Ewing (2007) and A.J. Johnson (2008), both of whom took $250,000 for their efforts.
Tips from one of the best. This is part 1 of 3:
From Daniel Negreanu at Chron.com:
The best players in the world rely on small ball poker when playing in No Limit Hold’em tournaments. And though it is the optimal strategy, it’s not meant for players of all skill levels. You must have superior hand-reading and people-reading skills for it to be effective.
You’ll play a lot of hands in small ball poker which means you’ll often face difficult situations with marginal cards. That’s why this approach is simply too advanced for beginning players.
In my book, Power Hold’em Strategy, I teach two distinctly different strategies. One is targeted at the experienced player who is looking to get to the next skill level. The other is an entry level approach that seemingly contradicts some of the basic tenets of small ball poker.
Here’s the first tip for beginners: Avoid playing small pots against experienced players because you’ll almost certainly be outplayed after the flop. Instead, make much larger bets before and after the flop. Also, play fewer hands, especially when out of position.
On the other hand, experienced small ball players should come in for a slightly smaller raise when they are first to enter the pot. A raise of 2 ½ times the big blind is about right.
Say you’re dealt 7c-8c with the blinds at 50-100. A skilled small-baller would raise the bet to 250. Not so for a novice player; he should avoid playing the han
d altogether. You see, experienced players can get away with playing more hands pre-flop because they are less likely to make mistakes after the flop.
A novice, though, needs to play much tighter before the flop. And when they do get a playable hand, they need to make larger raises — as much as five times the big blind.
Large raises serve multiple purposes for the beginning player. They apply pressure on skilled opponents who like to play a wide range of funky hands. They also improve the beginner’s chances of taking down the blinds and antes without a fight. Finally, they can help novices avoid difficult decisions after the flop by inducing skilled opponents to lay down their hands.
Remember, this isn’t the optimal tournament strategy for skilled players; it risks too many chips in relation to the expected small payoff. It works for novice players, however, because their primary goal should simply be to stay out of trouble and survive.
Here’s the second tip for beginners: Use the same big betting approach through to the flop as well. For example, with 1,200 in the pot, make a large bet to apply maximum pressure on your opponents. A pot-size bet ought to do the trick.
A bet of that size, though, is clearly too steep for an accomplished small ball player. It’s too exploitable and forces skilled players to assume much more risk than is necessary. Instead, small-ballers should bet around 700 chips for which they would gain virtually the same information as the beginner’s 1,200 bet – but at much lower cost.
Big raises by inexperienced players cause advanced players to operate outside of their comfort zones. That’s because skilled pros hate playing big pots unless they have the nuts, or something close to it.
Big bet poker is effective against small ball players because it forces the skilled player to wait patiently for trapping situations. Yes, this approach does make the beginner more susceptible to a trap. But the pro must still catch strong cards in order to even consider calling a big raise, and that’s not easy to do.
Visit www.cardsharkmedia.com/books.htm for information about Daniel Negreanu’s popular book, Power Hold’em Strategy.
From CasinoGamblingWeb.com:
John Juanda had to stare down Daniel Negreanu for much of the final table at the World series of Poker Europe Main Event. That is not an enviable task for any poker player.
What was not well known before this final table is that Juanda has as nice a resume on the poker tables as Negreanu. After the tournament was over, Juanda had even more bragging rights when he emerged as the champion.
Juanda endured the longest final table in World Series of Poker history on his way to the championship. He was the chip leader much of the way, and played nearly flawless poker. he now adds another bracelet to his others.
“A relieved Juanda had this to say after his win. “This is the longest final table that I have ever played. It’s so long ago when I won my last bracelet.” It might have been long ago, but there is no doubt that he is a true champion and one of the greatest players of his generation.
As for Negreanu, he was making waves at the Main Event throughout. He held the chip lead at several different points in the tournament, but was unable to put together a chapionship run in the end.
The focus of the poker world will now shift back to the United States. At the beginning of November, the World Series of Poker Main Event will resume with its final table.
From Mlive.com professional poker player Daniel Negreanu weighs in on the differences in playing in a cash game versus a tournament:
There is plenty of discussion on Internet poker forums about the differences between tournament and cash game players.
The general consensus is that cash game players are superior.
While I believe there is some truth to that sentiment, it’s important to recognize that the skills required for each format are vastly different.
The most obvious difference between a cash game and a tournament is that in tournament play, once your chips are gone, so are you.
In a cash game, you can dig into your pocket for more money.
As a result, tournament players think in terms of survival and play their hands to avoid losing all of their chips.
A different mentality
Cash game players think differently.They are concerned about getting full value for hands when they’re ahead, and try to minimize losses when they’re behind.
Another difference between big buy-in tournaments and high-stakes cash games is the caliber of players that compete in each.
Even in the $10,000 World Series of Poker main event, you’re sure to find a high percentage of low-skilled amateur players.
That’s not the case in high-stakes cash games where the tables are littered with professional sharks.
