Looking for a New Game?
7 years ago
10 Jun
The World Series of Poker is not just about Texas Holdem, itâs about other less known poker games too. Forget about Omaha, Stud, and Lowball, do you know anything about Badacy? How about Baducy? No, this isnât actually a misspelling for the popular Asian game Badugi. And how about the Big O, which is basically the nickname for the Pot Limit 5-Card Omaha Hi-Lo Split 8 or Better?
If you arenât quite sure the names mentioned above are even poker games, then you shouldnât even consider entering the WSOP Dealerâs Choice Six-Handed event, because in such an event, there are basically 19 poker games - the names above included - to choose from. So whatâs the catch, you may wonder? Well, basically every player at the table will have the opportunity to choose his favorite game. Whoever has the dealer button, chooses the game from that big list. But is it just about picking out the game one is most proficient in? This yearâs Event #5: $1,500 Dealerâs Choice Six-Handed winners doesnât think so.
In fact after he took down the Dealerâs Choice event and the top prize of $125,466, poker pro Lawrence Berg was kind enough to reveal his secrets and how he managed to win such a tough tournament. According to Berg, the mixed games tournaments arenât about your strengths but about their weaknesses. And when we say 'their' we mean the opponents at the table.
Berg told WSOP.com:
Itâs really important to identify weaknesses in your opponents and see what games they are playing badly and then try to concentrate on those games when you can."
The WSOP gold bracelet winner admitted he actually hates Limit and No Limit Holdem and prefers to play less popular games like Baducy, Badugi, and Big O. Besides the general guidelines, he also had some stack-dependent strategy tips. He advised the beginners to pick up their games very carefully when they are short-stacked.
If youâre very short, you donât want to get anted away in Stud. So, itâs better to take a big-bet game where you can move all-in which makes it hard for the opponents to call. That way, you can steal antes and build a stack, sometimes without ever seeing a showdown."
Sounds about right, doesnât it?
Purest Form Of Poker Confirmed
Several days ago, three-times WSOP bracelet winner and Pot Limit Omaha specialist Jason Mercier talked extensively with PokerNews about 2-7 Single Draw Lowball. Mercier registered for Event #7: $1,500 No Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball and said the game is actually one of the purest games of poker âin terms of reading your opponentâ.
In such a game, itâs all about that basic question: does the opponent have a better hand or do I? and not at all about equity or getting the right price to call like in Holdem or PLO. Mercier also praised the format for being a perfect fit for tournament poker.
Yesterday, after Event #7 showdown, the latest member of the gold bracelet club Ryan DâAngelo confirmed everything the fellow American said. DâAngelo topped a field of 279 entrants - certainly not quite a popular format just yet - and won the top prize of $92,338.
He said after the win:
Itâs so pure. Itâs two streets â itâs before the draw and then after the draw itâs âdo they have it, or donât they?â Itâs all a meta-game. Itâs all leveling. Itâs really the purest form of poker because itâs soul reading and a lot of âdoes he have it, or doesnât he?
DâAngelo admitted he hasnât played 2-7 Single Draw much but capitalized thanks to his reading skills picked up at other popular games like Holdem. Will he play more 2-7 Single Draw No Limit from now on? You can bet on it!
How About Heads-Up No Limit?
Another poker variant that is pretty much dependent on the ability to soul-read the opponents is of course Heads-Up No Limit Holdem. The variant is already center-staged at WSOP with Event #9: $10,000 Heads-Up No Limit Holdem Championship still a work in progress.
Dominik Nitsche was part of this event eyeing his fourth gold bracelet but unfortunately for him, he couldnât last for long. Nitsche did get through the Round of 128 defeating Simon Depres but couldnât get past Italian Frederico Petruzzelli in the Round of 64. He did provide some valuable tips for the poker players who want to be part of this format, though. In a PokerNews interview, the German said Heads-Up No Limit isnât as aggressive as people think and many times, especially with shallow stacks, the action is actually quite passive with a lot of limps and checks. And yes, he even confirmed there are situations where one could fold an Ace preflop especially with deeper stacks. And what about NOT raising in position?
He explained:
100 big blinds deep, probably against a really good opponent, Iâm not raising around 23%."
Well there you have it!
Nitscheâs Heads-Up play couldnât get him to win another gold bracelet, but thatâs quite alright since the self-proclaimed best Heads-Up No Limit player in the world, Doug âWCGRiderâ Polk failed to advance too after Day 1. Konstantin Ramazanov defeated Polk in the Round of 64. Day 2 set the semifinals with two huge favorites still chasing the coveted Heads-Up No Limit Championship title, Heads-Up Sit & Go guru Olivier Busquet and high stakes French pro Alex Luneau. However, the underdogs prevailed. 69-year-old Vietnam veteran John Smith defeated Busquet while an actuary from Florida Alan Percal humbled Luneau. In the end, Percal shipped the Heads-Up Championship and the top prize of $320,574. His secret? Playing chess and thinking in advance and ahead. He said after the big win:
I started out as a chess player, then I found out that heads-up play was very similar to chess."
And yeah, he had another secret that definitely helped him in the win: never giving up!
I came out here last year and like went 0 (in the money WSOP finishes) for 20 (attempts). It was a total disaster. But I came back and stuck with it, and now here I am."
Howâs that for the ultimate poker tip?
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