WSOP: $1,500 Six-Max Field Shrinks Quickly

World Series of Poker event no. 10 ($1,500 no-limit hold’em six max) has been in the midst of a massive flow of eliminations early on day 1 — falling from 1,920 players to just over 500 by the dinner break at the end of level six.

With the flurry of knockouts in the early stages of the event, Card Player caught up with Greg Raymer, who has made it to the dinner break with a large stack, to discuss why the field has been reduced so quickly and what are some of the key adjustments one must make for six-max tournaments.

Raymer said that a possible explanation is that players were looking to build up a stack or be free to register for another event playing on Monday. However, the 2004 main event champion gave an alternative hypothesis for the rush of eliminations.

“There are a lot players who are looking to take shots,” Raymer said. “I think the attitude of some people here, much more so than previous years, is to either go big or go home this World Series, because they can’t make a living online right now. So they are either going to build up a huge bankroll and be a successful live pro, whether it be cash games or tournaments, or lose the bankroll trying and go back home and get a job. You are definitely hearing that story this year. This mindset probably carries over into one’s play at the beginning of a tournament. They think, ‘I need to build up a big stack quick, because I don’t want to play this for a day and a half and fall short before the bubble, since I want be able to play other things.’”

Despite a healthy stack in the event, Raymer said he lost a big pot earlier in the day when he flopped a pair and a small flush draw, and the money went in against two other flush draws. Raymer said that given your opponents’ propensity to play draws in shorthanded games, you can actually get more value from a hand such as a jack-high flush draw, if you assume that the small versions could easily be in the enemy’s range. “You can’t play the bottom end as much, but you can play the medium to strong ones more often,” Raymer said.

For more information on the intricacies of six-max tournament strategy, check out Card Player’s brand new Poker School — a library of knowledge from some of poker’s most lucid minds.

For all of the latest WSOP information, check out Card Player’s WSOP landing page.

Related Articles

Greg Raymer: Inducing A Bluff With Just Ace High

Greg Raymer: Inducing Action After Flopping Big

Greg Raymer: The Choice-Supportive Bias In Poker

Most Viewed Articles