The Anatomy of a Poker Tournament - Part II

After winning my seat in a one-table satellite, I arrived at Bellagio a few minutes early to play in the Festa al Lago III $2,600 buy-in no-limit hold'em event. Feeling rested and ready to play, I awaited the "Shuffle up and deal!" announcement. The tournament was a few minutes late starting, which often happens at major tournaments, so I spent that time studying my opponents. There were a few tough professionals at my table plus several players I had never seen before, a player mix that is typical of big buy-in no-limit hold'em tournaments these days.

Bellagio always gives players at least twice the amount of the buy-in in chips. Whereas you ordinarily would receive $2,500 in chips in a $2,500 buy-in event, we received $5,000 in chips. All of the rounds were one-hour long and the blinds started at $25-$50, which meant that we would get plenty of play and have a long day ahead of us before we played down to the final table.

When the blinds are modest in relation to the size of the starting stacks, being overly aggressive and bluffing too much in the early rounds of the tournament can be very dangerous, because it is very easy to get picked off. Therefore, I decided to play my usual patient waiting game for the first two rounds of the tournament. My plan was to play only premium hands and try to trap somebody with them, or hope that somebody would make a mistake against me. No-limit hold'em is a game of mistakes, and the players who make the fewest mistakes have the best chance of being successful.

Following my plan, I played only one hand in the first round. Since my tight image was already established, I took a shot at a pot from the button. My hand was the less than magnificent, K-Q offsuit. Why did I get involved with a K-Q after being so patient? I sensed weakness. Several players had limped in and I thought I could pick up the pot with a raise. I made it $350 to go. Everyone folded except the always-dangerous Archie Karras, who was quite capable of calling with a variety of hands, including small to medium pairs and suited connectors. The flop came 4-3-2 rainbow – not exactly what I was looking for. But unless Archie had an ace in his hand, the flop didn't appear to have hit him. He checked, I bet $600, he folded, and I quietly breathed a sigh of relief. I ended the round with $5,250 in chips. This proves that you don't have to play lots of hands in no-limit hold'em. You just need to win most of the hands you do play.

The blinds increased to $50-$100 in the second round. Early in the round, my friend Kathy Liebert came over to my table and asked if I wanted to trade 2 percent. (Players often trade small percentages.) When I peered over at her table to eyeball the size of her stack, she feigned being indignant and stomped away, saying, "Forget it!" Our antics were mostly in good humor, because that early in a tournament, a small chip advantage or disadvantage doesn't mean much. I pleaded with her to trade – as we were close in chip count – and even offered her a free copy of Ron Rose's new book Poker Aces as an incentive. (Kathy and I are among the players featured in Ron's book.) She reluctantly relented and graciously consented to the trade, although she seldom grants mercy at the poker table itself. Since we were at different tables, I didn't consider the trade a conflict of interest. If we had been playing at the same table, however, it would have been better not to trade. And since 207 players had started this tournament, with 18 spots being paid, it was not too likely that we would wind up at the same table anytime soon.

I raised only one hand during the entire second round. I had a K-J offsuit in late position and was the first player in the pot, so I brought it in for a raise. Archie and one other player called. On the A-Q-9 flop, they both checked to me. I also checked, opting to take a free card in hope of hitting my gutshot-straight draw if a 10 came on the turn. When a second 9 came, Karras bet out and the other player and I folded. "I folded pocket jacks," I lied, and Archie answered, "Everybody gets lucky once in a while, Tom." Only in poker can lying be considered acceptable and part of the game. Oops! I just blew my reputation for truth and honesty and the great American way.

As is so often the case while playing no-limit hold'em, you endure hours of boredom and face moments of terror. Certainly, the boredom part was thus far true for me in the tournament. I finished the round slightly down with $4,950 in chips as we went on our first break. Tournament Director Jack McClelland allowed us a 15-minute bathroom break every two hours – whether we needed it or not!

We'll move on to round three in this continuing saga in my next column. Between now and then, I hope to meet you in the winner's circle.

Tom McEvoy is the author of Championship Tournament Poker and the co-author with T.J. Cloutier of Championship No-Limit & Pot-Limit Hold'em. All of his books are available through Card Player. He also is affiliated with PokerStars.com.