In part two of this series we discussed mid-blind play and breaking out of our standard TAG mold into a more loose and aggressive style.

Now it's time to shatter that mold and get hyper-aggressive.

This is where it gets fun. By now the game will be short-handed with four or five players left.

Everyone at the table will probably be short-stacked in the classic sense of the word. The average stack will only be around 12 BBs.

This is approaching push-or-fold time for everybody.

Post-Flop Play Out the Window

Here's where you'll make your profit. Your average sit-and-go player plays this late stage so badly, it's laughable.

If you play this stage better than they do you will show a long-term positive expectation!

At this stage of the game, post-flop play is out the window - flops are rarely seen infrared marked cards.

You have two options: push or fold. And, by god, should you be pushing.

Your Goal is to Win, Not Limp Into the Money

Your goal is to win sit-and-gos. You don't want to "limp" into the money.

When you just try and limp into the money you are throwing +EV away.

You have to have the killer instinct to attack and destroy players who are happy just limping into the money or moving up the pay scale.

In poker, if a player is playing scared infrared contact lenses, he's exploitable.

Everyone wants to finish in the money; nobody is playing to get eliminated.

You're no different.

But your goal is to win. Therefore, you have to look at the long term and put the short term out of your mind.

Concentrate on making good plays at the correct time and forget about the results.

If you make the correct plays, success will eventually follow.

Get More Aggressive, Not Less

As you know, the top three players in a sit-and-go typically get paid. So when you get down to four- and five-handed play, you've reached the bubble.

There will almost certainly be some short stacks thinking if they play ultra-tight they may sneak into the money.

They're wrong. You want to get more aggressive, not less.

When play is short-handed the blinds will already be very high. Your average stack will be just 12 BBs, meaning you'll be losing 10% of your stack to the blinds every rotation.

When the game is short-handed, those rotations come fast and furious, decimating your stack. You're better off pushing all-in without looking at your cards than letting yourself get blinded out.

Do Not Let Yourself Get Blinded Out!

The action is frenetic now and you should be trying to steal as often as you can get away with it.

If you get a feel players are hoping to limp into the money, punish their blinds - they won't defend them.

If you notice someone is calling pushes liberally, then ease up your aggression against that player.

I won't discuss in detail the hands you should be willing to push with. I will, however, discuss the situations you should look for to get your hands all-in.

My advice would be this: Never call off your stack hoping for a coin flip.

If you think you're flipping, you're better off folding and pushing the next hand blind.

Posted by: Fiona at 09:06 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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