Page 10 - April 2006 • Southern California Gaming Guide

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAMING GUIDE
World Series of Poker® on $240 a Day
Part 2 of 4
by Jim Mercurio
is is part two in a four-part series to prepare readers to take their shot at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) or similar events. e WSOP ( June 25th–August 10th) is a series of tournaments that begin with several tournaments with buy-ins in the range of $1,000–$2,000. With a thousand dollars, a little bit of luck and the following tips, a player could satellite his way into $3,000 worth of tournaments.
Last issue I hinted at the two diametrically opposed approaches to satellite play: Double Up Early or Bust and Survive Survive Survive.
D ue to my impatient nature, I used to lean toward risking going broke to become the early chip-leader and then bully everyone else at the table. If it goes well, you can double up early and never look back: ride the chip lead to victory.
However, after playing several satellites at the 2–3 players, the survival strategy has some built-in Los Angeles Poker Classic, I equity.
started to see the appeal to “If everyone starts a satellite Another reason I have been the opposite approach: play with $1,000 in chips, then considering tightening up
when you have as little as $1,250, you are two double- ups away from having half of the chips in play.
Once the blinds are 100-200 with average stacks in the neighborhood of $2,000, if you are 4- or 5-handed, you can become very active. By knowing which players are playing the survival strategy, you can attack their blinds just as the dead money in the pot is starting to look appealing. Also by understanding all-in strategy, you can pick your spots to double up. For instance, domination is really important. AK is a bigger favorite
...Continued on Page 28
tight and let others knock
each other out. eoretically,
in a winner-take-all scenario,
survival isn’t enough. Second
place and tenth place pay
the same: zippo. However,
since players often make
deals to distribute the prize money among the last If everyone starts a satellite with $1,000 in chips, then
whenyouhaveaslittleas $1,250, you are two double-
and trying to survive until 4–5 handed with an average stack is that if you know how to adjust to playing with a short-stack relative to the blinds, you can often nd
ups away from having half of thechipsinplay.”
great situations to shift gears.
“BEST SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CASINO!”
WHY DRIVE ALL THE WAY TO LAS VEGAS?
- 40 Exciting Table Games - 2000 OF THE NEWEST Slots - Live Poker Room
- Bingo PALACE
- OFF-TRACK BETTING
- 250 Luxury Rooms and Suites
- 3 Fabulous Restaurants and A Grand Buffet - 3-Acre OASIS POOL AREA
- 24-LANE BOWLING CENTER
- WORLD-CLASS LIVE ENTERTAINMENT
~ Inland Empire Business Journal
Exit I-10 at Golf Center Parkway in Indio 800-827-2946 www.fantasyspringsresort.com
Page 10 April 2006
Poker: Wired Aces and River Rats