Let's step out tonight, all night...

Re-re-read Sklansky's Tournament Poker for Advanced Playersthis week, and was eager to apply the knowledge of the re-read. Perhaps my favorite part about Sklansky's books, above any other poker author, is their almost infinite re-readability. It seems every time I re-read one of his books I come away with a new understanding of a topic, often a subtle topic that I wasn't ready to understand on my previous read, or a major topic that my recent play helps illuminate even more so.

The biggest part of the book that stuck with me this re-read was the application of the "Gap Concept" especially its applicability to PartyPoker Sit&Go tourneyments. The Gap Concept, simply put, is that proper tourneyment play builds a (sometimes large) gap between hands that you would normally call with and hands that you will now raise with when no one else has entered the pot. Basically, the gap widens so that if you are the first one in the pot it is correct to raise with hands you would normally call with - and conversely if a good player opens the pot with a raise you should throw away hands that you would normally call with. Like much of Sklansky's work, its a simple concept but something very powerful that needs to be specifically enumerated to be applied.

With just a little bit of time to play tonight, I was able to expoit my fresh understanding in taking first place in a $10+1 SNG through frequent application of the Gap Concept. Three hands in and I had won two of the three to more than double up.

First hand I'm dealt 4c6c and the flop comes 5c, 2c, 2d for a gutshot straight flush + a weak fourflush. I make a T50 bet into a T150 pot. I get two callers. The As falls on the turn, and I make a T100 semibluff in to a T300 pot and get one caller who I now put on a flush draw. When the river comes with 6d, I agressively move all-in and pull down T600. Perhaps too risky at this point, but I was confident of my read of my opponent being on a flush draw.

Two hands later, I come in to the pot with A-9 suited, and a series of weak bets allow me to fill in a gutshot to knock someone out. Perfect example of "how not to play big slick" from my opponent. I'm one-off the button and the player in front of me tries to limp. I double the blinds to T30 (I hate seeing the small and big blind call with mediocre hands for such a small amount when the blinds are so low) and the limper and the blinds both call for a T120 pot. Flop comes 7c, Kd, 6c. Both blinds check and the player in front of me, who it turns out is holding AsKs, bets 15 in to the pot. Giving me 9-1 to call - and 11-1 if I assume that the blinds are both calling, which they both did. Terrible bet by the AK - and it only gets worse. The river comes Ts and now i've got a gutshot. Again check - check and now a T35 raise by the agressor in to a T180 pot. Offering me a little better than 6-1 to call, and better than 8-1 to call if both blinds call (which they again oblige by doing). Calling in these positions (and especially on the turn, where I didn't have the odds to call at that exact moment) was based purely on the concept of future expected value - I had a high belief that I would make the best hand if I filled in the straight and felt I had the future EV to call the weak bets. The river of justice brings the 8c I need to fill in the straight (although a scary third club), and a small raise and call lead me to believe that I have the best hand so I push. The former agressor calls, a behavior I just can't understand with just top pair top kicker on the scary board. Hand history posted as Comment #1.

Sixteen hands in, and I limp with K-5 suited. I pair the king on the flop, as well as landing a backdoor flush draw. My opponent makes a minimum raise and I re-raise to 100. Another king lands on the turn, he bets out and I push immediately. He calls quickly with a flopped an open-end straight draw, but calling my all-in on the turn was a weak play given that he only had one remaining card to come and a scary board. The river of justice is a queen, and I knock another player out. Hand history in Comment #2. I'm now 3-1 chip leader, and the Gap Concept now says to tighten my gap even more so and not to risk chips needlessly trying to knock other players out...

Five players left, and i'm playing very well. More than a 2-1 chip lead over 2nd place and more than a 4-1 lead over third place. Trying not to do anything stupid aka take unnecessary risks with less than premium hands. Current standings:

Seat 6: Performify ( $4130 )
Seat 9: rottenrosie ( $305 )
Seat 7: Petruk ( $1795 )
Seat 2: tomhell ( $940 )
Seat 8: Hog1335 ( $830 )

I'm just mercilesly beating on people. Still heavily utilizing Sklansky's "Gap Concept" and here is a perfect example. With four players left the table has appropriately tightened dramatically - just as Sklansky wrote about in regards to a table tightening up (and thus the gap increasing) when the next player out is the last spot out of the money - and I'm exploiting that gap to steal pots left and right. A great example of using the Gap Concept posted as Comment #3. Four players left, blinds of 150/300, and I'm dealt KJo on the button. I make a 3x BB raise (which would essentially force both of the blinds to go all-in) and steal the 450t blinds. Given the small and big blinds are about 1/4th of each player's stacks, this is a significant application of the Gap Concept - with a good but not great hand, I'm exploiting the gap and forcing them to make a decision for all their chips at the point where both players desparately want to outlast the other.

Just a few hands later, we're down to the final two. I've got more than a 2-1 chip lead. We pass the blinds back and forth twice, and then I push him in with A4o, he called with Q8-suited and despite a scary flop of a four-flush for my opponent, my ace-high holds up for the $50 first prize. Final hand posted as Comment #4.