I think most people would agree — it’s much easier to beat a bunch of amateurs than it is trying to outwit elite professionals.
Yes, you might take a few bad beats against amateur players who don’t know what they’re doing.
But at the same time, it will be much easier to get all their chips in situations where pros would fold.
Beating amateurs in tournaments is all about taking their money by playing fundamentally sound poker.
That approach isn’t good enough when playing pros in cash games.
That’s where Phil Hellmuth comes in.
Even though Hellmuth has won 11 World Series of Poker bracelets — all of them in Hold’em events — he doesn’t get a lot of respect from cash-game grinders.
But Hellmuth has mastered two of the most important concepts of tournament play. He knows survival is king and bluffing should be used rarely.
He knows weak players will make big mistakes eventually, and when that happens, he’ll clean up.
Or else he’ll take a bad beat and throw one of his patented temper tantrums.
Why it works
If Hellmuth tried that same patient, nonbluffing style of play against top cash game players, he’d see his chip stack slowly dwindle.He would never be able to trap his opponents — they would see right through his strategy, and he would be finished.
Hellmuth would be hammered into submission continuously before and after the flop.
Hellmuth’s successful approach to tournament poker just doesn’t translate into the world of high-stakes cash game poker.
Some major differences
Tournament play demands patience to survive and win.Winning at cash games demands a whole other level of thought and deception.
You need to reach into your bag of tricks and run the occasional big bluff to be a consistent cash game winner.
Not as easy as it looks
Don’t get me wrong, not all cash game players properly adapt to tournament play and tournament opposition either. They attempt bluffs that might work in cash games but fail miserably in tournament play.They don’t realize that many amateur players aren’t skilled enough to recognize when they should just fold their hands.
I am challenged the most by playing cash games against the world’s top players.
These games force me to think several moves in advance. I like this, as it reminds me of playing a game of chess.
Though I find tournaments fun, they just don’t provide the constant brain buzz that cash game players crave.
From TigerWeekly.com:
There’s a misconception about tournament poker that goes like this: Players need to try frequent sophisticated bluffs and make lots of risky moves to maintain an unpredictable image and to win. Well, there might be some truth to that in small buy-in tournaments, or even online poker tournaments where the blinds and antes escalate quickly. But on poker’s biggest stage, the World Series of Poker, nothing could be further from the truth.
The best tournament players actually try to avoid risky plays altogether. They prefer to wait for their opponents to make the risky moves. They’ll wait patiently until they catch a strong hand. When they do, they’ll take down their overly aggressive foes.
Watch any tournament on television and you’re sure to see some no-name player at the final table. Chances are you’ll never see him again. Sure, you’ll occasionally you’ll see an unknown player win using ultra-aggressive tactics, but trust me, that kamikaze style just doesn’t work consistently.
You see, great players will play a wide range of dealt cards but they’ll never risk a large percentage of their chips on a marginal hand. When they do push in their chips, they’ll have a premium hand to back up their bet. In situations where it’s unclear whether they have the best hand, the best players will choose to play it safe.
To be sure, playing it safe isn’t a flashy style of poker. Some even claim that it’s too weak and passive. That being said, playing safe poker is still a proven recipe for success in the world’s biggest poker tournaments.
That’s because the goal in high-stakes tournaments is to win lots of small pots without the risk of going broke. Of course, you’ve got to occasionally win a big pot too. Just stay patient. Eventually, some hyper-aggressive player will go crazy with a bluff when you do have a premium hand. Or, he won’t believe you when you have a strong hand and he’ll call your big bet. It’s bound to happen.
Don’t get me wrong, bluffing is a critical part of the game. It’s a weapon all pros use in tournament play. They just won’t bluff nearly as often as you think.
Also, professionals will tend to make smaller, more controlled bluffs to minimize their risk. If they get caught, well, that’s not the end of the world. A failed bluff could easily payoff later in a much bigger pot when the pro has the unbeatable hand.
Now, you will have to change up your game when you become short-stacked in a tournament. You’ll be forced to make more risky plays. Just be sure you don’t push the panic button too quickly! Skilled players realize that a short stack doesn’t mean it’s time to give up on patient play. In poker, unexpected situations can occur at any time but you have to wait for the right opportunity.
If you do choose to run a bluff, don’t be afraid to put your table image to work. When other players observe that you don’t bluff often, that’s the time to confuse them with a little well-timed deceit.
And always pay attention to the skill level of your opponents. Big buy-in events attract players with a wide range of poker ability. If you find yourself seated at a table full of bad players, running a risky bluff would be foolish. Instead, wait for a good hand and hope you’re called.
That same approach won’t be quite as effective against highly skilled players; they’ll know just what you’re up to. Against tough players, you’ll have to bluff occasionally, but again, not as often as you think.
Visit www.cardsharkmedia.com/book.html for information about Daniel Negreanu’s new book, Hold’em Wisdom for All Players.
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